Leadership Lake County Leader of the Year

Congratulations to the 2024 Leader of the Year, Jay McDonald!

The prestigious Leadership Lake County Leader of the Year Award is presented to one outstanding recipient each year for their contributions in Lake County. We encourage you to nominate someone who you believe is worthy of such an award of distinction.

The Leader of the Year Committee is comprised of Leadership Lake County Trustees and graduates from a broad span of years and companies.

Click here for the 2025 Nomination Form

Click here for the selection committee decision rubric to better understand what information is being ask for on the nomination form and how it will measured during the deliberation process.

Nominations are due on or before February 23, 2025. Completed forms are automatically submitted to Leadership Lake County via this system. The Leader of the Year Committee appreciates your sincere interest and cooperation.

Current Leadership Lake County Trustees are not eligible for this award. Nominees do NOT have to be graduates of Leadership Lake County, however, nominators MUST be alumni in good standing (current annual dues paid). Nominations for candidates actively seeking partisan elected positions will be deemed ineligible.

All nominations received are kept confidential.

Leader of the Year Award Recipients 1989-2024

Wilbur R. Moyer, 1989
Joseph D. Rusnak, 1990
Richard H. Gehring, 1991
Michael D. Lyster, 1992
Joseph A. Lesak, 1993
Dr. Ralph R. Doty, 1994
Kenneth M. Iwashita, 1995
Jack E. Daniels, 1996
Arthur S. Holden, Jr. & Constance P. Irvin, 1997
J. William Stanton, 1998
Paul J. Beddia, 1999
Harry L. Allen, Jr., 2000
Dr. James H. Capitan, 2001
Thomas W. Benda, 2002
David J. Enzerra, 2003
Cytnhia Moore-Hardy, 2004
Roger J. Sustar, 2005
Dr. Morris W. Beverage, Jr., 2006
Ellen Foley Kessler, 2007
Judie & Dave Crockett, 2008
Nancy & Ed Brown, 2009
Bruce M. Kephart, 2010
Michael T. Victor, 2011
Dr. Jacqueline Hoynes, 2012
Rita & Peter Carfagna, 2013
Bob Cahen, 2014
Judge Colleen Falkowski, 2015
Andy L. Meinhold, 2016
David Cowen and Dennis Eckart, 2017
Nancy Guthrie, 2018
Sheriff Dan Dunlap, 2019
Nancy Brunner Sanden, 2020
Kevin Malecek, 2021
Pamela D. Kurt, 2022
Dr. Jessie Baginski, 2023
Jay McDonald, 2024