Meet the 125 Most Influential People in Orange County for 2024

James Solis — Solis has coached “Everyone Plays In our Community” soccer for people with disabilities in Huntington Beach. The games teach confidence and self-esteem in a fun environment while also giving young people the opportunity to exercise. Above, James Solis, left, with his daughter, Makaylin Solis. (Courtesy of James Solis)

Ronald Rochon — In July, he became the 10th president of Cal State Fullerton after 14 years at the University of Southern Indiana, including the past six as president. He oversees an operating budget of $595.3 million, one of the largest in the Cal State system, and 43,662 students, the biggest campus in California in terms of student population. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Drew Adams and Zach Scherer — Two chef-owners opened Darkroom, OC’s most ambitious restaurant this year. Scherer, who spent several years at Playground, and Adams, who served as executive chef at Outpost Kitchen, created an elevated-yet-playful dining experience that further cements Santa Ana as one of the region’s top dining spots. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Hannah Cho — Cho was elected California Boys and Girls State Superintendent of Public Instruction at the conference. She was one of 12 high school students nationwide, she attended daily Library of Congress sessions and engaged in peer discussions and presentations. She serves as one of 10 high school students nationwide to be the youth face and voice for American Battlefield Trust.(Courtesy of Hannah Cho)

Mike Learakos —The director of Abound Food Care, a nonprofit that collects charitable food from restaurants, groceries and farms, among others, is helping to spearhead a relaunch of the OC Hunger Alliance. Among other things, the new version of the OC Hunger Alliance is using business-oriented software, political lobbying and new organizational strategies to dramatically reduce hunger in Orange County. The idea, which is backed by the county and financed, in part, by the Samueli Foundation, also hopes to use food charities into a tool to help deliver a wide variety of social services, including drug counseling, health care and financial literacy. (Courtesy of California Food Recovery Coalition)

Dino Randazzo — The reader-nominated Randazzo’s leadership as president of the board of directors of the Public Law Center championed access to justice for underserved communities. Under her stewardship, the organization installed new leadership, expanded its reach, addressing critical issues such as housing instability, immigration advocacy, and consumer rights protection. (Public Law Center)

Jose Serrano — Serrano, director of the county’s newly established Office of Immigrants and Refugee Affairs, comes to the county with a goal to address gaps in immigration services, such as housing. (Courtesy of Jose Serrano)

Dawn Reese — The reader-nominated CEO of The Wooden Floor organized the first Youth Mental Health Convening with Santa Ana Unified leadership in collaboration with the City of Santa Ana and the Santa Ana Youth Mental Health Task Force. She also created the partnership of The Wooden Floor with the Garden Grove Unified School District and the Boys and Girls Club to create Dance Uplifts, an after school dance education program. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Nyjah Huston — The Laguna Beach resident earned a bronze medal in street skateboarding at the Paris Olympics. It was Huston’s second appearance in the Olympics but his first medal.(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Alissa Deming — Deming led the team responding to more than stranded sea lions and seals, while also examining beached whales, sea turtles and dolphins. She also takes the lead of research and analysis of the ocean environment, providing publications to fellow scientists and marine environmental custodians. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Lawrence Armstrong — The chairman of Ware Malcomb, one of the county’s largest architectural firms, is an accomplished artist and author of the upcoming book “Layered Leadership: Drive Double-Digit Growth and Dominate Your Competition with Creative Strategies and Execution.” He also chairs the leadership council for Orange County United Way’s United to End Homelessness initiative. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Bob Page — Two years ago, Page took over an agency widely regarded as one of the top registrars in the country during a time when election officials of all levels were facing mounting threats of violence and intimidation. This year, in primary and general elections, Page’s office collected and counted upwards of 3 million votes. And even as bomb threats and other pushback sometimes slowed them down, Page’s team handled its duties without a hitch. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Taylor Thompson — Thompson is part of the team from Chapman University that in July took first place at the Mars Wrigley Product Development Competition at the International Food Expo in Chicago. The event draws new product ideas from food science students around the country. Chapman’s team won for Spice of Life, billed as a vanilla chai-flavored wellness drink. (Courtesy of Taylor Thompson)

Ashima Sharma and Dayal Vedant — As members of the 2024 Dragon Kim Foundation Fellowship, the reader-nominated Dayal and Sharma created a community service project called Heart-to-Art after experiencing cancer firsthand and noticing a lack of diverse therapeutic options for patients, who typically only had visual arts. They aimed to change this by introducing dance, music, theatre, and creative writing alongside visual arts to cancer patients through free summer camps. (Courtesy of The Dragon Kim Foundation)

Cathleen Pryor — A Realtor and president of her HOA community, Pryor began alerting the public about a proposed lithium battery storage facility that could be built on land owned by Saddleback Church in San Juan Capistrano. The land is being sold to Engie North America. In July she organized a march to the site and in November launched Banning Lithium Energy Storage Systems in Neighborhoods (BLESSIN), a nonprofit with which she hopes to create greater awareness of the project now under review by the California Energy Commission.(Courtesy of Cathleen Pryor)

Andrew Fahmy — Fahmy serves as executive director of Orange County United Way’s United for Financial Security initiative. In 2024, he expanded the SparkPoint OC financial empowerment program by adding two new locations in South Orange County, bringing the number of financial empowerment centers under the program to nine. He also secured a $1.36 million, three-year grant from CalOptima to expand UpSkill OC’s healthcare workforce services, providing career coaching, tuition assistance, and job placement in healthcare careers across Orange County. (Courtesy of Cornerstone Communications)

Trinity Rodman — The JSerra High graduate scored three goals in the Paris Olympics and helped lead the U.S. to the gold medal. Rodman, 22, is a forward with the Washington Spirit in the NWSL and scored eight goals with six assists in 26 games this season. Washington lost in the NWSL Championship to Orlando, but Rodman became the first NWSL player to play in two league title matches before she turned 24. (Marc Atkins/Getty Images/TNS)

Gabriella Blanchard — Blanchard, a vice president of producer recruiting for Marsh & McLennan Agency, is a board member for Orange County’s Human Options who willingly shares her story as a domestic violence survivor to help others. She found help from Human Options when she left an abusive marriage with twin 9-month-old sons and has become a strong advocate for the nonprofit. (Courtesy of Reveille, Inc.)

Tim Smith — Smith, founder of the Tim Smith Real Estate Group and a Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Property Specialist in Newport Beach, is privately funding Orange County’s first litter skimming boat. In its first two months, the boat, dubbed The Good Seamaritan, has collected nearly half a ton of trash from the harbor. Smith has invested $131,000 for the boat, along with captain fees and other operational expenses. (Courtesy of Tim Smith)

Charlie Dunlop — In 2024, the biotech entrepreneur reshaped Orange County’s academic research landscape with a $50 million unrestricted gift to UC Irvine to name its school for biological sciences. The school has more than 4,000 undergraduates and 300 graduate students, making it one of the largest academic units at UCI. Dean Frank LaFerla said the unrestricted nature of the gift will allow researchers to take on high-risk, high-reward projects. (Photo by Steve Zylius, UC Irvine)

Crosby Colapinto — The surfing standout from San Clemente joined the ranks of the world’s best last year and was named the World Surf League “Rookie of the Year.” He finished 10th at the end of the competitive season. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Carey Clawson — Clawson is the co-founder of the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking. As the name suggests, her group pushes against trafficking, which is often linked to prostitution. But in the past year she’s moved to expand that effort to include a push against trafficking-related child labor, a practice that’s exploded in recent years, including in Southern California. (Courtesy of Reveille, Inc.)

Mark Marten — Marten, a former board member for the nonprofit MOMS Orange County, had pushed for the organization some 25 years ago to start hosting classes that could help new fathers navigate parenthood. The “Strong Fathers, Strong Families” are now a staple of the organization that helps parents. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Austin Butler — The Orange County native had a big 2024 with lead roles in the limited series “Masters of the Air” and the movie “The Bikeriders,” but he likely was seen by the most people in a memorable supporting turn. His Feyd-Rautha was a scene-stealer in “Dune: Part Two.” Butler, attends the Los Angeles premiere of Focus Features’ “The Bikeriders” at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California on June 17, 2024. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Frank Garcia — Garcia wrapped up hosting his We Give Thanks Thanksgiving event at Honda Center, where in recent years over 10,000 were being fed annually. Garcia started the tradition in the parking lot of his restaurant 39 years ago. Garcia is shown with chef Martin Guerrero pose for photographs during the annual ‘We Give Thanks’ free Thanksgiving dinner event at the Honda Center. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Winnie Yee-Lakhani —After her successful pandemic-era pop-up proved a hit with diners, she opened her first brick-and-mortar space, Smoke Queen Barbecue, in Garden Grove. Before opening her first stand-alone space, her culinary side project earned her appearances on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and Food Network’s “Chopped” and “Barbecue Brawl.” (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ryan Bertoni — Bertoni’s work with the Matt Leinart Flag Football League showed its fruits with the success of Orange County high school girls flag football teams in the inaugural season of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs. He is president of the league. (Courtesy of Ryan Bertoni)

Mucio Vidales and Pabloa Dias —Nicolas Junior High woodshop teacher Mucio Vidales and Pabloa Dias, an Innovation and Instructional Support Coordinator with the Fullerton School District, led 22 eighth graders in building a 192-square-foot tiny home for an unhoused family in the district this school year.

Steven Choi — Choi, a former Republican Assemblymember from Irvine, flipped a seat in the California State Senate to the GOP for the first time since 1980, despite being significantly outspent by his opponent. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Brenda Villa —The Olympic gold medalist continues to mentor young girls as the water polo coach at Orange Lutheran.Villa takes a selfie with her team at the CIF-SS Open Division championships. (Photo by Dan Albano, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Derek Tran — Tran made history this year when he was elected to be the first Vietnamese American to represent the nation’s largest Vietnamese community in Congress, flipping a competitive Republican-held seat. His win solidified Orange County Democrats’ strongest showing in congressional races since 2018, when they captured all the county’s House seats. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Fred Whitaker — Under Whitaker’s leadership, Republicans gained a voter registration advantage in the 47th congressional district and the 74th Assembly district. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Oliver Cortez Velasquez — Cortez Velasquez is an Anaheim artist who was honored by the city for his artwork that brings hope to others. Cortez Velasquez helped paint the new Little People’s Park mural in his neighborhood. (Courtesy of Oliver Cortez Velasquez)

Samantha Tan — A UC Irvine alumna, Tan is a professional race car driver. She’s won championships and broken many records, including becoming the first Asian woman to win a major international endurance racing championship. This year her team, Samantha Tan Racing, finished as vice champions of the GT World Challenge America in the Pro-Am class. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

Katelyn Nguyen — Twenty rounds of competition — and correctly spelling “discretionary” in the regional spelling bee — secured 13-year-old Nguyen her ticket to Washington D.C. to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May. The Helen Stacey Middle School student is the first student from the Westminster School District to have advanced to the nationals. Nguyen is surprised by a celebration for her at Stacey Middle School the day before she is headed to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Nolan Almeida — With hardly any professional live theater experience, Almeida self-submitted his audition to play the title role — traditionally starring a woman – in a new production of the musical “Peter Pan.” He won the lead for a national tour, acting, singing and flying five to seven shows a week in big halls from coast to coast, including a two-week run at the Segerstrom Center of the Arts in Costa Mesa. Nolan Almeida, center, leads the cast in the production number “I Won’t Grow Up!” in the North American tour of “Peter Pan.” (Photo by Matthew Murphy, @Murphymade)

Kathryn Plummer Boden — The Aliso NIguel High graduate was a key member of the U.S. women’s volleyball team that won the silver medal in the Paris Olympics, using her height (6-foot-6) and big arm to be a force at the net. But the highlights of her year didn’t stop there. She got married to Michael Boden shortly after the Olympics. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Emma Melin — The 9-year-old has dealt with life-threatening food allergies for her entire life; she suffered the first of five anaphylactic reactions that stopped her breathing at 18 months old. She’s become an advocate for the tens of millions of Americans who have food allergies. “Allergic Emma” has a presence on various social media platforms, with content that ranges from allergy-safe recipes, reviews of products that are allergy-conscientious, social commentary, tips for creating safer environments and more. The Ducks honored her with her selection as their 21st Duck for the season. Melin is pictured with goalie Lukas Dostal during an Orange Carpet fan event at the Honda Center. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Taryn Palumbo — The reader-nominated executive director for Orange County Grantmakers led the nonprofit in a big year of growth. The OCG 2024 Annual Summit drew a record number of attendees in October, up from 150 in its first year to 436 funders, nonprofit professionals, and community leaders. For the 2024 election cycle, Palumbo partnered with Charitable Ventures on the “OC Votes, Get Out the Vote Campaign” that taps into the power of nonprofits to strengthen democracy through civic engagement. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Bill Foltz — As the CEO of OCVibe, Foltz is shepherding the development of an entertainment and residential district around Honda Center that is expected to create Orange County’s own L.A. Live-like destination. Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli are behind OCVibe, and Foltz was right there with them in September when they celebrated in a glitzy groundbreaking the start of construction on the $4 billion development that will add thousands of homes, dozens of restaurants, hotels, urban parks and change the way OC experiences music with four new performance venues (including Honda Center) that will showcase up-and-coming acts and the biggest of headliners. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Brandon Golob — Golob has been voted professor of the year at the UCI School of Social Ecology four years in a row. Undergraduates and graduate students have chosen him. Golob teaches about criminology, democracy and the rule of law, challenging his students — among whom are mid-career law enforcement professionals — to think about those matters in practical terms. Golob also leads his courses with empathy, having his students agree upon ground rules for sensitive political conversations at the beginning of each term. And he breaks up serious conversations with lighthearted chats about music and pop culture. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jocelyn Read — Read, a professor of physics at Cal State Fullerton, has helped make the university an unexpectedly big player in the world of gravitational-wave research. That is essentially “listening” to events in space, such as black stars mashing into each other, by measuring infinitesimal shifts in spacetime. In May, Read and others at Cal State Fullerton published a paper in which they proved that a neutron star merged with a mass-gap object, a first in their field. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Caroline Marks — Marks, who calls San Clemente home, won the Olympic gold medal in surfing in Tahiti. Marks, who earned her first World Championship last year, also made it to the World Surf League finals at Lower Trestles, coming in second in the world. Marks, center, celebrates after winning the women’s gold medal final in the surfing competition during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Ben Thouard/Pool Photo via AP)

Freddie Freeman — Freeman, an El Modena High graduate, hit a dramatic grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1 of the World Series to lift the Dodgers. He hit three more home runs in the series, which the Dodgers won in five games, and was selected as the World Series MVP. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Justin Viezbicke — Viezbicke has been leading whale disentanglements for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s West Coast stranding network for more than a decade. With this year’s rise in humpback entanglement, one case made huge headlines as the juvenile whale traveled between Los Angeles and Orange counties for several days, rasing great public awareness. After four days, Viezbicke successfully made the final cut that freed the whale from the tightly wound gear off Dana Point. (Courtesy of Justin Viezbicke)

Jay “Sparky” Longley — Longley is a philanthropist who created Rainbow Sandals, a San Clemente-based business that started in 1974 with a goal to make a sandal that lasts. He does more than make sandals, and gives back to many nonprofits throughout the region. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Elise Wang — An assistant professor at Cal State Fullerton, Wang was named one of the 2024 Class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows. Wang researches what literature tells us about conspiracy theories and the spread of misinformation. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dave Min — Despite lacking Rep. Katie Porter’s name ID and star power, Min successfully held on to her congressional seat, maintaining Democratic control of the area. With his victory, Min also became the first Korean American Democrat from California to serve in Congress. (Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer)

Dick Metz — The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center founder stepped down from the board after creating the “Smithsonian of Surfing.” The longtime collector, who was also behind the retail stores Hobie Surf Shops, created a place for historic surfboards and memorabilia to be preserved through the years. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/SCNG)

Ryder Dodd — Dodd made his Olympics debut in Paris at 18 years old and fresh out of JSerra High. He scored eight goals to help the U.S. men’s water polo team earn a bronze medal. Then, as a UCLA freshman, he broke the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation single-season record with 102 goals this season, including two in the national championship game to lead the Bruins past USC, 11-8, on Dec. 8. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Eric Goodman — The CEO of two companies was honored at Orange County’s National Philanthropy Day in November for his work with Mountain View Services, a health care supply company that serves more than 500 care facilities for developmentally disabled adults, children and seniors. Goodman is active on several nonprofit boards and is an energetic force in the county. “My mission in life is to help those in need,” he said at National Philanthropy Day. (Courtesy of Eric Goodman)

Shauntina Sorrells — The chief program officer for the Samueli Foundation is a strong advocate for foster youth and someone who speaks from her experience in the foster system. Sorrells moved to the Samueli Foundation late in 2023 after more than four years with the Orangewood Foundation. She is a board member of OC’s Continuum of Care, which develops strategies to address homelessness. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Perry Meade – Meade and the Higher Wages Lower Rent Alliance ran a campaign operation in OC that helped Derek Tran and Dave Min win the CA-45 and CA-47 races, respectively. He also was elected as the youngest member of the Democratic Party of Orange County Central Committee and the youngest elected DNC delegate from the county. (Courtesy of Dorian Bonner)

High school student Amber Lin, 16, traveled with a group of Taiwanese physicians to Nepal, where she helped to provide free health checkups for Nepali citizens who lacked access to healthcare. Through this work, Amber noticed the prevalence of senior-aged patients and vowed to focus time and energy on helping this population in her local community. She founded the Anti-Aging Research Group, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to teach seniors how to reduce the negative effects of aging. With her Anti-Aging Research Group, Amber led the writing of the soon-to-be-published book “How Not to Grow Old,” based on the latest scientific research on age-related diseases and how to prevent them. She holds a mock-up of the book in Irvine on Sunday, December 15, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Charita Carter — Carter, Disney’s first Black VP of Imagineering, led the design and construction of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which this year replaced the old Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Florida. (Courtesy of D23)

Nicole Suydam — The president and CEO of Goodwill of Orange County led the organization into its 100th anniversary celebration in October. Under the guidance of Suydam, the nonprofit’s first female CEO, Goodwill of Orange County has taken huge strides toward modernization and plans to keep expanding its retail footprint. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jeff Alter — The son of the famous board maker Hobie Alter stepped in as the executive director of the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center, a place where many of his father’s early-era relics can be found. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)

Leslea Meyerhoff — The coastal administrator for San Clemente is spearheading efforts to save the beach town’s eroding coastline, which has suffered in recent years. She has explored innovative solutions while helping to lead a regional look at the chronic issue. (Courtesy of Leslea Meyerhoff)

Gretchen Shoemaker — The octogenarian just opened her fourth Georgia’s Restaurant this year, the latest one found at the Irvine Spectrum. Using tried-and-true family recipes, she’s earned a loyal fanbase hungry for her comforting soul-food fare at one of Orange County’s few Black-owned restaurants. Not too bad for an enterprise that started inside her Lake Forest home as a sideline catering business in the mid-1970s. (Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Connor Wong and Wilson Song – The Sage Hill seniors were honored at National Philanthropy Day for their nonprofit, Sandbox Synergy, which helps young entrepreneurs launch their efforts. At the event, Wong said they wanted to help ““build the foundation of a more compassionate society.”(Photo by Scott Smeltzer, Contributing Photographer)

Benjamin Victor — Victor, an Irvine-based marine scientist, proved that a new species of wrasse exists. The tiny, orange-vermillion colored fish was found in deep water off volcanic Mexican islands, first in 2013. A new trip in 2022 led to more evidence. After doing six months of DNA testing and publishing his study in a scientific journal, the wrasse was declared a new species. With climate change, the wrasse could soon be seen off Southern California waters if temperatures continue to rise.

Rod Carew —The Angels Hall of Famer became an American citizen in August in Santa Ana, in a ceremony attended by former teammates, friends and family. Carew, born in Panama, moved to New York as a teenager and later served as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve. And even as he’s lived in the United States for several decades he never formalized his citizenship. This year, at age 78, that changed for the Irvine resident. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Tom Koutroulis — The director of Orange County Waste & Recycling in 2024 pushed for a new way to measure the amount of methane that comes out of landfills, a system that could be adopted for use in more than 1,700 sites around the country. Methane is a key part of global warming and new research suggests landfills belch out a lot more of it than previously believed. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Christopher Bader — Bader is a sociology professor at Chapman University and co-founder of the school’s annual survey on American fears. This year, it’s 10th, the survey looked at long-term trends and found that more Americans are more afraid of more things than ever before. The American fears survey has created a database that’s been used in scholarly articles on everything from political polarization to the rise of conspiracy theories. (Photo by Adam Hemingway for Chapman University)

Kylie Travis — As the executive director of Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Garden, Travis worked with city officials and coordinated special programs and events for the historic property that was heavily damaged in a landslide. This fall, the Casa reopened its main salon after more than a year and is starting to return to its normal programming. During the time, Travis was creative in programs that still gave the public access to the iconic property. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)

Marilynn Reideler — A resident in Robinson Ranch, Reideler sprang to her neighbors’ assistance when the Airport fire raged near her community. As people evacuated, she offered them rides and helped them transport their personal belongings in and out of the community. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Michael Mavrovouniotis — Mavrovouniotis’ wizardry with numbers laid bare the failures of Orange County Animal Care, which led to many reforms. He’s still not satisfied, and he’s not done rattling cages just yet. (Courtesy of Michael Mavrovouniotis)

David Hemmerling — The Esperanza High baseball player suffered a life-changing shoulder injury last year, forcing him to give up his dream of playing high school and college baseball. With extra time on his hands, the 17-year-old decided to put his energy into something positive rather than feel sorry for himself. He founded “Food for the Famished,” a high school club that gleans fruit and vegetables from neighbors’ gardens and trees and donates them to local charities. So far he has collected almost 5,000 pounds. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Kristyn von Rotz — von Rotz, right, founded Forever Footprints in 2004. The nonprofit organization provides education for medical professionals and support for women who have suffered pregnancy or infant loss. This year they hosted the 20th anniversary of the Walk to Remember with over 3,500 participants and provided nearly 400 memory boxes with comfort items and information for grieving families. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Cole Patterson — The reader-nominated Patterson oversaw data operations for over 2,000 campaigns statewide during the 2024 election cycle. This included Orange County campaigns, from congressional races to local offices such as city council, school boards and more. Patterson transformed how campaigns and organizations leveraged data by creating a first-of-its-kind, interactive data visualization warehouse for California Republicans and right-of-center causes. (Courtesy of
Elisa Nelson)

Lauren Justice — Justice runs the new Enhancement Care Management Team program at the Mariposa Center in Orange. The center was chosen as one of California’s 34th Senate District Nonprofit of the Year for how it works with women, men and families with counseling and therapy programs that include, substance abuse counseling, domestic violence counseling and group sessions. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Frank Kim — Kim recently retired following 29 years of working at the county, nine of which were spent as the county’s CEO. During his tenure, Kim shepherded the administration through a global pandemic, a homelessness crisis and major construction. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Athena Elling — At 11 years old, Elling became the youngest student to graduate from Irvine Valley College, breaking a record set by her brother. She graduated cum laude (which means she had a GPA of 3.50–3.74) with an associate’s degree in liberal arts. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Esraa Nawar — The reader-nominated Nawar delivered a groundbreaking presentation in the United Arab Emirates on the future of libraries, showcasing her expertise in integrating artificial intelligence to transform libraries into dynamic centers of access, innovation and community building. She also debuted her visionary AI Dress, a wearable representation of technology and art, which has sparked international dialogue about the intersection of creativity and AI. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Amanda Nguyen — Nguyen, a Southern California native who spent her weekends in Little Saigon, is set to be the first woman of Vietnamese descent in space. Nguyen is also an activist. She got legislation passed in Congress that preserves the rights of sexual assault survivors — mainly through maintaining the preservation of and survivors’ access to rape kits — and in 2014 founded Rise, a nonprofit that works with state legislatures to implement similar rights for survivors. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)

Martha Blanding — Named a Disney legend this year, Blanding was the first Black Disney parks employee to receive the honor. She was Disneyland’s first full-time Black tour guide in the 1970s and retired as a senior manager of merchandise special events after a 50-year career at the park. (Courtesy of Disney)

Ava August — In 2024, while performing and spreading cheer regularly for CHOC patients as well as in and around Orange County, the 18-year-old Dana Hills High graduate and former “American Idol” and “The Voice” performer released two singles: “Goodbye” and “The End.” She now attends UCLA. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)

Sam Robertson — Cofounder of Arvida Book Co., Robertson is a fierce advocate for literary citizenship and community. She launched a literary magazine this year for Orange County writers and was a driving force in the new Orange County book festival that started this year in Tustin. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dwight Hanson — Hanson, a Marine veteran, founded the You Were Worth It Foundation. This summer he took nine Southern California veterans who served during World War II to the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy invasion. Just before his planned departure, the flight was canceled and he had to rearrange the entire trip again. Hanson, together with Marine and Army veteran Billy Hall, founded the organization and visits schools and community groups across Southern California to teach what military service means. Hanson, center, shakes the hand of veteran Billy Hall, 98. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Roy Englebrecht — The reader-nominated promoter stages the only pro fight series in Orange County, and he has given a number of young OC boxers and MMA fighters a chance to make their pro debuts. He also provided a platform at an October show to stage a Knockout Fentanyl Night, where all fans were instructed on how to assist a person that has a fentanyl attack. Englebrecht watches the OC Fight Club MMA event at the Orange County Fairgrounds. (Photo by Greg Andersen, Contributing Photographer)

Scott Weldy — The longtime Orange County wildlife veterinarian, who also runs a domestic animal hospital in Lake Forest, this year helped with wildlife in the Airport and Line fires. A fox was rescued and rehabilitated and is now in care in San Diego County. Weldy also coordinated evacuation of wildlife, including bears, coyotes and deer from the Wildhaven Ranch Sanctuary/Zoo and held them temporarily in the Santa Ana Zoo, which he oversees. Once the threat was over, he coordinated their safe return. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Erik Ludwig — The reader-nominated Ludwig guided the Orange County Jewish community through one of its most challenging periods in recent history. Under his stewardship, the Jewish Federation of Orange County strengthened its commitment to resilience and solidarity, fostering impactful relationships with civic and faith leaders across the county. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Norio Uyematsu – Uyematsu, who promotes the stories of the Japanese American Korean War veterans who fought in this “Forgotten War,” donated his carefully kept collection of post-war memorabilia to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History military collections in February. The 93-year-old Anaheim resident was interviewed at the FDR Presidential Library and spoke in Washington D.C. on Veterans Day as the keynote speaker for the Japanese American Veterans Association’s program highlighting the Korean War. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Wendy Bucknum — Bucknum has been a driving force behind the Southern California sober living task force, pulling in the League of California Cities to take seriously the issues that Southern California is dealing with around addiction treatment. (Courtesy of Murow DC)

Sylvia Mendez — After being left out of the inaugural class, Mendez was selected to the Orange County Hall of Fame in its second year. That coincided with the passage of a state law that requires Mendez v. Westminster, the case her family fought that integrated California schools (before Brown v. Board of Education did it nationally), be taught to California students. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Darin Nakakihara — The Tustin High teacher has taken to YouTube and Instagram to share his battle with ALS as he tries to help others. He has more than 16,600 subscribers to his YouTube channel that he labels his “Die Trying Vlog” and more than 25,600 followers on Instagram. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Kimberly Goll — The president and CEO of First 5 Orange County led the expansion of the HealthySteps model, which supports families with developmental screenings, behavioral health and well-child visits. With support from CalOptima Health, she increased the program to 15 clinics, reaching an additional 8,000 children. Additionally, she championed the use of Community Health Workers (CHWs) through Medi-Cal to support pregnant and postpartum families, including piloting a billing model for these services, enhancing the sustainability of CHW programs. (Photo by Steven Georges/Cornerstone Communications)

Mark Hilbert — Several years ago, Hilbert and his wife, Janet, made a $10 million gift to Chapman University to establish the Hilbert Museum of California Art in Old Towne Orange. This February, the museum completed a remodel, also financed by the Hilberts, which tripled its display space to accommodate 26 galleries. Since then, the average daily number of visitors to the museum has tripled, as well. Janet Hilbert died Dec. 7 at 83 years old. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sue Parks — Parks led Orange County United Way to its 100th anniversary celebration in November — a gala at Anaheim’s ARTIC — but isn’t stopping there. The CEO and her team will introduce the nonprofit’s new strategic plan in 2025. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Anthony Brenneman — Brenneman leads the Orange County Sports Commission is a key part of the discussions with LA28 and the International Olympic Committee to host some LA28 events in Orange County. The final decisions are expected by year-end. (Courtesy of Revolver PR)

Sam Darnold — The former USC star from San Clemente and No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft has had a career resurgence in his first season with the Minnesota Vikings. When the Vikings lost their top draft pick to a preseason injury, Darnold, 27, took command of the offense and kept the Vikings in contention in one of the toughest divisions in the league. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Joey King — King, a teacher at Hope School in Anaheim Union High School District, was honored as one of the top teachers in the county this year. He teaches special education students and hopes to instill skills in them to be leaders and help others. King is congratulated as it’s announced he is one of six Orange County Department of Education Teachers of the Year. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Harmony Yan-Li — The Irvine High School student won an international award for her documentary she created depicting the history of the thalidomide scandal and the doctor who prevented the United States from selling the drug. Yan-Li spent more than 40 hours on the project and is inspiring other students at Irvine High to do their own research and create projects. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sarah Khalil — The UC Irvine undergraduate was a key organizer of the Gaza solidarity encampment on campus and stepped up to become the spokesperson for her school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. She spoke for the group as it received a barrage of media attention last spring after police arrested 47 people on UCI’s campus after clearing the encampment. Khalil continued to organize free speech protests at UCI throughout the fall term. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jawad Khan, Omar Sabha and Haifaa Younis — Khan, Sabha and Younis were part of a team of medical professionals who traveled to Gaza to save desperately injured people using makeshift equipment in dire conditions. Most of their patients were children, they said. The team from left, nurse Omar Sabha, Dr. Jawad Khan, and Dr. Haifaa Younis. (Photo by Michael Kitada, Contributing Photographer)

Amanda Carr — Carr is the deputy director Orange County Public Works. Carr leads an agency that, among other things, oversees the management of storm drains throughout Orange County. In her role, she’s helping to negotiate the next iteration of a federal water pollution permit (known as an MS4) that will play a big role in keeping local surface waters – and the nearby ocean – clean. (Courtesy of Amanda Carr)

Shari Battle — The Bank of America executive is a force with county nonprofits in many ways, but one in particular makes a big difference. Each year, she and some colleagues pull together a handful of people in the county to determine what nonprofits will receive both financial help and leadership training from BofA. The 2024 Neighborhood Builders recipients: Orangewood Foundation and Veterans Legal Institute.(Courtesy of Shari Battle)

Edward Read — The Cal State Fullerton botanist teaches students about more than 2,000 species in his greenhouses. He has successfully grown the rare corpse flower more than two dozen times. And, this year, he managed to grow the second largest water lily in the world, the Victoria amazonica, in a small catch basin outside his greenhouse. The delightful blossoms lasted only a couple of days but took years of labor to produce. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Max Jolliffe — In 2024, Jolliffe quietly became one of Orange County’s premier breakout athletes and one of America’s budding running stars. In October, the ultramarathoner won the prestigious Moab 240 — a 240-mile mountainous trail run through Moab National Park in Utah, smashing the course record. In April, he won the Leona Divide 100 along the Pacific Crest Trail in L.A. County. And, in January he won the Sean O’Brien 100k in Agoura Hills.

Perry Minasian — The Angels’ general manager went to work on improving the roster, answering owner Arte Moreno’s call to make the team a contender for the playoffs. He secured pitchers Yusei Kikuchi and Kyle Hendricks and catcher Travis d’Arnaud. Of course, having a healthy Mike Trout all season would help, too. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Kenneth Chang — After a distinguished career at UC Irvine, Chang made the move this summer to Hoag Hospital in Irvine to open and lead its new digestive health and cancer center. Within the next two years, thanks to a recent $1 billion investment, Hoag will greatly expand its Irvine medical center with six new buildings, including new centers for women’s health and surgical innovation and Chang’s institute for digestive health and cancer treatment. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Steve Kim —Reader-nominated Kim led Project Kinship, a nonprofit focused on reclaiming the lives of those impacted by gangs, incarceration, and violence, into its 10th anniversary in April 2024. In June, Kim’s organization was recognized as the 68th Assembly District Nonprofit Of The Year. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Brian Nicco — Niccol, a career fast-food executive who first made a name for himself at Taco Bell, was tapped in August to run Starbucks, exiting Chipotle where he was chief executive for six years. Niccol made waves when he relocated Chipotle’s headquarters from Denver to Newport Beach, where he lives with his family. When he got the Starbucks nod, the company said Niccol could work remotely, when appropriate. Since taking the CEO post at Starbucks, Niccol said he wants to take the chain back to its cafe roots. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Kim is an oncologist and the physician-in-chief at City of Hope Orange County. Kim is just one player in an international effort that has quietly made once unthinkable gains in the fight against cancer. In June, the Centers for Disease Control released data from the first 20 years of this century that show cancer to be 29% less lethal today than it was 1999. The gains touched every state and U.S. territory and every demographic group. In all, about 3 million Americans are alive today because of the improvements in cancer prevention and treatment.. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Ryan Hickman — He founded Ryan’s Recycling when he was 7 years old. In the last several years, he’s been a finalist for Time’s Kid of the Year, a CNN Young Wonder and spoken to 23,000 kids at WE Day. The H&M clothing company highlighted him in its global role models campaign, he’s been in ads for Old Navy and Mack Trucks and he did a Got Milk commercial. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Karch Kiraly — He led the U.S. women’s volleyball team to a silver medal in the Paris Olympics and then was selected to coach the men’s team in October. Kiraly, who first competed in the Olympics in 1984 in Los Angeles, is on track to return to L.A. as the men’s coach in 2028.(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Sailor Jones —Jones, who is on the autism spectrum and was to be a freshman at Laguna Beach High, was told the district didn’t have the correct programming and was to be sent outside of the community for her school year. Hundreds in the community rallied and showed up at an emotional LBUSD board meeting. Two days later, the district reversed course and Jones and another student also on the spectrum started their freshman years at LBHS as Breakers. (Photo courtesy of Stuart Jones)

Jay Seidel — Seidel created Fullerton College’s first Bachelor of Science degree. The degree, in drone and autonomous systems, is set to begin in Fall 2026. This groundbreaking program, the first of its kind on the West Coast, will provide students with a comprehensive education in the rapidly growing field of drone technology and autonomous systems. Seidel built the Fullerton Drone Lab from a single class in 2018 and now offers an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree and classes with local high schools. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Gregory C. Scott — Scott is president/CEO of Community Action Partnership, a group that, among other things, runs the OC Diaper Bank. The bank gets about 10,000 diapers a month to financially challenged families who, otherwise, might have to pay up to $90 a month to keep their babies clean. In September, the Diaper Bank received $2.5 million, enough to keep it in business for at least two more years. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Carl St.Clair — He recently began his final season as the Pacific Symphony’s music director and will leave the role in June after a 35-year run to become music director laureate. He’ll be replaced by Alexander Shelley, who praised St.Clair when he was announced as his successor in November. “We’ve had this leader for 35 years who’s done an exquisite job,” Shelley said. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Karlo Evaristo — From a micro-bakery that started as a cottage operation in San Juan Capistrano in 2019, Evaristo opened 61 Hundred Bread in Santa Ana. One part wholesale operation, one part bakery and patisserie, customers line up in the wee hours of the morning on weekends (only open Saturday and Sunday for now) to get their hands on his noted bakes, which include sourdough batards, croissants, baguettes and more. His bread is considered some of the best in Orange County, with customers like the Montage, Surf and Sand Hotel and Mayfield, to name a few, clamoring for more. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dadabhoy is president of the Islamic Center of Yorba Linda and the president of Uplift Charity, an organization dedicated to helping Muslim immigrants and refugees. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Madelynn Hirneise — The CEO of Families Forward, which focuses on preventing and ending family homelessness, is a business-savvy leader who understands that investments are needed to address the housing crisis in Orange County. Hirneise, who grew up in Orange County and attended UC Irvine, counts a stint in the Peace Corps as something that gave her perspective that has been vital in her work. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sato Hughes — Hughes helped popularize boardshorts, hand sewing custom trunks through the decades at the Katin Surf Shop in Huntington Beach, where she worked until she was 92. She died on Sept. 28 at 96 years old.(Photo By Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Will Ferrell — Will Ferrell and Harper Steele in New York. The actor and Orange County native teamed with his friend, Harper Steele, to create a moving buddy documentary about life in America for someone who is trans and how that’s affected when her friend is one of the most famous comedians in the world. “Will & Harper” should receive serious awards consideration. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix)

Sandra Morgan —Morgan, the executive director of the Global Center for Women and Justice at Vanguard University, in 2024 launched the Safe Communities, Safe Kids program, a three-year pilot program that aims to significantly increase human trafficking prevention education for students and educators in Orange County public schools and secures grants to support trafficking survivors’ transition into a place of safety and security. In March, the center and the Orange County Department of Education co-sponsored a two-day conference promoting kids’ online safety. (Courtesy of Vanguard University and Christian Stark)

Delilah Snell — Snell has made a name for herself at Alta Baja Market, located inside Santa Ana’s 4th Street Market, with a space that’s one part market — selling a sundry of products and foods from Mexico, the American Southwest and California — and another part community center. In an area rife with gentrification, Snell’s space offers cooking classes, workshops, lectures, book signings, walking tours and more, all of which aim to help keep Santa Ana’s Latino residents visible and intact. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)