Spotlighting our 2026 ATHENA Young Professional Award Finalists
Our region’s future is bright thanks to the up-and-coming young professionals who are leading us forward. This February, we’re excited to recognize twelve of these outstanding young professionals as ATHENA Young Professional Award finalists. And today, we’re proud to spotlight the impact they’re having on our shared community. No matter what industry or role they are in, these women are setting our community on the right path forward and bringing others along with them.
Take Sydney Bell, Co-Director of the Our Local History Project at CCSI, and Kimberly Harvey, Vice President for Student Experience for Alfred University, or Kate Torok, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at St. John Fisher University. Whether telling our region’s storied history or shaping its future students, these women are committed to progress.
Sarah Ptach, President & CEO, Canyon Labs, and Kelly Zimber Beach, Senior Manager, Global Quality Assurance, CooperVision, are adding to Rochester’s largest industry – healthcare. And Terra Keller, SVP, Chief Operating and Financial Officer, Foodlink, and Josie Sheppard Wilson, Managing Partner of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP’s Rochester Office, are diversifying our economy. No matter which, they are adding to the vibrancy that makes our community so special.
Allison Shannon, Principal, SWBR, and Marietta Smithrand, Senior Vice President, Sales, First American Equipment Finance, are building futures for their generational organizations with large-scale, national footprints. Karla George, CEO & Board Chair, FLX AI, Inc., Lindsay Connelly, President & Founder, Linden Digital Marketing, and Jazz Williams, Director of Content Development, JazzCast Pros LLC, are charting their own paths forward, starting and leading innovative new businesses in our community. But no matter which, they’re aligned in their strong visions for the future.
Our region’s diversity is its strength. Our 2026 ATHENA Young Professional Award finalists prove that. Each of them has a unique, personal, and individual story and lived experience that has shaped them into the leaders they are today. And when all of these stories come together, it makes a powerful community for us all.
Greater Rochester Chamber is excited to celebrate these remarkable women at our award ceremony on Thursday, February 5. Tickets and sponsorships are available for individuals and organizations looking to support and celebrate. To meet our finalists in other categories, learn about our 2026 ATHENA Award finalists, and stay tuned for a feature on our ATHENA Organizational Award finalists soon.