Sylvia Crafton, of Guam, is serving a two-year term as founder region governor of Soroptimist, an international volunteer organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment.

As region governor, Crafton will serve as the top administrative officer for Soroptimist clubs in her geographical territory, which currently consists of these counties in California, Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma; the state of Hawaii and the United States Territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Republic of Palau.

Crafton and her clubs will work to affect social change and to increase the collective impact they have on local women and girls.

Crafton is a member of Soroptimist International of The Marianas, one of 3,100 Soroptimist clubs that improve the lives of women and girls through volunteer projects in the community.

A member since 1991 Crafton has held several leadership positions including region governor-elect, director and club president.

Crafton attended the University of Akron in Ohio where she received a bachelor’s degree in music.

Governor Crafton and her husband, Andrew, enjoy playing the French horn in the Guam Symphony Society. Crafton is retired from United Airlines.

Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization that economically empowers women and girls so they will have the resources and opportunities to reach their full potential.

More than 110,000 members and supporters in 21 countries and territories invest in the dreams of women and girls through access to education. Soroptimist’s signature program, Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women, helps women get the education and training they need to improve their employment prospects. The program has disbursed more than $30 million to about 30,000 women since 1972.

Soroptimist’s newest program, Dream It, Be It, provides professional roles models and career education to girls in secondary school who face obstacles to their future success. To date, 20,000 girls have benefited from the program.

Soroptimist also powers www.LiveYourDream.org, its online community that provides on- and offline opportunities for volunteer action in support of women and girls.