Greater Topeka Partnership to Present Annual Awards at the Leadership Greater Topeka Graduation & Gala
The Greater Topeka Partnership is proud to announce the winners of the annual Leadership Greater Topeka awards. The awards are designed to honor and celebrate LGT alumni and supporting organizations in Topeka and Shawnee County who demonstrate their capacity to lead for the greater good, both personally and professionally.
The awards will be formally presented at the 42nd annual Graduation and Gala. This year’s event — Bollywood Nights: A Celebration of Leadership — will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, May 15 at Prairie Band Casino & Resort. The evening will celebrate leadership, community, and the vibrant spirit that connects us all.
The 2026 recipients include:
Rising Star Award: This award honors two emerging leaders whose passion and dedication uplift others and make them valuable assets to our community.
Emersen Frazier Freeman, Director of Community Health Engagement, Stormont Vail Health
Damon Shore, CI Engineer-Snickers, Mars Wrigley
The Activator Award: Awarded to two individuals who empower others’ leadership and drive community progress through years of engagement.
Dr. Lauren Edelman, Director of Aleshire Center for Leadership & Community Engagement, Washburn University
Johnathan Sublet, Executive Director and Founder, SENT Inc.
The Marsha Sheahan Legacy Award: This award honors a leader whose enduring impact has left a lasting legacy in Topeka and Shawnee County. The award is named after Marsha Sheahan, the esteemed founder of Leadership Greater Topeka.
Michael Padilla, former Mayor of Topeka
Partnership Award: Recognizes an outstanding organization for its ongoing support of leadership development and the Leadership Greater Topeka program.
“This year’s awardees are an incredible representation of the leadership and talent we have here in Topeka and Shawnee County,” said Michelle Cuevas-Stubblefield, the Greater Topeka Partnership’s senior vice president of strategy and Leadership Greater Topeka program director. “Since 1984, Leadership Greater Topeka has empowered over 1,000 acknowledged and aspiring leaders, and these honorees are a testament to how LGT continues to prepare them for impactful work in our community.”
“We are honored to be recognized for our decades-long support of the Leadership Greater Topeka program,” Security Benefit CEO Doug Wolff said. “Our graduates have raved about the enduring relationships they’ve developed with their LGT classmates and the insights they’ve gained about collaborative efforts under way to move the capital city forward. Many of our participants continue to fill leadership roles through board service, committee work, coaching and other means to keep the momentum going.”
Tickets for the LGT Graduation & Gala are on sale now. Purchase your tickets at topekapartnership.com/lgt-gala-2026/.
Sponsors for this year’s gala: program sponsor Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas; impact sponsor Advisors Excel; and table sponsors Bartlett & West, Bennington State Bank, Capitol Federal, City of Topeka, CoreFirst Bank & Trust, Envista Federal Credit Union, FHLBank Topeka, Security Benefit, Sloan Law Firm, and Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.
