Photo Provided Members of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Wheeling Program's Class of 2026 celebrated graduation from this year's program during a ceremony this past week at Waterfront Hall.

WHEELING — The Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce graduated 24 participants from the 2026 Leadership Wheeling program this past week at a luncheon at Waterfront Hall.

“Leadership Wheeling continues to play an important role in building a strong pipeline of leaders for our region,” said Jennifer Materkoski, president of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce. “This year’s class has demonstrated a clear commitment to both personal growth and community impact, and we’re proud to celebrate their accomplishments as they complete the program.”

Established in 1987, Leadership Wheeling is the Chamber’s longest-running program, designed to develop leadership skills, strengthen professional networks and deepen participants’ understanding of the Wheeling community and surrounding region. This year’s program, presented in partnership with The Health Plan, began in late January and included eight sessions over 16 weeks, featuring speakers, leadership assessments and site visits to businesses, government entities and cultural organizations.

The program opened with a session focused on the oil and gas industry, where representatives from Expand Energy discussed their work in the region and the industry’s impact on the local economy. The group also toured a working well pad later in the spring.

Other sessions included leadership style assessments with Lisa Olson of Genius Empowered Teams and leadership training with Ronna-Renee Jackson of LaunchPoint Leadership Group. The class also toured Touchstone Research Laboratory, met with members of Wheeling City Council and city staff, and visited regional landmarks including Oglebay and Independence Hall.

While the program officially ends with the graduation luncheon this week, the group has elected to perform a day of service as their class project. Participants will host a downtown cleanup at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 14, at the City-County Building, located at 1500 Chapline St.

The Leadership Wheeling Class of 2026 included: Spencer Abraham, ACE Works; Lia Capito, Oglebay/Wheeling Park Commission; Bridget Carver, The Carver Foundation; Christopher Clark, The Mills Group; Caleb Cronin, ACE Works; Michael Felton, WesBanco; Max Fiedorzsyk, Wheeling Nailers; Taylor Goldstrohm, Steptoe & Johnson; Nathan Greene, City of Wheeling; Stacey LeMasters, Oglebay/Wheeling Park Commission; Ellery McGregor, Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce; Garrett Meggs, WVU Medicine – Reynolds Memorial Hospital; Joe Morgan, Main Street Bank; Brooke Price, City of Wheeling; Tina Reilly-DeWitt, Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley; Chadd Robrecht, The Health Plan; Tammy Rosenthal, WesBanco; Kyle Russell, Unified Bank; Jessica Sarcopski, WVU Medicine – Wheeling Hospital; Caleb Stephenson, Community Bank; Mike Vanover, Belmont Savings Bank; Courtney Wiggins, WesBanco; and Jessica Holloway, City of Wheeling.

The Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)(6) organization with the mission of leading businesses in the Greater Wheeling area by developing and promoting philosophies, policies, programs and projects that foster enhanced opportunities for growth. For more information, visit www.wheelingchamber.com.