Meet the five finalists for the 2026 ATHENA Award

The finalists for the 41st annual ATHENA Leadership Award are:

• Samantha Diedrich
• JoAnn Draeger
• Nicole Gaiche
• Linda Koepke
• Erika Van De Yacht

The Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce will host the Excellence in Business Leadership Awards Night presented by Imperial Industries at 6 p.m. on Monday, November 16 at The Grand Theater in downtown Wausau. The evening will include four awards, including the James J. McIntyre Cornerstone Award, the G. Lane Ware Innovator Award, the Liz Tillisch Heart of the Chamber Award and the 41st ATHENA Leadership Award.

Doors will open for the event at 5 p.m. with an hour-long program beginning at 6 p.m. The Awards program will be followed in the Great Hall by a cocktail reception and appetizers.

The Excellence in Business Leadership Awards Night is presented by Imperial Industries. The award sponsors are listed above. The platinum sponsors for the event are JP Morgan Chase Bank, Marathon Cheese Corp and The Dirks Group, the gold sponsors are Jim Kryshak Jewelers and Park City Credit Union. The print media sponsor is The Business News.

Sponsorships for the event are still available. For more information on sponsorships, contact Kaycee Packard at kpackard@wausauchamber.com or 715-848-5955.

Tickets are $75 and the event is open to the public. For more information or to register, visit WausauChamber.com.