PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 3, 2016
Contact: Randy Bogle
(619) 299-3762
executivedirector@sdmac.org

SDMAC HONORS SAN DIEGANS, SERVICEMEMBERS FOR

CONTRIBUTION TO SAN DIEGO, MILITARY COMMUNITY
San Diego, CA On Wednesday, March 2, the San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC)
held its 9th Annual Achievement Awards recognizing local civilian or military individuals,
companies, and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to the welfare of San
Diegos military community.
In addition to several achievement awardees, this year SDMAC leadership awarded the Rear
Admiral Bruce Boland, USN, Lifetime Achievement Award to Nancy Dix, a founding member
and former SDMAC president. The award is named after the late Admiral Boland, former San
Diego Navy mayor and Commander of Naval Base San Diego (now Navy Region Southwest).
It is always extremely difficult to pare down the number of nominations into a small slate of
award recipients; there are so many individuals and organizations in San Diego who deserve
recognition for their efforts, said Ward Wilson, president of SDMAC. The number of very
deserving nominees provides testament to both the support of the community for the military
as well as the support by military members to the local San Diego community and this is very
much appreciated by our organization.
Collectively, award recipients volunteered thousands of hours and dollars in 2015 toward the
welfare of San Diegos military community.
Vice Admiral Nora Tyson, USN, Commander 3rd Fleet, served as the keynote speaker for the
special event attended by more than 200 community, military, and business leaders.
2015 Rear Admiral Bruce Boland Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient:
Nancy Dix, SDMAC Founding Member/Past President
During her highly successful career as a partner in the law firm of DLA Piper, Nancy Dix has
represented clients in a broad range of government contracting matters, headed up the
Trademark Prosecution group in the San Diego office, and served as a Pro Bono Coordinator.
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Prior to joining DLA Piper, Nancy served in a variety of management positions in the TRW
Electronics and Defense Sector.
In addition to her legal career, Nancy has devoted over 25 years of public service to the San
Diego Community. She was an active participant in her firms Serving those who serve our
Country program which provides countless hours of pro bono legal services to San Diegos
veterans, thereby preserving the dignity, self-respect and value of former service members. She
is a Founder and Past President of the San Diego Military Advisory Council, (SDMAC), former
Chair of the San Diego Chambers Military Affairs Advisory Committee, (MAAC) and a former
member of the San Diego Fleet Week Foundation Advisory Board, and the San Diego Holiday
Bowl Committee. As a member and past chair of the San Diego Chambers MAAC, she was a
key member of San Diegos Base Realignment and Closure, (BRAC) committee during the BRAC
rounds from 1991 through 1995; a position in which she continued to serve as a member of
SDMAC during the 2005 BRAC round. Throughout all these BRAC rounds, the San Diego region
emerged as a net gainer of military bases and facilities.
Nancy was the driving force behind the development of the Annual SDMAC Achievement
Awards, and it was during her tenure as President in February 2007, that the first SDMAC
Achievement Awards were held. Since that initial event, the SDMAC Achievement Awards
have recognized over fifty military and civilian organizations and individuals that have made
extraordinary contributions toward the welfare of San Diegos military community.
SDMAC Achievement Awards Recipients:
Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two Three (HSC-23)
The Wildcards of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two Three (HSC-23) are a team of
motivators, mentors, and technical experts committed to making a positive impact in their
community.
HSC-23 is dedicated to serving the community as a team, enabling them to contribute more than
2,364 hours of volunteer time through numerous activities and programs in San Diego. A few of
the many organizations that benefited from the volunteer efforts of HSC-23 include; Big
Brothers, Big Sisters, 124 hours; Armed Services YMCA, 146 hours; I Love A Clean San Diego, 222
volunteers performed environmental cleanup efforts and contributed 290 hours removing 165
pounds of debris; also initiated special project to Adopt-a-Beach at Coronado; Meals on Wheels,
182 hours delivering 1,092 meals for those seniors living alone; Rady Childrens Hospital, 108
hours of preparing meals for families and cleaning facilities to generate hope and help inspire
the future for those struggling; Father Joes Village, volunteered 29 hours to championing quality
of life for 784 residents; Navy Child and Youth Programs, contributed over 120 hours to coach
and mentor Navy Youth Sports Indoor Soccer League, Football/Cheer Program, and Basketball
Program with Navy Region Southwest.

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Dr. Craig J. Mohnacky, DVM

In October 2013, Dr. Mohnacky introduced the Helping Paws program, a non-profit,
philanthropic platform in support of military families to promote healthy care and treatment
of pets to those who serve. This includes promoting healthy pet lifestyles such as spay/neuter,
vaccinations, micro-chipping and offering financial assistance so no family is ever confronted
with the choice of premature relinquishment because of economic consideration; worse yet,
economic euthanasia.
The response has been overwhelming and to date, Helping Paws has performed more than
1,500 surgeries, averaging 50 surgeries per month at no cost to military pet owning families.
Corporal Devon M. Hulteen, USMC
Corporal Devon M. Hulteen is a Non-Commissioned officer assigned to Marine Corps Air Station
Camp Pendleton. Since 2014 he has volunteered more than 250 hours within the County of San
Diego, and during the past two years, he has volunteered each year for 50 weeks with
Operation Bigs as part of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Program aboard Marine Corps Base
Camp Pendleton. During his weekly visits, Corporal Hulteen contributed to mentoring children
at Santa Margarita Elementary School, including tutoring, recreational sports, and attending
local sporting events to support the children.
Corporal Hulteen also volunteered more than 150 hours with the Camp Pendleton Youth Sports
Program as a soccer coach in the under-six-years-old league.
Pegasus Rising Project
The Pegasus Rising Project is a non-profit organization that has been dedicated to the San
Diego-area military/civilian community for the past seven years, providing non-combat support
to the San Diego military and veteran community through their Equine Assisted Experiential
Health Therapy (EAT) program.
All services are provided free of charge and, over each of the last five years, Pegasus Rising has
provided its equine based therapeutic services to over 1,000 participants in its therapy
sessions. Pegasus Rising currently works with The Veterans Village of San Diego, the San
Marcos Veterans Center, Veterans Assistance of San Diego and Camp Pendletons Wounded
Warrior Battalion-West. Pegasus Rising hosts regular sessions with each of these organizations
resulting in an average of 20 military-based participants on a weekly basis. Pegasus is
committed to being 100 percent volunteer run and uses all funds raised as a non-profit to the
direct support of the horses and veterans.
About SDMAC
SDMAC advances the partnership among the military, our elected officials, civic leaders, and the
business community to enhance the understanding of militarys many contributions to the San
Diego region. Annually, SDMAC releases its military economic impact study, highlighting the
significant economic benefits that San Diego receives from the defense and military
communities.
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EVENT SPONSORS

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