Agriculture and telecom champion, Jeff Buckingham, named 2018 SLO Citizen of Year
Jeff Buckingham — a leader in the local telecommunication industry and community volunteer involved with numerous organizations — has been named the 2018 San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.
The chamber’s most prestigious honor was awarded at the annual gala at Madonna Inn on Saturday in front of 580 attendees.
A strong supporter of local agriculture, Buckingham has served on boards of directors for the Farm Supply Company, Cattleman’s Association, the Farm Bureau and the SLO Community Foundation.
Buckingham is also a past president of Rotary de Tolosa and the SLO Chamber of Commerce and has served on the board for the Cuesta College Foundation as well as the SLO Community Foundation.
His work through Rotary has included the Child Spree, which clothes over 100 low income children each year locally, the Rancho El Chorro science camp where thousands of children come to learn about the world around them, and local 4-H and FFA groups.
Buckingham’s telecommunication career has included leadership positions with Call America, Blue Rooster Telecom and Norcast Telecom Networks. He now serves as the chief customer officer of Digital West networks.
“Jeff Buckingham embodies the trusting, friendly, outgoing, service-above-self persona that defines a leader,” said Tim Williams, CEO and founder of Digital West. “And while he continues to be a successful entrepreneur, husband, father, partner, and friend, he wouldn’t accept any accolades without calling out the role others play in his life.”
The Chamber wrote in a statement that Buckingham’s family’s mission statement is: “We are an inexhaustible source of contribution to our community and to our world.”
Buckingham supports events, like Softec’s annual Student Robotics Expo, The Imagination Park Fall Classic, which assists in the building of The Jack Ready Imagination Park and Wine Women and Shoes, providing funding for RISE SLO.
Buckingham has also served on the national Competitive Telecommunications Association board of directors where he helped shape national policy that has gone before the Federal Communications Commission, Congress and the courts.
In 2009, Buckingham was recognized for his contributions to the telecom industry with the Champion of Competition award.
Last year’s SLO Citizen of the Year was Anita Robinson.
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