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Ben and Nikki Clay, cochairs of the Balboa Park 2015 Celebration — Peggy Peattie

Ben Clay, 65, born in St. Louis, moved to San Diego as an infant. He graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in public administration and has remained active in the SDSU Alumni Association. He serves on the boards of the Natural History Museum, San Diego Symphony Association, California State Railroad Museum and San Diego River Conservancy. He retired as a principal in Carpi & Clay, a San Diego-based government relations firm.

Nikki Clay, 65, born in San Francisco, also graduated from SDSU with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and master’s in public administration and is a past president of the alumni association. She is incoming chairwoman of the San Diego Convention Center Corp., having previously chaired the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown San Diego Partnership. She also has presided over the Holiday Bowl and worked on San Diego’s two Super Bowls and Chargers and Padres task forces. She serves as strategic counsel to the Clay Co., successor to Carpi & Clay.

The Clays live in Mission Hills.

Q: How do you get involved in this project?

A: Nikki: We got a call from the mayor’s office (in February) asking if we were available for a meeting. We asked, "Can you tell us what it’s about?" and they said, "Wel,l no."

Ben: You read all this stuff (about the proposed plans) and the question is, what’s the vision for the park? What is it we’re going to try to do with this? What does it mean for the community? How does the community get involved. There are a lot of legitimate questions and there's been a lot of hard work, but the questions Nikki and I have are about what are we trying to do?

Q: What’s the vision?

A: Ben: There’s no predetermined place from whence Nikki and I are coming.

Q: Who will be on the host committee, only millionaires need apply?

A: Nikki: Ben and I don’t hang around with millionaires. You’ll see Ben and me trying to get people on the host committee we’ve worked with over the years, who possibly live in Rancho Bernardo or Tierrasanta, Chula Vista, Escondido. We want a working host committee because there’s going to be a lot of work to do.

Q: How will you appeal to young people, ethnic diversity?

A: Ben: We’d like to tie into different ethnic groups that have festivals at different times of the year. If they do that in Balboa Park, and if that became a tradition -- the doors aren’t closed to anybody.

roger.showley@uniontrib.com, (619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rmshowley; Facebook: sdutshowley


