The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce will host its Blue Diamond Recognition Gala from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Fri., March 6 at the Hyatt Regency Westlake.
The event will honor outgoing board chair Don Phillipson, owner of WSI ePro Marketing, as well as winners in seven award categories.
Before the dinner and awards, guests will have an opportunity to take photos with 10-time All-Star and 1974 National League MVP former Dodger Steve Garvey during cocktail hour.
The following people and organizations will be honored:
Business of the Year: Atara Biotherapeutics. The biotech company conducts research and development of off-the-shelf, allogeneic T-cell immunotherapies, which provide treatments for people with cancer and viral and autoimmune diseases. The company has been growing since being founded in 2012 and employs over 400 professionals.
Man of the Year: Scott Harris, CEO of Mustang Marketing, an agency he founded in 1986. He serves his local community and helped to build Red Oak Elementary School in Oak Park. Harris has served on and founded numerous boards, such as Pepperdine University’s Seaver Board of Visitors and Career Action Program, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Foundation and the Ventura County Community College District Advisory Board.
Woman of the Year: Leanne Neilson, provost of Cal Lutheran University. She came to CLU in 1993 as a member of the psychology faculty and has become provost and vice president for academic affairs. She led the Thousand Oaks Alliance for the Arts through a major transition and served as chair of its board this past year. She is the immediate past chair of United Way’s Women United in Ventura County and a member of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Leadership Team. Last spring, Neilson and her husband donated $100,000 to establish an Emergency Support Scholarship Endowment for the university.
Nonprofit of the Year: Conejo Free Clinic. Serving the Conejo Valley for over three decades, the clinic on Hillcrest Drive in Community Conscience’s Human Services Center is run by a staff of almost 100 volunteers from different professional backgrounds. In addition to providing medical and legal access to individuals in the community, CFC recently added a dental clinic, which is staffed by an all-volunteer team of dentists, dental hygienists, voucher program dental specialists and support staff.
Ambassador of the Year: Debbie Soden, of Coldwell Banker Real Estate. She has been a Chamber ambassador for over five years and served as the consul general for the group in 2019. She brings her outgoing energy to every program and has a way of making people feel special and seen. She continuously goes above and beyond to help new members integrate into the organization and is a tremendous resource for all Chamber members.
Volunteer of the Year: Bob Bland, CEO of the nonprofit Conejo Compassion Coalition for the past 13 years. He is a founding member of the Conejo Valley Homeless Shelter Program and has been a site coordinator for over 20 years. In 2018, CCC supported victims of the Hill and Woolsey fires by providing them with cash grants and gift cards. He also travels to countries like Sri Lanka, Malawi and Uganda to help disadvantaged communities.
Corporate Sponsor of the Year: TechAhead Inc. An international app development company, TechAhead opened its Agoura Hills office in 2018 and immediately reached out to the Chamber. The company is a gold member of the Chairman’s Club program that represents over 60 local corporate partners. In addition, TechAhead helped the Little Angels Project develop an app that would assist with animal evacuations during wildfires. Most recently, TechAhead offered to film and promote a professional video for the over 900 Chamber members at no cost.
Through Mon., March 2, presale gala tickets are $130 per person or $950 for a table of eight at conejochamber.org.