Karen Moore, Amber Tynan, Miron Richardson and Reese Goad recognized for leadership and service to the Tallahassee community
Leadership Tallahassee, a program of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, honored community leaders and award recipients Wednesday evening at the 31st annual Distinguished Leadership Awards. The ceremony took place at Florida State University’s Student Union Ballroom and recognized excellence in professional and community leadership.
The 2026 Distinguished Leadership Award winners are:
- Leadership Pacesetter Award: Miron Richardson
- Leader of the Year: Amber Tynan
- Servant Leadership Award: Reese Goad
- Lifetime Leadership Award: Karen Moore, founder and CEO of Moore
Tynan, Richardson and Goad were selected from nine finalists whose professional accomplishments and community service reflect the depth of leadership across Tallahassee:
- Leader of the Year finalists: Corrie Melton, Amanda Karioth Thompson and Amber Tynan
- Servant Leadership Award finalists: Tom Flanigan, Kenneth Pratt and Reese Goad
- Leadership Pacesetter Award finalists: Ashlee Fontes Comber, Shamarial Roberson and Miron Richardson
The awards celebrate people making a meaningful difference in Tallahassee today while supporting the leaders who will shape what comes next. Proceeds from the event benefit Leadership Tallahassee and its work to develop, connect and support local leaders across industries and backgrounds.
“For 31 years, this event has given us a chance to pause and celebrate the people who make Tallahassee a better place,” said Barbara Boone, executive director of Leadership Tallahassee. “The best part is that while we are cheering on today’s leaders, we are also raising funds to help prepare the leaders who will carry our community forward.”
Honoring leadership at every stage
Karen Moore received the Lifetime Leadership Award, which recognizes an individual who has made significant, tangible leadership contributions to the Tallahassee community for more than 25 years, with substantive achievements in both career and community arenas.
Moore founded what began as a one-woman agency and built it into one of the nation’s leading independent communications firms with a global reach. Her impact extends beyond business through decades of service, mentorship and philanthropy, including creating opportunities for students, veterans and future leaders and helping strengthen organizations across the community.
Moore, who received the Leadership Pacesetter Award early in her career, is the first person to earn both that honor and the Lifetime Leadership Award. Together, the awards trace the arc of her leadership in Tallahassee, from an emerging community leader to one whose influence now spans globally.
“To receive this recognition from the community where I started my business and built my life is deeply meaningful,” Moore said. “Whatever success I have achieved has been shared with the people who believed in me, challenged me and worked alongside me. This honor is a reminder that leadership is never siloed; it is an opportunity to help others discover what they can accomplish.”
Developing Tallahassee’s next generation of leaders
Leadership Tallahassee began in 1983 as a yearlong educational program for adults, creating opportunities for professionals to interact with established area leaders, deepen their understanding of the community and build relationships they can carry throughout their careers.
That work is central to the Chamber’s focus on talent and long-term economic success. Through programs such as Leadership Tallahassee, emerging leaders connect with the people, organizations and issues shaping the region. The Distinguished Leadership Awards help sustain that pipeline by recognizing accomplished leaders and reinvesting in those who will follow them.
“Leadership is measured by the doors they open for others,” said Boone. “These recipients have strengthened Tallahassee through their service, example and willingness to invest in the people coming behind them. Their leadership is helping shape what comes next for our community.”
For more information about Leadership Tallahassee and the Distinguished Leadership Awards, visit talchamber.com.
