Members of the Mesa Citizen of the Year Association met in November to choose Mesa’s 2023 Citizens of the Year. Sally Harrison was chosen as Woman of the Year and Vic Linoff as Man of the Year.
Sally Harrison moved from Washington State to Mesa in July of 2004. She joined the Mesa Chamber of Commerce staff in 2008 as the Director of Programs. She was promoted to the positions of Vice President of Development, where she was able to utilize her marketing and event management skills. In the Spring of 2013, the Board of Directors appointed her President and CEO.
Since she began working at the Chamber, Sally has been very active in Mesa non-profit organizations and community initiatives.
Sally is well known for her can do attitude and often assumes leadership roles. She is passionate about many causes, including serving veterans needs and raising awareness about teen suicide.
Vic Linoff, a Minnesota native, moved to Mesa more than 56 years ago. He is an entrepreneur and successful small businessman. He owned and operated the well-known Mill Avenue store Those Were the Days! for many years.
As a resident of Mesa, Vic has been extremely active in Mesa civic issues including the significant redevelopment activities that occurred in the past 40 years in Downtown Mesa.
He also was keenly interested in preserving Mesa’s history and was the driving force behind the city’s first historic preservation ordinance and the establishment of the Historic Preservation Advisory Board.
Many people would argue that Vic has done more than anyone in the city to preserve Mesa’s history, including the preservation of buildings and iconic neon signage.
The Mesa Citizen of the Year Association is one of the oldest groups of its kind in the State of Arizona. Founded in 1935, the organization annually selects two individuals in the community who have dedicated a significant amount of time to volunteer activities.
This year’s award recipients will be honored at the Association’s Annual Banquet on Feb. 22 at the Double Tree Hilton Phoenix/Mesa. This community celebration of volunteerism will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner.
To purchase banquet tickets, please visit www.mesacitizenoftheyear.org or contact Debby Elliot at (480) 969-2731.
The awardees can be contacted at: Sally Harrison – sharrison@mesachamber.org – (480) 707-3309 or Vic Linoff – vic.linoff@gmail.com – (602) 524-6484