ATHENA Award recipient Gina Govojdean, vice president of sales and supply at Howmet Aerospace, talks with a supporter during Thursday’s awards banquet at Waypoint 4180 in Canfield. The annual awards are sponsored by The Vindicator and Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.... Staff photo / R. Michael Semple

CANFIELD — If you desired to trace the steps that led to Gina Govojdean winning a highly prestigious award, the journey would begin with her father and mother’s early, loving influence on her.

“They shaped who I became as a person. My parents never shied away from things just because they were difficult,” Govojdean, of Austintown, said about her late parents, John and Donna Govojdean, both of whom she lost at a young age.

Even though her parents, both of whom she described as selfless, dealt with financial and other hardships during their daughter’s younger years, they always stressed the importance of their only child getting a solid education as well as making an indelible mark on others while working to improve their lives, she said.

For fulfilling that wish list and more, Govojdean received the 2026 ATHENA Award during the 33rd annual ATHENA Awards banquet and gala Thursday evening at Waypoint 4180.

Sponsoring the gathering, at which an estimated 650 friends, family members, supporters and others attended, were The Vindicator and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.

Govojdean, vice president of sales and supply with Howmet Aerospace’s Niles Operations plant, was among the 30 nominees for the award, which recognizes and honors women who strive toward the highest levels of professional achievement, excel in their chosen fields, have dedicated time and energy to their communities in meaningful ways, inspire and uplift people and open doors that allow others to follow in their paths.

To those ends, she joined Howmet Aerospace in 2012, which was then Alcoa Inc. after having earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Over a 10-year period, Govojdean moved through procurement operations and global leadership roles, and in 2018, she was one of the youngest procurement leaders at Howmet Aerospace.

Today, Howmet’s Niles Operations is a 600-employee unionized company that produces advanced titanium products for the global aerospace and defense industries.

Govojdean, who also is a volunteer field director for the Horatio Alger Association and promotes scholarship opportunities for students who have risen above great adversity, said that mentoring others is another top priority. She also has worked to ensure women in manufacturing — often considered a male-dominated industry — not only have a place at the table, but have their voices heard and receive opportunities to strengthen the industry.

“I am committed to creating real pathways and breaking barriers so women are not the exception, but the standard — driving innovation and redefining the future,” she has said.

In her remarks following the revelation that she was this year’s award recipient, Govojdean wasted no time shining the spotlight on the other nominees for their achievements.

“We have these incredible women who are doing amazing things,” she said.

She also noted that women make up about 30% of the manufacturing sector, with a lower percentage of them in leadership roles.

“Gina Govojdean stands out because she has stepped into roles where women have historically been underrepresented, and excelled while lifting others,” Kim Calvert, the Regional Chamber’s executive vice president of membership events and MarComm, said.

This year’s other 29 nominees were:

* Amanda Banner, vice president and senior trust adviser for Huntington National Bank.

* Amber Bodrick, chief operating officer, QUICKmed Urgent Care.

* Lauren Butka, medical director, Executive Computer Management Solutions Inc.

* Valarie Campbell, chief financial officer, Covelli Enterprises Inc.

* Beth Kotwis Carmichael, chief executive officer, Trumbull County Tourism Bureau.

* Tina Chance, resource development director, United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.

* Jamie Demain, director of volunteer and visitor services, Akron Children’s Hospital.

* Amanda Moran, marketing director, Window World PennOhio.

* Aspasia Lyras-Bernacki, co-owner, Penguin City Brewing Co.

* Luann Maynard, senior director of development, Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley.

* Heather McCowin, director of nursing practice, chief nursing officer, Mercy Health-Youngstown, St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

* Melinda Miletta-Miller, CEO, Bolt Construction Inc.

* Alicia Miller, senior vice president, segment marketing leader, WesBanco.

* Julie Needs, executive director, Sustainable Opportunities Development Center.

* Markisha Parker, owner, Parker Family Urban Farms LLC and executive director, Farm Family Alliance Inc.

* Erin Phemester, chief experience officer, the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.

* Dorothy Powell, owner and baker, Ginger Bread Bakery.

* Megan Roberts, chief operating officer, HD Growth Patterns.

* Amy Less Shope, managing partner and financial adviser Lehner Shope Wealth Group; founder and director, Dylan’s House.

* Crystal Siembida Boggs, president, Siembida and Boggs Philanthropic Foundation; event manager, GCXC Racing.

* Tiffany Sokol, housing director, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.

* Susan Sutton, founder, The Ember Project.

* Amanda Thiry, vice president and business banking relationship manager, PNC Bank.

* Candace Turpack, senior wealth advisor and vice president, Huntington Bank.

* Jill Stefanucci-Uberti, doctor of osteopathic medicine, vice president of medical affairs, Mercy Health-Youngstown, St. Joseph Warren Hospital.

* Samantha Villella-Thomas, account executive, Lamar Advertising.

* Latisha Weaver, owner and operator, La La’s Daycare and Nursery.

* Belinda Weiss, director, National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Museum.

* Tanisha Wheeler, regional director, Youngstown Business Incubator/Minority Business Assistance Center.

“Real leadership is never about standing over others, but standing by them,” Darlene Jones, St. Vincent DePaul Society’s Northeast Ohio District Council’s chief executive officer, said in her remarks Thursday.

Jones, who also was last year’s ATHENA Award recipient, added that the 30 women also exemplify great leadership, service to others, compassion and a desire “to lift others as you rise.” A simple kind, encouraging word or act toward another can be a life-changing moment for that person, she reminded the women.

Calling the 30 nominees “bold leaders and compassionate change makers,” Calvert said that the businesswomen also “open doors to elevate others and remind us of what leadership looks like at its best.”

Also at the gala, scholarships totaling $3,000 were awarded to three Youngstown State University students. The recipient of a $1,500 financial award was Alexis Garcia, a senior who is studying nursing. Two $1,250 scholarships went to Adriana Habeger, a junior who’s also studying nursing, and Beni Tamang, a sophomore majoring in business administration.