League of Women Voters of LaPorte County member Jeannette Neagu was announced as the winner of the 2015 Art Palleon Advocacy Award at the League of Women Voters Annual Meeting in Glenview, Illinois. She was recognized for her decades of tireless work as an advocate for the environmental health and protection of Lake Michigan.
Jeanette’s stewardship of Lake Michigan began when she was a child growing up in Ogden Dunes where she attended her first League of Women Voter’s (LWV) meeting with her mother. Eventually, Jeannette became a part of the Save the Dunes movement that began in the 1960's and her dedication to the area has never diminished.
Whether lobbying or testifying at hearings about policy matters related to Lake Michigan, writing, phoning, visiting elected officials in Michigan City, Indianapolis, and Washington, D.C., or traveling to the other Great Lakes states to give public presentations, Jeanette is action-oriented and tireless. She also works to educate community members by speaking on topics such as, “Introduction to Lake Michigan,” “Combined Sewer Overflows,” “Above-Ground Storage Tanks,” “Nutrient Impacts and Toxic Algae,” and more. Her eye-opening presentations have helped recruit many new members to LWV and to the cause of environmental stewardship.
Jeanette has served as President and Delegate for League of Women Voters of Lake Michigan Region and is currently League of Women Voters of Indiana’s Natural Resources chair.