This photo, from a 1990 edition of the former Bay News, features the South Bay Women’s Network board members Kathy Stalter, Rosa
Metzler, Kim Herold, Annie Young, Alyce Thorpe, Wendy Kramer and Jean Brown. Photo submitted but chances are taken by Dean Sullivan
A women’s advocacy and networking club in the Estero Bay has shut down after four decades of networking, mentorship, and community service, all focused on women.
The South Bay Women’s Network is no more. Due to shrinking membership, from a high of 40 to 24 members in 2025, the group founded in 1983 decided it was time to close its doors.
“Even though our members said they believed in our organization, we struggled to recruit new members,” Dawn Rodden, who served on the board as marketing director for more than 20 years, told Estero Bay News. “The biggest challenge was that no one was interested in serving on the board, while the current board members at the time were preparing to step down.”
SBWN served as a welcoming space for women to connect, develop professionally, and grow as leaders. Through monthly meetings, professional development programs, charitable initiatives, and scholarship awards, the organization built a legacy of support and inspiration throughout the South Bay community of Los Osos, Morro Bay, Cayucos and Cambria.
“Our most impactful events have been the Holiday Dinner & Benefit, which began in 1988 to raise funds for the Women’s Shelter (as it was known at the time),” Rodden said. “Before the event ended due to COVID, we raised more than $30,000 through this effort.”
members. Photo submitted.
Since 2000, SBWN awarded more than 123 scholarships to female re-entry students at Cuesta College, totaling $71,360 — an enduring testament to its commitment to advancing women’s education.
“A key initiative was our Cuesta College Female Reentry Student Scholarship Program,” Rodden said. “We also hosted monthly meetings featuring presentations on business education, current topics, and issues affecting women. I believe this program is what made us stand out the most.”
Additionally, SBWN supported a variety of organizations and community causes, including the Los Osos/Baywood Park Chamber of Commerce, the Commission on the Status of Women, local food banks, blood drives, and hosting a voting poll since 2012.
Members believe the impact of these contributions, along with the professional relationships and lasting friendships formed over the years, will continue well beyond the organization’s final meeting.
“We truly appreciate everyone in the community who supported us — those who attended our fundraisers, contributed to our scholarship efforts, and the many women in our community, both business and non-business members, who have been part of our organization on and off for more than 40 years,” Rodden said.
While formal operations are coming to an end, group leaders emphasized that the spirit of SBWN will live on through the leadership skills cultivated, businesses supported, and enduring personal connections formed under its banner.
Perhaps it is the friendships formed that will be missed the most.
“The hardest part was letting go of an organization and sisterhood that had shaped us both personally and professionally and had become part of our everyday lives,” Rodden said. “Over time, past and present members grew into more than colleagues — they became family. We looked forward to coming together every month or more. I personally will miss seeing many of those people.”
Should anyone want to reach out to the South Bay Women’s Network, they will maintain their email address, info@sbwn.org, through the remainder of 2026.
