Awards
Leadership Springfield strives to honor those who have gone above and beyond to inspire, develop, connect and serve their community.
O. Franklin Kenworthy
Award
Established in memory of Franklin Kenworthy – a member of Signature Class 3 and a posthumous graduate of Class 3 – the Kenworthy Award for Outstanding Leadership seeks to celebrate alumni who exemplify:
Commitment to Leadership Springfield
Involvement in Community Service Activities
Good Citizenship
All current Leadership Springfield Members
Outstanding Leadership Qualities
High Moral and Ethical Standards
2026 Kenworthy Recipient
Each year, we honor a local leader with the O. Franklin Kenworthy Award for Outstanding Leadership to thank them for their service in the community an honor their leadership prowess.
Mark McNay
Mark McNay has devoted nearly five decades to SMC Packaging Group, where he serves as President, guiding the company’s growth through changing markets, evolving technologies, and extraordinary expansion.
Beyond his professional career, Mark has long described himself as a “serial community volunteer.” His decades of civic service span Rotary, the Boys & Girls Club, Mercy Health Foundation, Central Bank, public utilities, parks initiatives, community planning efforts, and countless other causes that have helped shape Springfield’s future.
Mark’s connection to Leadership Springfield began as a member of Signature Class 4. Since then, he has remained a champion of the organization, serving as an advisor, mentor, advocate, donor, and employer partner. Most recently, Mark spent years advocating for a leadership program tailored to the manufacturing industry, a vision that came to life this year as the GEARS program, a partnership with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, launched in 2026.
Past Recipients of the Kenworthy Leadership Award
2025 | Andrea Brady | Class 25 |
2024 | Larry Stock | Class 1 |
2023 | Mayor Ken McClure | Class 16 |
2022 | Francine Pratt | Class 27 |
2021 | Clay Goddard | Class 21 |
2020 | Paul K. Logsdon, MA | Class 9 |
2019 | Dr. Thomas Prater | Class 5 |
2018 | Alina Lehnert | Class 23 |
2017 | Joe Page | Class 13 |
2016 | David Hall | Class 21 |
2015 | Scott Miller | Class 20 |
2014 | Steve Gassel | Class 19 |
2013 | John Gentry | Honorary Member |
2012 | John Horton | Class 18 |
2011 | John Twitty | Class 8 |
2010 | Jim Anderson | Class 4 |
2009 | Jodie Adams | Class 19 |
2008 | Greg Burris | Class 16 |
2007 | Ann Marie Baker | Class 12 |
2006 | Morey Mechlin | Class 9 |
2005 | Brent Dunn | Class 12 |
2004 | Mary Kay Ross | Class 10 |
2003 | James Lewis | Class 8 |
2002 | Mark Powell | Class 6 |
2001 | Doug Jackson | Class 4 |
2000 | O. Keran Lemons | Class 7 |
1999 | Robert Helm | Class 3 |
1998 | Tim Rosenbury | Class 3 |
1997 | Jerry Harmison, Jr. | Class 5 |
1996 | Andy Montebello | Honorary Member |
1995 | Jami Peebles | Class 5 |
1994 | Sally Hargis | Class 1 |
1993 | Bob Barefield | Honorary Member |
1992 | Patti Stoner | Class 5 |
1991 | Bob Menard | Class 2 |
1991 | Louis Griesemer | Class 1 |
1990 | Brian Fogle | Class 3 |
1989 | Gerry Lee | Class 2 |
Visionary Volunteer
Award
The Visionary Volunteer Award, launched in 2024, recognizes a Leadership Springfield graduate whose volunteer service and ongoing impact help propel the organization forward.
2026 Visionary Volunteer Award Recipient
Each year, we honor a local leader with the Visionary Volunteer Award to thank them for their service towards Leadership Springfield and commitment to furthering our mission to inspire, develop, and connect leaders to serve.
Dr. Nicole Holt & Dr. Nichole Lemmon
For nearly a decade, Dr. Nicole Holt and Dr. Nichole Lemmon have been so closely intertwined with the evolution of Leadership Springfield that their collective impact is best understood together.
Professionally, both leaders have had an extraordinary impact on education in Springfield and across Missouri. Dr. Lemmon helped build and scale a virtual learning model that now serves students from hundreds of school districts statewide, creating educational opportunities regardless of geography or circumstance. Dr. Holt oversees academic programs and services for Missouri’s largest accredited school district, supporting educators, students, and families while fostering high-performing teams focused on student success.
Both are graduates of Leadership Springfield’s Signature Class and have spent the years since giving back in ways that have transformed the organization.
Dr. Holt has served on the Leadership Springfield Board of Directors for five years, currently chairs the Curriculum Committee, facilitates leadership development and program day planning for Signature Class, and previously participated in and facilitated the Principals of Leadership custom program. Dr. Lemmon serves on the Curriculum Committee, facilitates strengths-based leadership development for Signature Class participants, and will expand that impact next year by bringing strengths development to Academy students as well.
Over the past seven to eight years, their work has transformed Leadership Springfield’s curriculum and volunteer programming, most visibly in co-creating the organization’s inaugural Committee Summit, which equipped more than 100 volunteers. Their combined influence has touched nearly every Leadership Springfield graduate in the organization’s recent history.
Past Recipients of the Visionary Volunteer Award
2025 | Chris Hoeman | Academy Class 13, Signature Class 37 |
2024 | Tami Smith | Access Class 11, Signature Class 44 |