This year’s Man and Woman of the Year winners may have been the most surprised two people of any attendee at the Hyatt Regency Valencia ballroom Friday.
Scott Hoolahan and Missy Carter both agreed they were overwhelmed by the win — friends and family members were hugging the two several minutes after the initial announcement — and honored to be in the pantheon of past winners who’ve represented their nonprofits.
The two were selected out of 31 total nominees this year, after a voting process exclusive to past Man and Woman of the Year winners.
Hoolahan was nominated by the Rotary Club of Santa Clarita, where he’s twice served as president; Carter was nominated by Carousel Ranch, where she’s currently president, as well as membership chair of Soroptimist International of Valencia and chair of one of its flagship fundraisers, Bras for a Cause.
Carter and Hoolahan told The Signal they were honored not just to be a part of the 60-year legacy of the award, but also the 2026 nominee crop. Hoolahan said he was especially honored to be representing the Rotary Club — a nonprofit with a strong presence on the past winners list.
“I’m not certain that there’s another group like Rotary that has had so many winners over the last 60 years, and so it really weighs on me heavily to be able to represent that group of people,” Hoolahan said. “So many of them were in that picture with us, that are past winners.”
Carter said she’s grateful for any exposure the nomination brings to Carousel Ranch.
“Obviously (at) Carousel Ranch, working with disabled, disabled children is my passion,” Hoolahan said. “We want the exposure for our nonprofit at the at the end of the day, and to highlight our nonprofit work and what we do, and just to bring more awareness.”
Following slideshows featuring photos of the pair throughout their lives paired with other archival materials, highlighting their years of commitment to volunteering with their nonprofits, friends of Carter and Hoolahan spoke about what they’ve done for the Santa Clarita Valley.
Hoolahan told the audience Friday night that his experiences helping his single mother fundraise as a kid — he remembers stuffing many, many envelopes, he said — instilled in him a commitment to serving others. For that reason, the Rotary Club’s fundraising efforts for helping single mothers are especially important to him.
He added that the room was full of people who could relate to the significance of that kind of commitment.
“I know that so many of you in this room can relate to that,” Hoolahan said. “It literally raises the hair on my arms and the back of my hand … because we share that core value, which is caring about others.”
And when representatives from the city and other local government offices sent representatives to congratulate Carter and Hoolahan, Carter’s years of service with Carousel Ranch received special acclaim from Shannon Hurst, spokesperson for Rep George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce.
“Students at the ranch need so much more than questions, but also confidence building and supporting. The ranch has such an incredible space for so many families across Santa Clarita,” Hurst said. “Your involvement with the community extends well beyond that. Founding charity golf tournaments and … fundraising for individuals with ALS, your continued devotion to the betterment of our community has not been unnoticed.”
Hurst was joined by representatives from the office of Sen. Suzette Valadares, R-Acton, Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, and 5th District L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
Gloria Mercado-Fortine, president of Man and Woman of the Year and 2018 honoree, said that it’s incredibly difficult to pick a winner each year from the nominee pool in Santa Clarita, but said that if Carter and Hoolahan exhibited anything that cinched their wins, it was the “sweat equity” factor.
And that factor takes several years to demonstrate.
“Our criteria is that we look for sweat equity,” Mercado-Fortine said. “They’re both very, very involved people who give a lot and do a lot, and they have that passion for service, and it’s very evident.”
