By Bryan Starr, President & CEO, Greater Irvine Chamber
As published in the Dec. 18, 2023, Orange County Business Journal
There are countless individuals, organizations, and programs that make Irvine and Orange County an exceptional place in which to live, visit, and do business. Through its 2023 award programs, the Greater Irvine Chamber has had the honor to recognize some of those outstanding contributors. It’s my pleasure to introduce you to them here (including their titles and organizations they served at the time of the recognition).
- Erin Arreola, Charitable Events Manager, In-N-Out
- Ashley Baribeault-Vlcan, MPA, Senior Director of Client Services, Working Wardrobes
- Sara Behmerwohld, Esq., COO, Human Options
- Ryan Borda, E-Business Program Admin, Parker Aerospace
- Lance Britt II, Vice President, Goldman Sachs
- Maggie Castaneda-Scott, Director of Facilities & Support Services, City of Hope Orange County
- Brian Chang, Senior Wealth Advisor, Kayne Anderson Rudnick
- Karen Costello, Senior Principal, Planning, Design, & Development, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
- Erik Delgadillo, Director of Growth, SecLex
- Matthew Fonseca, Director of Ticket Sales & Service, Orange County Soccer Club
- Nycole Freer, CFP, BFA, Founder, Eden Financial
- Andy Gallardo, General Counsel & Chief Risk Officer, Genesis Bank
- Meghan Glaspy, Esq., Managing Attorney, RMO LLP
- Komal Gulati Kumar, CEO & President, Komi Optical Inc.
- Ashley Harris, M.B.A., CFO, Boys & Girls Club of Central Orange Coast
- Jonathan Howard, Operations Leader, Parker Aerospace
- Kelly Iwanabe Reynolds, MHA, FACHE, Executive Director, Hoag Urgent Cares Spine and Sports Medicine
- Marisa Jimenez, Vice President of Manufacturing, Terran Orbital
- Christopher Jin, President, Unite Health Share Ministries
- Amy Kang, PharmD, BCIDP, Assistant Professor, Chapman University School of Pharmacy
- Tyler D. Kring, Esq., Employment Attorney, Kring and Chung, LLP
- Tim Lineberger, J.D., Senior Associate, Venture Strategic
- Carol Luong, Real Estate Partnerships, Google Fiber
- Yordanka Martin, CPA, Executive Director of Consumer Risk, Hyundai Capital America
- Natalie Matsumoto, Director of Marketing, Octane
- Matthew Noonan, Head of Finance, ASRV Sportswear
- Nika Pari Nour, Informatics Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Irvine
- Abby Pal, Senior Transportation Planner, EPD Solutions, Inc.
- Sandy Prietto, Head of Global Marketing & Communications, Endologix
- Morgan Ratcliffe, Executive Director, Chief Communication Officer, Providence Health Plan
- Natalie Reider, Senior Vice President of Community Operations, Jamboree Housing
- Duane Rohrbacher, J.D., Ph.D., Executive Director of Development, University of California, Irvine School of Education
- Roxanne Rothafel, Senior Director, Program Marketing, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
- Clarissa Serpas, Public Affairs Manager, Southern California Gas Company
- Monica Prudip Shukla Belmontes, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Curriculum, Assurance of Learning, and Competency-Based Education; Associate Professor, Business Administration, UMASS Global
- Stephanie L. Talavera, J.D., Attorney, Jackson Tidus
- Andrew Walsh, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Orange County, WFG National
- Christopher Whitaker, CFP, AIF, Sr. Financial Advisor, Sr. Financial Planner, Apriem Advisors
- Ahmed Zobi, EMBA, Chief Executive Officer, Syntr Health Technologies
- Northwood High School student Hannah Cho was selected as this year’s 40 Under 40 Future Leader.
- Business of the Year: Johnson & Johnson
- Executive of the Year: Chad Lefteris, CEO, UCI Health
- Entrepreneur of the Year: Andrew Dooyoul Kim, Founder & Owner, SongHyun Tax Consulting Group
- Inspirational Leadership: Bobby McDonald, President & Executive Director, Black Chamber of Commerce Orange County
- Corporate Social Responsibility: Bank of America
- Commitment to Sustainability: FivePoint
- Veteran-Owned Business of the Year: BERT Workplace Safety Solutions
- Minority-Owned Business of the Year: Diamond Jamboree
- Nonprofit of the Year: University Lab Partners
- Philanthropist of the Year: Wing Lam, Owner, Wahoo’s Fish Tacos
- Emergency Services Professional: Mike Hamel, Chief Security Operations Officer, Hoag Health System
- Volunteer of the Year: Nadine Afari, M.S., Manager of Research Programs, CHOC
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATORS HONOREES
- Educator of the Year: Ben Case, Art Department Chair & Instrumental Music Director, Northwood High School
- Distinguished Educator - Career & Technical: Margaret Moodian, Ed.D., Associate Professor, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Massachusetts Global
- Distinguished Educator - University: Susanne Phillips, DNP, ADRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, Senior Associate Dean and Clinical Professor, UCI Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California, Irvine
- Distinguished Educator - University: Fadel N. Lawandy, CAIA, Director, C. Larry Hoag Center for Real Estate and Finance; Director, Janes Financial Center; Associate Professor, Finance and Real Estate, Chapman University
- Distinguished Educator - Community College: Patricia Beckmann-Wells, Ed.D., Professor, School of Fine Arts, Irvine Valley College
- Distinguished Educator - High School: Rob Blaney, Director of Vocal Music, University High School
- Distinguished Education Program: National Science Foundation S-STEM Scholarship Program, Irvine Valley College
- Distinguished Education Program: Portola High School Engineering Department
- Distinguished Education Program: University Lab Partners
Through its Irvine Forward Foundation with the generosity of donors including The Webb Group co-founder & advisor Joan Webb, the Greater Irvine Chamber this year awarded its:
- Irvine Forward Foundation Community Scholarship, recipient: Elizabeth Bank
- John Colvin Memorial Scholarship, recipients: Arjun Adabir and Neil Pal
- Col. Thomas U. Wall Memorial scholarship, recipient: Joshua Ochoa
- Health System of the Year: UCI Health
- Medical Research of the Year: City of Hope Orange County
- Lifetime Achievement: Patty Huang, M.D., Immediate Past Chief of Staff, Hoag Hospital
- Healthcare Executive of the Year: Cynthia Powers, D.N.P., M.S., R.N., Vice President & Associate Chief Nursing Officer, City of Hope Orange County
- Healthcare Practitioner of the Year: John-Charles Loo, M.D., Pediatric Cardiologist, Kaiser Permanente
- Healthcare Advocate of the Year: Barry Arbuckle, Ph.D.., CEO, MemorialCare
- Healthcare Innovator of the Year: Kumkum Sarkar Patel, M.D., M.P.H., Co-Founder, Equity and Levity, LLC
- Healthcare Innovator of the Year: Mark Colon, M.D., Assistant Division Chief, Primary Care, CHOC Medical Group
- Wellness Program of the Year: UCI Health Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute
- Healthcare Innovation of the Year: Southern California Blood Bank
- Healthcare Innovation of the Year: Planet DDS
- Support Service Administrator of the Year: Susanna Rustad, Chief Procurement Officer & Executive Director of Virtual Care, UCI Health
- Healthcare Collaboration of the Year: Chapman University School of Pharmacy | Scan Health Plan | Providence
- Community Outreach of the Year: Device Alliance
- Healthcare Volunteer of the Year: Renee Ramirez-Radabaugh, Volunteer, Alzheimer’s Association
- Authentic Leader: Jennifer Anaya, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, Ingram Micro
- Game Changer: Coleen Cunningham, M.D., Professor and Chair of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine; Senior Vice President and Pediatrician in Chief, CHOC
- Advocate: Kathryn Hamel, Ph.D., CEO, The Hecht Trauma Institute
- Entrepreneur: Dominque V. Jones, CEO & Owner, Propel Cycle Inc.
- Lifetime Achievement: Deborah Levy, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Association Orange County
- Executive: Lindsay Oglesby, CEO, Tax Relief Advocates
- Innovator: Tiffany Roberts, Vice President & FMB Foundation Director, Farmers & Merchants Bank
- Innovator: Amanda Samaan, Founder & CEO, Revolver PR
- Game Changer: Nicole Suydam, President & CEO, Goodwill of Orange County
- Rising Star: Amanda Walsh, Community Relations Manager, University of California, Irvine
