Golden Bear Award Recipients

The Golden Bear is CALED’s highest award for career achievement and impact statewide for support of local economic development.

Although it is called an award, it isn’t one in the classic sense.

The Golden Bear is different because:

  • It is personal and not corporate.
  • It is impossible to apply for it; one must be chosen.
  • The award is all about recognition by one’s peers, not about what one may think of their own accomplishments.
  • The award recognizes outstanding career achievements in economic development in three primary areas:
    • Tangible achievements with respect to the implementation of economic development projects and programs over the long-term;
    • Significant contributions of time and effort in support of advancing CALED’s mission (e.g., service on Boards, Committees, making presentations, providing training, etc.); and
    • Demonstrating a commitment to mentoring the next generation of economic developers.

In other words, to be “Golden,” one must have:

  • A long record of success in economic development;
  • Being of service to CALED; and
  • Paying it forward to the next generation

All Golden Bear recipients are chosen because their peers have found them worthy.

In 1991, the Golden Bear Award did not yet have its name. It was known at that time as CALED’s “Career Achievement Award.” Beginning in 1997, CALED renamed it Golden Bear.

As of 2025, there have been 29 CALED “Career Achievement Award/Golden Bear” recipients.

List of CALED Golden Bear Award Recipients

1991 James Hankla, City of Long Beach

1997 Len Smith, Economic Development Administration

1998 Bruce Kern, East Bay ED Alliance for Business

1999 Art Goodman, CDC Small Business Finance Corp.

2000 Wayne Schell, CALED

2001 Sean Quinn, City of Fairfield

2002 Audrey Taylor, Chabin Concepts

2003 Kurt Chilcott, CDC Small Business Finance

2004 Jan Noya Pinna, PG&E

2005 Ed Graves, Placer County Economic Development

2006 Dave Frietas, CalBIS

2006 Steve Dukett, City of Upland

2007 Barry Sedlik, Titan Group

2008 Jack Kyser, LAEDC

2009 Bruce Ackerman, The Valley Economic Alliance

2010 John Shirey, California Redevelopment Association

2010 Jeff Finkle, IEDC

2011 Toni Symonds, Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development & The Economy

2012 Wilfred Marshall, EDA

2013 Chuck Clendenin, USDA

2014 Kathy Millison, City of Santa Rosa

2015 Victor Grgas, City of Long Beach

2016 D-B Heusser, City of Selma

2016 Cindy Trobitz-Thomas, City of Eureka

2017 Trish Kelly, Valley Vision

2018, Michael Nuby, Southern California Edison

2019 Ralph Lippman, California Community Economic Development Association

2024 Malinda Matson, US Dept. of Commerce, Economic Development Administration

2025 Larry Kosmont, Kosmont Companies