San Diego Rotary Names Ben and Nikki Clay Mr. and Mrs. San Diego 2024

On Dec. 5, 2024, San Diego Rotary 33 will honor its 70th Mr. and Mrs. San Diego recipients, Ben and Nikki Clay, of Mission Hills, with the prestigious award. The couple has a long history of working to better San Diego through years of service to the community. As active leaders in our region, their vision and fortitude have shaped our shorelines, skylines, and the civic pride of San Diego County.

“San Diego Rotary Club 33 is excited to select Ben and Nikki Clay for the Mr. and Mrs. San Diego 2024 award,” says Mia Harenski, club president, San Diego Rotary. “We are lucky to witness a couple like the Clays, who’ve given so much to San Diego, and continue to do so even as they’ve retired. They are a San Diego gem and an inspiration to me and so many others, and most deserving of holding the title.”

A life committed to public service
The Clays have called America’s Finest City their home for over 50 years. They met while attending San Diego State University (SDSU) in the late 1960s, the place they like to say helped launch them. However, upon graduation in 1968, the future looked grim. Nikki recalls it was a challenging time for her and Ben, as the restored military draft and increase of the height limit which had previously exonerated him, no longer applied. He immediately enrolled in the Army Medical Service and served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps from 1969 to 1972. While Ben was serving on active duty, Nikki was working as the Education Director at Walson Army Hospital and helping Vietnam veterans earn their high school diplomas and college credits.

Upon returning to San Diego after military service in the early 1970s, Ben provided legislative representation for the City of San Diego and County of San Diego, where he served as the Director of the Intergovernmental Affairs Office and was responsible for supervising legislative advocacy activities in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. In 1984, he founded The Clay Co., a government relations firm providing strategic counsel and implementing effective government relations programs at the federal level with offices in San Diego, Sacramento, and Washington D.C. In 1986, Ken Carpi came on board, and the company became Carpi & Clay. Ben oversaw the development and government relations activities at the City and County of San Diego, the Port of San Diego, and the Water Authority Commission. For 35 years, he specialized in legislative and administrative advocacy at the State of California, representing public agencies, private companies, and not-for-profit organizations. In addition to running a successful advocacy firm, he was also involved in many civic and philanthropy-focused initiatives across the state. Ben retired from Carpi and Clay in 2009.

Nikki started her career at the County of San Diego serving in many capacities including Citizens Charter Review, Waste to Energy and Recycling and Budget oversight while also establishing a job sharing program. She went on to serve as a senior vice president for Stoorza, Ziegaus, & Metzger, the largest public and government relations firm in San Diego for over ten years. By 2000, Nikki joined her husband Ben and established The Clay Co where she fully retired in 2020. Over the years Nikki has served numerous non-profit, civic, and charitable organizations in San Diego, Sacramento, and Washington DC.

A love story with a purpose
Together, the Clays have become important figures in San Diego; their civic leadership paved the way for some of the region's most iconic celebrations and initiatives. Their mutual support toward one another has opened doors for women in leadership, in various roles typically held by men.

Over the years, Nikki became the first female board chair of the Downtown San Diego Partnership and the San Diego Holiday Bowl. She was also the first woman to serve on the Board of the National Solid Waste Association of North America. Nikki has been a proud San Diego Rotary member since 1992, having served on numerous Rotary committees and is now serving on the Foundation Committee.

Nikki continues to inspire new generations of women leaders and has followed through with her commitment to public service. She actively serves on the Boards of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, The Old Globe, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, San Diego State University Mission Valley Enterprises Board, and Scripps Health Board of Trustees. Previously, Nikki has served as chair of LEAD San Diego, SDSU Campanile Foundation Board, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to the Board of Forestry overseeing Cal Fire and Forestry practice in California. Over the years, various mayors have appointed Nikki to Chargers and Padres Task Forces.

As a former president of the San Diego Symphony, Ben now serves on their board. He has served 13 years as the Board Chair of The San Diego River Conservancy, where he was originally appointed by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also serves as the Chair of the USS Midway Foundation Board and also serves on the USS Midway Board of Directors. Ben has served on the boards of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, The Maritime Museum of San Diego, and The San Diego Natural History Museum, and as a member of the San Diego Economic Development Corporation’s Strategic Roundtable. He joined San Diego Rotary in 1978, serving as a past president, and chaired the club’s Centennial Celebration in 2011.

Together, Nikki and Ben have helped fund various projects in Sacramento and San Diego. In Sacramento, they established a fund to replace storm-damaged trees in and around the State Capitol. In San Diego, Ben and Nikki co-chaired the San Diego State University Centennial Celebration in 1997 and the City of San Diego’s 2015 Balboa Park Centennial Celebration. They are both still very active alumni of SDSU, helping wherever they can.

Aztecs for Life
A graduate of San Diego State University, Ben (‘68) holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration and along with Nikki was recognized as one of the 50 top graduates for the school of public administration. Nikki received her undergraduate (‘67) and Masters in Public Administration (‘72) and was awarded a doctorate of Humane Letters in 2022 from San Diego State University.

In 1997, they co-chaired the University’s Centennial Celebration, and awarded an internship scholarship in their name to support students in the School of Public Affairs. In 1998, the Clays were honored as SDSU’s “Alumni of the Year.” In 2016, the Clay Gateway was opened as the formal campus entrance with shining plaques in their honor inscribed with “Through These Gates Will Pass Our Future Leaders.”

Ben and Nikki support SDSU’s Presidential Scholars, the Ben and Nikki Clay Scholarship in Public Affairs, The Campanile Foundation Endowed Chair, the Veterans Program, Fowler Scholars, the Alumni Center, Mission Valley Park and Bike Trail, Athletics Directors Cabinet, and the Performing Arts District at San Diego State University. Ben and Nikki, who are residents of the Mission Hills area of San Diego, both continue to serve on various advisory boards at SDSU.

Mr./Mrs./Ms. San Diego Awards program celebrates notable San Diegans
The Mr./Ms./Mrs. San Diego Award is the most prestigious award granted to a San Diegan. This is a longstanding San Diego tradition dating back to 1952, established with the Grant Club, and has been with the San Diego Rotary Club since 1976. To be nominated and qualify as a recipient, you should be a living person, not now in government elective office, who has contributed outstanding community betterment to the San Diego region in a variety of ways, through his/her efforts over a long period of time. The Mr./Ms./Mrs. San Diego Award is not a fundraising tool or sponsorship, it solely exists to recognize a worthy recipient who has made a significant improvement to San Diego.

Award recipients are now chosen by the San Diego Rotary Club’s past presidents who are more closely involved in the community and those making the largest impact through a voting process after reviewing all qualified nominations.

Previous recipients include Father Joe Carroll, Cecil Steppe, Leon Williams, Jerry Coleman, Malin Burnham, Jerry Sanders, and most recently, the late Peter Seidler. Though initially given only to men from 1952 to 1991, the award has also been given to multiple women, with standouts like Betty Peabody, Patti Roscoe, Yvonne Larsen, and Deborah Szekely. This is the fourth time in the history of the awards program that a married couple is honored. For a full list of recipients, visit the San Diego Rotary Club website.

About San Diego Rotary
Established in 1911, San Diego Rotary provides its members unmatched opportunities to drive meaningful change at home and around the world. Boasting more than 400 local members of all ages, backgrounds, and business sectors, the organization creates a rich network of passionate individuals who fuel weekly programs and drive impactful community projects through its 51 committees. San Diego Rotary, affectionately known as Club 33, is in its 114th year, and is the 33rd oldest and tenth largest Rotary Club in the world out of more than 46,000 Rotary Clubs and 1.4 million members. More information is available at www.sandiegorotary.club.

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