Kelly Hoover Honored as Civic Leader of the Year
The City of Goleta is so proud to congratulate one of our own, Kelly Hoover, for receiving a 2024 Goleta’s Finest Award. Kelly, the City’s Community Relations Manager, received the Civic Leader of the Year award from the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce at a beautiful ceremony held Friday, December 6, 2024, at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara.
During her acceptance speech Kelly told the audience, “To me, the most beautiful word in the English language is community. So to feel that I have impacted my community in any way is such a huge compliment. My life’s work has been in communication. To me, communication and community go hand in hand because the way you communicate can build community.”
At the awards ceremony, Kelly was recognized for her many efforts to shape Goleta’s outreach, including enhancing community engagement, making information accessible, and increasing public trust. Kelly’s background as a journalist and later as a Public Information Officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office helped prepare her for her current role with the City and contribute to her desire to provide informative and effective communication to the community.
Since joining the City of Goleta in 2019, Kelly has championed numerous community-focused initiatives, such as Make Goleta Count, Go Green Goleta, and GoodLandGoodShopping. She has also been instrumental in putting on events for the community, such as the Community State of the City, Dam Dinner, Coffee & Community, and the new Lights, Camera, Stroll.
Beyond her professional role, Kelly is a mom to four children and volunteers extensively in local schools and organizations.
Kelly closed her speech telling attendees, “My approach to life is grow where you are planted. And I’m so glad I was planted here in Goleta.” To watch her full speech, click here.
The City of Goleta is extremely fortunate to have Kelly on our team and we are grateful for the passion and dedication she brings to work each and every day.
Goleta’s Finest Award is a 74-year tradition. Congratulations to all 2024 award recipients (listed below) and thank you to the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce for putting on this wonderful event.
The 2024 Goleta’s Finest Award Recipients are:
- Man of the Year – Bill Macfadyen
- Woman of the Year – Joanne Funari
- Emerging Non-Profit of the Year – Hears Aligned
- Volunteer of the Year – Javier Quezada
- Education Impact Award – Chancellor Henry T. Yang and Dilling Yang
- Student of the Year – Ilan Abramov
- Non-Profit Leader of the Year – Rachael Steidl
- Goleta Preservation Award – Robert Zaida and Gregg Wilson
Kelly giving her acceptance speech (pictured in background: David Hall from Community West Bank who presented the award and Kristen Miller President & CEO of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce)
Kelly (center) pictured with the Goleta City Council and Staff
Kelly with her family (pictured left-to-right: Father-in-law Bob Miyade, daughter Savannah, husband Tim, son Grant and son Chase; not pictured son Luke)
2024 Goleta’s Finest Winners pictured with presenters