Plainview resident Roni Benson, co-director of the Long Island Professional and Parent Education Network (LIPEN) and the 21st Century Save Our Kids Task Force, was recently named one of this year's honorees for the "Women: Trailblazers of the New Millennium" awards.

Nassau County Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) made the announcement earlier this week and will honor Benson at an awards ceremony scheduled for March 10 to coincide with Women's History Month. The program will take place in the fifth floor legislative chamber at One West Street, Mineola at 5 p.m.

"Roni Benson has truly gone above and beyond the call of duty in her field," said Jacobs. "She is an asset to our community and a woman that girls could look up to as a role model. That is the true embodiment of a Trailblazer."

Benson is a respected parenting expert who has been published on a variety of educational issues, bully/victim relationships, youth violence prevention and parenting. She helped create SAFENET, a parent resource center for the Plainview Old Bethpage school district, and has served as its president for the last 13 years. She also co-authored Bully Frog, an educational book for children in kindergarten through fourth grade that was published last year. In addition to those accomplishments, Benson, is also a regular speaker at conferences and symposiums, and appears frequently on television and radio as a specialist commentator.

The Nassau County Legislature's "Women Trailblazers" awards ceremony looks to highlight and recognize the extraordinary work of women throughout the county.