AWARD FIELD DOWN TO FIVE.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

Five dedicated volunteers were tapped Thursday as finalists for the 45th annual Fernando Award, the San Fernando Valley's most prestigious award for community service.

Jill Banks Barad of Sherman Oaks, Bob Scott of West Hills, and Stanley Bryant, J. Richard Leyner and Bill F. Powers Jr., all of Northridge, were selected from a field of 16 nominees. The winner of the Fernando Award will be announced at a Nov. 7 dinner.

``My family has always given back to the community,'' said Powers. ``If I don't give back to the community, the next person probably won't. I feel an obligation to do it; it's my heritage and my desire.''

Launched in 1958, the award is named for a fictitious American Indian hero who has come to symbolize the San Fernando Valley.

Michael Miller, president of the Fernando Award Foundation, said all 16 nominees were worthy of honors for their long-term service to the community.

``This is a lifetime of work,'' Miller said during a luncheon ceremony attended by about 400 people at the Warner Center Marriott hotel. ``Some of these people have put in 40 years of community service. We need to stand up and salute these people.''

Barad is the owner of Jill Barad & Associates, a public relations, government and community affairs firm. She also teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles, advised former Mayor Tom Bradley on school integration and developed magnet programs for Los Angeles schools.

Bryant, president and owner of NIA Insurance Group, has been active with the North Valley YMCA for more than 30 years. He also served as co-chairman of a successful capital and endowment campaign that raised $4.15 million for New Horizons.

Leyner is senior vice president of NAI Capital Commercial, a commercial real estate firm. He has worked with numerous civic, charitable and economic groups in the Valley, including the Child Development Institute, New Directions for Youth, the Encino Chamber of Commerce, Encino Business Improvement District, AIDS Project LA, Economic Alliance, B'nai Brith and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

Powers, an attorney and real estate broker, led the petition drive for the Valley succession movement and is a lifelong member of the Chatsworth/Porter Ranch Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as a Los Angeles Superior Court pro tem judge and mediator and works with youth groups and to help the homeless.

Scott, owner of the planning and research firm Civic Center Group, has worked with more than 50 organizations, including the Van Nuys Jaycees and the United Way, and served on the Los Angeles Planning Commission. He is the founding chairman and current vice chairman of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley.

``They make the Valley a truly special place in America,'' said David W. Fleming, winner of the 1991 Fernando Award.

``They inspire people in an age when too many think only of themselves. Each in his own way regenerates our faith in the basic goodness of mankind,'' Fleming said.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Fernando Award finalists, from left, are: Bob Scott, Bill F. Powers Jr., Jill Banks Barad, J. Richard Leyner and Stanley Bryant. The winner will be announced at a Nov. 7 dinner.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer