City employee of the year: Steve Hyink, Division Chief at the Redondo Beach Fire Department
Steve has been employed by the City of Redondo Beach for 29 years. Hired in 1984, he was promoted to Fire Engineer in 1994, Captain in 2003, and Division Chief in 2006. Over the years, he has earned the distinction of seasoned, experienced leader, who models the conduct he expects from his shift members. He keeps the well being of his firefighters and of the community as his first priority in every incident.
He also chairs a regional operations committee working toward standardizing public safety. Steve will retire in September.
Woman of the year: Susan Burden, Chief Executive Officer of the Beach Cities Health District
Susan oversees 175 employees and 700 volunteers as head of the Beach Cities Health District, and helped to bring Blue Zones Project to the Beach Cities. She has taken the organization to new heights, adding medical professionals, forging an alliance with UCLA and an Alzheimer’s facility in Silverado.
Erika Graves of Blue Zones Project expressed her team’s admiration for Susan at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.
“She was instrumental in bringing Blue Zones project to the Beach Cities three years ago and she deserves a lot of credit for the successes we’ve had here in bringing better health to residents,” Graves said.
Man of the year: Dal Covington, veteran
Noted for his humility, Dal is a pilot and certified flying instructor, the former owner of a restaurant, a founding member of the Redondo Beach Rotary Club, and a regular volunteer in Mexico, Ensenada, and Mexicali.
Dal is a veteran who spent two years in Germany prior to the Vietnam War, and continues to serve the veteran community in and through his commitment to building and maintaining the Veteran’s Park Memorial.
Volunteer of the year: Christian Anthony Horvath, artist and businessman
Christian is an artist and performer who originally moved to California to pursue show business. After releasing two albums and touring nationally, he returned full-time to graphic design and advertising; in 2009, he opened his own firm, Champ Creative, in Redondo Beach. Christian is a former chairperson of the Chamber’s Young Professionals program, a former Chamber board member, and a member of the Government Relations Council and Local Issues Committee. He volunteers at Chamber events like the 10K and the Lobster Festival, volunteers with TEDxRedondoBeach, and has participated in Leadership Redondo, eventually winning the Janet Johnson award. He serves on the North Redondo Beach Business Association executive board and as a Blue Zones Ambassador.
