Mr. Conklin is one of California’s leading advocates for effective government at the community level. He has served in multiple leadership roles including: Mayor and City Council Member of the City of Santa Barbara for 18 years, President of the California League of Cities in Sacramento, and Vice President of the National League of Cities in Washington DC. He founded the California Civic Leadership Institute and has provided training for hundreds of local elected leaders nationwide and internationally over the last 40 years.

Mr. Conklin spearheaded the development of Santa Barbara’s “Cultural District” including the restoration of Santa Barbara’s historic Stearns Wharf and the Arlington and Granada Theaters, a “downtown retail restoration plan” that included the Paseo Nuevo Retail Center, a nightclub district on lower State Street, and the revitalization of the waterfront and the expansion of Chase Palm Park.

Mr. Conklin serves on numerous community, state, and national non-profit boards focused on civic engagement, the arts, and environmental protection. He is the denominational Chairman of the Board of Administration for the Free Methodist Church in the United States. He is also the co-author of Cinema in Focus, a weekly syndicated film commentary distributed worldwide.

Mr. Conklin is blissfully married to Haley (McGuire) Conklin, and they live at the beach on the Santa Barbara Mesa. They have seven grown children and eleven grandchildren.