The Manteca Historical Society and Museum will host a ceremony on Friday, June 12, as Manteca Youth Focus adds the portraits of all 23 Manteca City Ambassadors to the museum’s permanent collection.
The Historic Manteca City Ambassador Portrait Unveiling and Recognition Ceremony begins at 6 p.m. at the museum at 600 W. Yosemite Avenue.
It is free and open to the public.
The portraits will take their permanent place alongside the Miss Manteca titleholders, who have been displayed at the museum since 1968. For the first time in the program’s 31-year history, every young man who served as Manteca City Ambassador will be seen, remembered, and woven into the story of this city.
The story of the Manteca City Ambassador begins not in Manteca, but in San Jose, where a man affectionately known as “Mr. S” — Bill Smethers — was running a youth scholarship organization called Youth Focus Inc.
In 1980, in direct response to the Miss America Organization’s requirement of a swimsuit competition, Smethers made a principled decision: he would create his own state scholarship program built around achievement, service, and character. Partnering with the California Fairs Association and the California State Fair, he launched Miss California State.
In 1987, he went further. Smethers added the California State Ambassador, a competitive title for young men, making Youth Focus Inc. one of the first scholarship organizations in the nation to offer equal titles to both young women and young men. It was a revolutionary act that would send ripples far beyond San Jose.
One of those ripples reached Manteca.
A young woman named Shim Lacy — then competing as Miss Manteca at the Youth Focus Inc. state competition in 1990 — watched young men stand alongside young women as equals, representing their communities with the same standards, the same preparation, and the same pride
. The experience would shape everything she and her director, Carol Suarez, built next.
“I came home to Manteca carrying a crown and an idea,” said Lacy, who would go on to co-found Manteca Youth Focus with Suarez. “When Carol and I sat down at her kitchen table to build this organization, we knew exactly what we wanted it to look like. Leadership shared equally. Service expected of everyone. Opportunity open to all.”
In 1994, MYF created the Manteca City Ambassador title — and Suarez had someone specific in mind for the role.
Daniel Lansford was an East Union High School student leader she knew personally, the older brother of a Rainbow Girl who served alongside Suarez’s own daughters in the International Order of Rainbow for Girls.
Suarez knew Lansford as a gifted athlete, a natural leader, and someone with the character to set the gold standard for every ambassador who would follow.
Lansford accepted the appointment, becoming the first-ever Manteca City Ambassador in 1994 and continued in the role for a second year throughout 1995. He went on to win the California State Ambassador title in 1996, becoming the first Manteca ambassador to claim that honor as well.
Lansford’s connection to Youth Focus never faded. He served on the Youth Focus Inc. board beginning in 2011 and became its Executive Director in 2017, ultimately leading the very organization whose vision had inspired MYF’s founders decades earlier.
Today he is the Fixture Development Manager for Apple’s Worldwide CSO division in Cupertino. He will be the honored guest at Friday’s ceremony, receiving the newly created designation of Historic Manteca City Ambassador.
Lansford would not be the last Manteca ambassador to leave his mark on the state stage.
Over the years, nine Manteca ambassadors went on to win the California State Ambassador title and five Manteca queens earned the Miss California State crown, creating a dynasty of achievement that lasted until Youth Focus Inc. wound down its programs.
Manteca was a force at the state level, year after year, sending its best and watching them bring home top prizes.
MYF is proud to be one of just three known organizations in California to award ambassador titles of this type to boys and young men. That distinction, born from the vision of Bill Smethers and carried into Manteca by its founders, is at the heart of Friday’s celebration.
The effort to bring these portraits home was led by Nihar Jain, the 23rd Manteca City Ambassador and a 2026 graduate of East Union High School — the same school that produced Dan Lansford exactly three decades ago.
Working on behalf of the MYF Board of Directors, Jain spent his title year reconnecting with former ambassadors, gathering portraits, and coordinating the permanent display that will be unveiled Friday.
“MYF challenges us to think beyond ourselves,” said Jain, who will attend the University of the Pacific this fall as a Powell Scholar to study political science and public policy. “It teaches that leadership is not about a title — it is about showing up for your community consistently and with integrity.”
The following 23 young men will be honored in Friday’s permanent display. Those who also went on to earn the California State Ambassador title are noted:
*Daniel Lansford, Manteca City Ambassador, 1994–95 — California State Ambassador, 1996
*Clifford Chamberlain, Manteca City Ambassador, 1996 — California State Ambassador, 1997
*Robert Heacox, Manteca City Ambassador, 1998 — California State Ambassador, 1999
*Dr. Jose Bosque, Jr., Manteca City Ambassador, 1999
*Carl Lindberg, Manteca City Ambassador, 2000 — California State Ambassador, 2002
*Trystan Blair, Manteca City Ambassador, 2001–02
*Matthew Vaughan, Manteca City Ambassador, 2004 — California State Ambassador, 2005
*Caleb Draper, Manteca City Ambassador, 2005 — California State Ambassador, 2006
*James Reed, Manteca City Ambassador, 2006 — California State Ambassador, 2007
*Greg Atherton, Manteca City Ambassador, 2008
*Horst Bauer, Manteca City Ambassador, 2009 — California State Ambassador, 2011
*Dalton Harris, Manteca City Ambassador, 2010
*Taylor Hasal, Manteca City Ambassador, 2012
*John Dumaguing, Manteca City Ambassador, 2013
*Colton Harris, Manteca City Ambassador, 2014
*Lechi Nkwocha, Manteca City Ambassador, 2015
*Nathanel Padilla, Manteca City Ambassador, 2016
*Gabriel Ortega, Manteca City Ambassador, 2017
*Scott Whitby, Manteca City Ambassador, 2021
*Landon Wolfe, Manteca City Ambassador, 2022
*Erfan Ballew, Manteca City Ambassador, 2023
*Jaden Gallego, Manteca City Ambassador, 2024
*Nihar Jain, Manteca City Ambassador, 2025
The portrait unveiling comes two weeks before the MYF annual scholarship competition, to be held Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27, at Calvary Community Church. T
his year’s competition will spotlight the City Ambassador program across all age levels and will feature a record 46 contestants competing for over $17,000 in educational scholarships, the largest applicant pool and single-year scholarship amount in MYF’s 32-year history.
MYF offers educational scholarships, leadership development and volunteer service opportunity to youth and young adults who live or attend school in Manteca, Ripon, Lathrop, River Islands, French Camp or Weston Ranch.
Visit mantecayouthfocus.org/compete for tickets and additional information.
