Finalists for 2026 ATHENA awards announced
Washington County women who have leadership roles in health, business, banking and other fields are among the five finalists for the 2026 ATHENA Leadership Award.
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce announced the finalists Wednesday. They are:
– Lori Mesta, a vice president and banking center manager for WesBanco.
– Genevieve Peters, branch manager for Dress for Success Pittsburgh.
– Amy Podgurski-Gough, chief operating officer with UPMC Washington Teen Outreach and Academy for Adolescent Health.
– Jamie Price, director of nursing at Allegheny Health Network-Canonsburg Hospital.
– Leanna Spada, executive director of the Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Also, Aliesha Walz, president and CEO of the Washington County Community Foundation, will be receiving the 2026 Diana Irey Vaughan ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award.
The finalists will be honored May 8 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe. Eileen Hough, proprietor of Liberty Pole Spirits, will be the keynote speaker.
The ATHENA award “promotes women’s leadership by honoring exceptional individuals in the community who contribute in significant ways to the achievements of women and women’s leadership issues,” according to Jeff Kotula, president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
The ATHENA awards are named for the mythological Greek goddess who possessed wisdom, strength and reason. The first ATHENA award was given in Michigan in 1982. Now in its 23rd year in Washington County, it is presented by Dollar Bank.
For more information, call the Washington County Chamber of Commerce at 724-225-3010 or go online to WashCoATHENA.com.