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Fifteen local businessmen, educators, employees and company owners will be honored in December at the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce Community Awards Ceremony. The 28th annual Night of Stars dinner will be held at The Bridges Golf Club on Thursday, Dec. 6 from 5:30-9 p.m.

The San Ramon Chamber will present five awards -- citizen of the year, business person of the year, educator of the year, employee of the year and green company of the year -- to noteworthy residents who have contribution to the city. Leadership San Ramon will announce the hero of the year nominees, which will be presented at the event.

"The Community Awards recognize individuals in our community who strive to make a difference," said Chamber Chair, Laura O'Brien. "Although there can be only one winner in each category, a nomination is a significant recognition of achievement and dedication to the improvement of our community."

Terry Koehne, communications and community relations director at the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, will emcee the event.

Below is the list of nominees:

Citizen of the Year
- Lynnette and Scott Gerbert, Girl Scout volunteer: The Gerberts have volunteered as Girl Scout troop leaders and assisted with the Diablo Day Camp for many years.
- Bekki Livingston, PTA: Livingston is the president of the PTA for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
- Hermann Welm, former mayor and community volunteer: In addition to serving the community in a variety of elected positions, Welm is a long-time youth soccer coach, volunteer at the San Ramon Historic Foundation, Lindsey Wildlife Museum and San Ramon Regional Medical Center.

Business Person of the Year
- Scott Heller, founder and owner of Heller Jewelers in San Ramon since 1996.
- Steve and Tracy Renfro, wwners of San Ramon Insurance Agency, Inc.
- Mary C. Whipple, attorney specializing in family law.

Educator of the Year
- Mark Corti, principal at California High School.
- Sarah Frank, first grade teacher at Walt Disney Elementary School.
-Mona Keeler, math teacher at Iron Horse Middle School.

Employee of the Year
- Darlene Kittredge, community resources and youth service unit at the San Ramon Police Department: Kittredge is a crime prevention specialist and facilitates many programs including the crime free multi-housing, neighborhood watch and stranger danger education for children.
- Dina Olson, director at San Ramon Regional Medical Center: A physical therapist by training, Olson directs three major hospital departments: therapy services, sports performance institute and the WellWorks occupational medicine program.
- Andy Swartzell, emergency medical coordinator and chief medical officer for the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District: Swartzell manages quality improvement at the Fire District and serves as the chair of the HeartSafe Community Committee.

Green Company of the Year
- Sunset Development Company/Bishop Ranch
- Sustainable San Ramon
- Your Energy Solutions

Tickets are available through the Chamber of Commerce at $75 each or $600 for a table for eight. For any questions or tickets, please Kathy Fanning at the Chamber office at 242-0600 or email kathy.fanning@SanRamon.org kathy.fanning@SanRamon.org.

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