SCCA leader Norma Zermeno named Manager of the Year

By Kelvin Portillo, Correspondent

Norma Zermeno, general manager at the Sun City Civic Association (SCCA), won the Manager of the Year award at the 2021 Community Associations Institute-Greater Inland Empire (CAI-GRIE) awards ceremony.

The CAI-GRIE awards represent the best and brightest in the Top of Profession & Services (TOPS) awards. Zermeno has been praised by her peers for her accomplishments and years of commitment to the industry.

Zermeno has worked as an association manager for 31 years for Avalon Management, the local company managing the SCCA, and is responsible for assisting with the budget, helping out the board, and drafting contracts, among many other duties. The SCCA is a senior community comprised of 4,762 residences with approximately 10,000 residents. According to the SCCAs’ website, a few key highlights of Norma’s accomplishments include:

-- Coordinated a vaccine clinic across multiple dates in partnership with the County of Riverside because she realized that some would be unable to drive to a vaccine site and understood the urgency of having residents of the community vaccinated;

-- Managed town hall meetings with local politicians, allowing owners to meet and ask questions of elected officials;

-- Worked with the City of Menifee to coordinate a weekly Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings with dozens of vendors and huge number of customers;

-- Helped to plan meaningful events, including a Beach Night as well as free Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

“It is great to be acknowledged by your peers for the work you do for your community. The SCCA and I worked hand in hand on the many accomplishments to help our seniors,” said Zermeno on her thoughts of receiving the Manager of the Year award.

On her 31 years’ worth of experience assisting seniors in her community, she said, “Working with the SCCA has opened my eyes more to the seniors. There are many here that we have helped. There are seniors that have no family or access to food. I am working with the board of SCCA to find a way to help those seniors; if anyone in the community is willing to help, I would love to hear from you.”