Longtime Milpitas volunteers named Citizens of the Year at awards gala

Chamber of Commerce event honors community members who give back.

Andy and Sharon Dyson were named Citizens of the Year at the Milpitas Chamber of Commerce’s 64th annual Awards Gala on Friday, Sept. 22, at the Embassy Suites.

The couple are longtime volunteers with St. Elizabeth’s Church. They also donate their time to other community events such as the Chamber’s annual crab feed.

Last year’s Citizen of the Year, Chamber President Jennifer Cullenbine, welcomed over 120 attendees with champagne to kick off the evening. Cullenbine is founder and CEO of the Milpitas nonprofit Family Giving Tree.

Police Officer of the Year honors went to Taylor Goods. Hired by the Milpitas Police Department in 2019, Goods is an officer in the Field Services Division who patrols the city on the midnight shift. Goods is known as a well-rounded, hard-working, and dependable officer who consistently serves the community with empathy.

“While evaluating the 2022 candidates, what struck me about what was submitted about officer Goods was the fact that it didn’t just describe a single event that she did really well or an investigation that she excelled at,” said Milpitas Police Chief Jared Hernandez, who presented the award. “Instead, the nomination was about who she chooses to be each and every day.”

Kelly Yip-Chuan of Platinum Realty Group was recognized as Ambassador of the Year. Yip-Chuan has been an ambassador for the past eight years and is also a member of the Milpitas Unified School District board.

Caza Azteca took home Corporate Citizen of the Year. Owner Harihar (Harry) Dahal has served Mexican food—and Cadillac margaritas—in his family-friendly restaurant since 1980. Dahal has been a regular donor to local nonprofits.

Firefighter of the Year Kristen Cunningham was commended for consistently demonstrating the highest degree of dedication toward improving the Emergency Medical Services Division of the Milpitas Fire Department since she was hired in 2020. Her father, Rich Cunningham, retired as a fire captain after serving for 22 years. The younger Cunningham was first assigned to shift work and started her career in her father’s footsteps but quickly carved her own path as one of the city’s first female firefighter paramedics.

Spring Valley Volunteer Fire Department was named Non-Profit of the Year. The department is staffed and operated by volunteers dedicated to protecting 200 square miles of hillside wildlands above Milpitas and northeast San Jose. They also provide training and education to help residents reduce fire danger risk. The volunteers are trained and equipped at the same state-certified level as full-time paid firefighters. Assistant chief Larry Ciardella, engineer James Hopwood, firefighters Felisha Estrada and Wade Hitchcock and Brenda Hitchcock, who provides fire support, received the award on behalf of their team.

Businessperson of the Year went to Debbie Koelbl, who opened her Nothing Bundt Cakes store in Milpitas in 2022. Koelbl’s Books & Bundts program promotes reading among young students encourages. Children earn a free bundt cake from the store if they log more than 400 minutes reading. Koehl has also donated $5,000 to other local nonprofit organizations to help with their fundraising efforts.

All award recipients were acknowledged by the offices of state Sen. Aisha Wahab, Congressman Ro Khanna, Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee, state Assemblymember Alex Lee and the City of Milpitas and Milpitas Chamber of Commerce.

Milpitas City Mayor Carmen Montano marked the occasion with the swearing in of the new Chamber board members in attendance: Francisco Hernandez, Larry Ciardella, Juliette Gomez, Tim Alcorn, Cullenbine, Anu Nakka, Norma Morales, Armando Gomez and Yip-Chuan.