Leadership Springfield recognized Mark McNay as the recipient of the 2026 Kenworthy Award for Outstanding Leadership and Dr. Nicole Holt and Dr. Nichole Lemmon as co-recipients of the 2026 Visionary Volunteer at 40th Anniversary One Big Class Reunion. These leaders embody the mission of Leadership Springfield, and our organization wouldn’t be what it is today without their support! Continue reading to learn more about our award honorees and their community impact.
Kenworthy Award Winner
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. Along the way, he became known not only for building a successful operation but for developing others, empowering teams, and championing the belief that the greatest leadership victories occur when people learn to believe in themselves.
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. His commitment became a family commitment: his wife has shared her expertise with LeadSGF programs, and his children are Academy Class graduates. 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 its inaugural cohort in 2026.
As he approaches retirement after an extraordinary career and lifetime of service, Leadership Springfield is honored to recognize not only what he has accomplished but also the legacy he leaves behind.
“Mark has spent decades building leaders, strengthening organizations, and investing in the future of this community,” said Andrea Brady, the 2025 Kenworthy Award recipient, during the annual One Big Class Reunion event. “His influence can be seen throughout this organization and throughout Springfield. We are profoundly grateful for his legacy of leadership.”
Visionary Volunteer Award Winners
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.
Together, they have served as trusted thought partners, curriculum architects, and champions of leadership development at LeadSGF. 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.
“Nicole and Nichole have poured their expertise, energy, and hearts into this organization for years,” said Carrie Richardson, Leadership Springfield Executive Director. “Their legacy is reflected not only in the programs they have helped shape, but in the thousands of leaders whose lives have been impacted because they chose to say yes.
Congratulations once again to this year’s award honorees! We are proud to celebrate your impact.
About the Awards
The O. Franklin Kenworthy Outstanding Leadership Award was established in 1989 in memory of Franklin Kenworthy, a posthumous graduate of Signature Class 3. Recipients demonstrate outstanding leadership, service, and ethical standards while exemplifying the mission of Leadership Springfield.
The Visionary Volunteer Award, launched in 2024, recognizes a Leadership Springfield graduate whose volunteer service and ongoing impact help propel the organization forward.
For more information and to view past award honorees, click here.
