Lud Fiser Citizen of the Year and the C. Clyde Jones Volunteer of the Year awards were presented at the annual Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce banquet Friday evening.
The 2019 Lud Fiser Citizen of the Year honor goes to Ward and Brenda Morgan. They have worked to help revitalize downtown with the creation of the Green Apple Bike Program and most recently opened Manhattan's newest attraction, the Midwest Dream Car Collection. Last year they set up a donor advised fund at the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation for $17 million.
Ward and Brenda Morgan are the 53rd recipients of the Citizen of the Year award and the first to receive the honor as a couple.
Lisa Sisley was selected the 2019 C. Clyde Jones Volunteer of the Year recipient. Her long service to the Chamber's Business Advocacy Committee and its predecessor, the Public Affairs Committee, are the basis for the award selection. Sisley has been instrumental in helping shape the Chamber's public policies over the past 10 years, and as chair of this committee she helped lead efforts to transition between the two committee formats. She has played a key role in writing the Chamber's legislative policy document over much of the last decade, and has been a facilitator of civil discussions among groups of people with sometimes differing viewpoints.
Most recently Sisley has been a leader in advocating for the city's economic development funds and other positions the Chamber has taken on public issues. She is the 31st recipient of the C. Clyde Jones Volunteer of the Year award.