By Tom Robertson
The annual Oceanside Chamber of Commerce luncheon honoring Heroes of Oceanside and Camp Pendleton was held on Friday at the Seabird Ocean Resort and Spa, located in downtown Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and included the Oceanside Police Department, Oceanside Fire Department, Oceanside Healthcare Workers, and teachers and personnel from the local school district(s).
This year’s sponsors included Presenting Sponsor 50 Genentech; Gold Sponsors – Sharp, Frontwave Credit Union, Green Oceanside, and SDG&E; Fire & Lifeguard Awards Sponsor – Oceankam; K-12 Education Awards Sponsor – SchoolFir4st Federal Credit Union; Military Awards Sponsor – Liberty Military Housing; Police Awards Sponsor – The Surf Club and Springhill Suites; Audio+Visual Sponsor – Encore. There were also a number of Silver Sponsors – Ocean’s Eleven Casino, Oceanside Economic Development, Mira Costa College, Mosey Nissan, KLA Labs, North County Transit District, San Diego Firefighters Federal Credit Union, HPS Plumbing Services, California State University San Marcos, RPGC, GK Asset Management LLC, Greater Tri-Cities IPA, PNC Bank, Scripps, Kaiser Permante, and Spectrum.
After an hour or so of networking, guests began filling the Grand Ballroom at Seabird Resort. Oceanside Chamber CEO Scott Ashton opened the ceremony by welcoming the audience and honorees and introducing the Presenting Sponsor, 50 Genentech’s representative, who spoke about the event’s significance. Next, Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez spoke. Mayor Sanchez thanked the Chamber for hosting the event and recognizing community members who had made a difference. The Oceanside Fire Department and Oceanside Lifeguards were honored and recognized as Heroes for their quick action and response to a tragic backyard accident in Oceanside involving a fire that severely injured two young children and their father. Quick action helped deal with these life-threatening burn injuries. Fire department members also helped with a birthday celebration for one of the victims’ brothers, and the Oceanside Firefighters Association paid for family accommodation near the burn center during the victims’ recovery. The Fire/Lifeguard members recognized included Mark Rowe, Mark S. Miller, Brooks Stotler, Zachariah Schroeder, Dakota Rodine, Amanuel Mikel, Ulber Rivera, Lucas Buckman, and Kevin Pierce.
The first presenter was Oceanside City Councilmember Rick Robinson who presented the Fire & Lifeguard Awards. California Assemblymember Laurie Davies followed with the Police Awards. The K-12 Education Awards were presented by Dr. Kristen Gonzales. Dr. Lennor M. Johnson presented the Higher Education Awards. Chamber CEO Scott Ashton presented the Healthcare Awards. The Military Awards were presented by Col. Daniel Whitley, USMC (Ret.), and the Business & Community Awards presented by Elizabeth Carlson and Vanessa Lee.
2026 Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Heroes
Fire & Lifeguard Awards
Mira Costa College Police – Sergeant Bobby Sterling and Officer Christian Saunders
Oceanside Lifeguards – Gage Oppenborn – Senior Beach Lifeguard – 2026 Oceanside Lifeguard of the Year
Oceanside Police Department Awardees
Sergeant Jonathan Boone – 2025 Officer of the Year
Officer Sam Hay – Dan Bessant Memorial Community Policing Award
Officer Christian Kelly – DUI Officer of the Year
Officer Luke Sheehy – Tony Zeppetella Illegal Firearms Seizure Award
Oceanside School District Awardees
Jeremy Sherwin – Senda Middle School – OUSD Teacher of the Year
Abby Apolinar – Libby Elementary School – OUSD Teacher of the Year
Angie Cruz – Stuart Mesa School – OUSD Employee of the Year
Felicia Andrade – Surfside Educational Academy – OUSD Employee of the Year
Higher Education Awardees
Chief Valencia “Val” Saadat – Mira Costa College
Patty Diaz – Cougar Care Network Coordinator – California State University San Marcos
Healthcare Awardees
Sharp Tri-City Medical Center
Joanne Barnett – MSN, RN, Nurse Director Inpatient and Emergency Services
Ryan Rabold – MSN, RN, Program Coordinator
Sharp Health
Kimberly Santana – Medical Assistant, Scripps Orthopedic Surgery Jefferson
Harmony Cottrell – RN, Scripps Jefferson Urgent Care
Kaiser Permanente
Michelle Lising, MPH, MPP – Medical Office Administrator
William “Bill” Pfeiffer, MD – Pediatrics
Greater Tri Cities Medical Group
Dr. Perrin Curran – Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Dr. Melissa Hurd – Family Medicine
Camp Pendleton Military Awardees
Corporal Oliver M. Tracer – Military Police Officer – USMC
Corporal Tyler J. Ayala – Military Police Officer – USMC
Travis D. McGee, HM2 – USN
Naomie Garcia , HM3 – USN
Sergeant Francisco Pallanes – Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Incident Safety Officer – USMC
Sergeant Kamari D. McCalla – Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Logistics Noncommissioned Officer, USMC
Business & Community Awards
Kindness Award – Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream
Oceanside Young Professional – Amber Kastenschmidt
Community Enrichment Award – Swami’s Café
Entrepreneur of the Year – Roxana Pavel, Allmine
Sustainable Business of the Year – Canary Clean Co.
Ambassador of the Year – Deigh Horak
Chamber Partner of the Year – Liberty Military Housing
Non-Profit of the Year – One Kitchen Collaborative
Oceanside Impact Award – Sharp Tri-City Medical Center
Community Legacy Award – Chip Dykes
