The YWCA Dayton Women of Influence Awards Luncheon returns March 12, and this year’s honorees represent the very best of what our city has to offer.

This year, YWCA Dayton pauses to ask a simple but powerful question: who are the women making Dayton a better place? The answer shows up on March 12 at the Women of Influence Awards Luncheon, held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dayton Convention Center.

Now in its 28th year, this is no small affair. More than 800 of the region’s leaders, influencers, and community champions fill the room, making it the single largest daytime nonprofit luncheon in the entire Miami Valley. If you’ve never been, this is the year to go.

Meet the 2026 Honorees

This year, six women from across the fields of business, education, health, and the performing arts will be recognized for the impact they’ve made not just in their industries, but in the fabric of Dayton itself.

Debbie Blunden Diggs, CEO and Artistic Director of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, has spent her career keeping one of Dayton’s most celebrated cultural institutions alive and thriving.

Myla Cardona Jones, CEO of the Brunner Literacy Center, is doing the quiet, essential work of making sure Dayton’s residents have the literacy skills they need to build better lives.

Robyn Lightcap, Executive Director of Preschool Promise, is fighting for the city’s youngest kids, making sure quality early childhood education isn’t a privilege, but a promise.

Heather Salazar, President and CEO of Pink Ribbon Good, has built an organization that centers the real needs of those navigating breast cancer in our community.

Lisa Wagner, Executive Director of Levitt Pavilion Dayton, has turned a riverside stage into one of the most beloved free music experiences in the region.

Rounding out the class is Vicki Giambrone, Partner at CBD Advisors, who will receive the Betsy Whitney Lifetime Achievement Award, the evening’s highest honor, reserved for women whose contributions to Dayton span decades.

Why It Matters

The YWCA’s mission: eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, and dignity for all isn’t just a tagline. It’s what connects every woman on this list. As Interim CEO Teresa Sanders says, the luncheon exists to “help women break the glass ceiling.” Year after year, the honorees prove that ceiling doesn’t stand a chance.

Whether you’re coming to support a friend, connect with Dayton’s movers and shakers, or simply celebrate women who are doing the work — this is one of those events that leaves you feeling proud to call this city home.