Family, friends and the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce surprised Tiffany Dobson as the 2026 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award recipient.
Dobson, who serves as a deputy district director for Congressman Josh Harder, was surprised by her husband, parents, friends and colleagues as the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce CEO Tim Quinn announced the honor on Monday, Aug. 31.
"Tiffany embodies the spirit of the ATHENA Award through her commitment to enlightened leadership, continuous growth, courageous service, collaboration, and empowering others," the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce stated in a news release. "She leads by connecting people and possibilities, by listening before acting, and by recognizing that lasting change is rarely
accomplished alone."
An emotional Dobson thanked everyone who believes in her and nominated her for the award.
"I don't do this work to be seen," Dobson told The Record after the surprise. "I do it because it needs to be done, but it feels very, very good to be seen."
Quinn described Dobson as a compassionate, driven and a great role model.
"She has just done so much for the community. She does a great job with her role with Harder's office, she goes way above and beyond that. She's just out in the community making sure that everyone feels included and has access to all this amazing things going on in the community," Quinn said. "She's a huge cheerleader of all the great things going on and just a great ambassador for our community."
Dobson was selected for the award from a pool of six nominees, Quinn said.
Every year the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce surprises a young professional under 40 years of age as the annual ATHENA Young Professional Award receipient.
The award is given to an individual who strives "toward the highest levels of accomplishment, excel in their chosen business or profession, have demonstrated support for the advancement of business and professional women, have devoted time and energy to their community, and have actively mentored others," according to a news release.
"Whether she is helping a constituent navigate the federal government, bringing books to neighborhood Little Libraries, advocating for small farmers, mentoring a young woman, or cultivating food in her own backyard, Tiffany demonstrates that leadership is ultimately about making a difference where you are—and inspiring others to do the same," chamber officials said.
An organizer
Dobson is a native of Sacramento. She attended UC Davis where she met her now husband, she said.
Her husband, Jeremiah Dobson described his wife as someone with "commitment, a community liaison and driven."
"Her work in the community has really shown its roots and it's time to harvest. I'm no gardener, she is. I will say this, her work in the community is starting to show and there's more to come," Jeremiah added. "Her commitment to the community is unparalleled."
Paula Williams and Richard Williams, Dobson parents also attended the surprise.
"Tiffany is very dynamic. She is always about trying to make things better, trying to get people to work together to make, again, make everything better in whatever area it is that she's working," Paula said of her daughter.
Richard said his daughter has "she's always been an organizer" and has always been "very driven."
Terrell Martinez, deputy superintendent for the San Joaquin County Office of Education, business services described Dobson as "focused," and "passionate."
"The community should know that even though she is a part of Josh Harder's office, I feel like she has provided areas of where he needs to look in what's important to us," Martinez said. "Having that inside ear and having that direct line to Tiffany really helps our community. Josh Harder has stepped up for us in more ways than one at the County Office of Education. Her role there plays a significant part in how far we can go and how we can uplift the community."
ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award recipients must meet the following criteria:
- Must be under the age of 40 by Oct. 1 of the award year.
- Demonstrates The Eight Principles of Enlightened Leadership in all aspects of their life.
- Demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in their business or profession.
- Provides valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in their community.
- Actively assists women in achieving their full leadership potential.
'It's very well deserved'
Dobson was nominated by her colleagues, Adam Cheshire, district director for Congressman Harder and Hector Soto, a field representative in the office of Congressman Josh Harder.
Cheshire said Soto brought to his attention that the ATHENA Awards were happening and he asked him what if they nominated Dobson for the award.
"She fully deserves this award. She's one of the hardest workers I've ever seen and I'm pleasured to be mentored by her and again, I'm just super happy that she was awarded this," Soto said. "It's very well deserved."
"I just couldn't be prouder," Cheshire said. "It's incredibly well deserved."
Dobson is also an active member of the Stockton Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, where she serves as the action committee chair, leading the annual Little Library Crawl which brings books directly into neighborhoods like Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, and Modesto, the chamber said. She is also a NAACP Stockton Branch and the UC Davis Alumni Association member as well as a community representative for the Community Alliance with Family Farmers.
Dobson advice to others is to not try to do everything.
"Do the things that fill you. Do the things that fill your cup. I'm a mom. I'm a wife. I hold those identities in high esteem. It's not like extra work, because it's extra things that I get to do. It's like extra things that I was blessed with," Dobson said. "I don't see it as additional work. It's like I'm trying to do everything. Like, I did have to let go of some hobbies, so we can't do everything. If you're doing what you're supposed to be doing and if you're moving in the way that God has set out for you, you won't get tired."
She also advised anyone interested in doing the work that she does is to start in nonprofits.
"If you have the heart for public policy and you know that that's what you want to do, that's fantastic," Dobson said. "But I suggest you start on the ground in the community with a nonprofit doing that work first so that you can have that full circle once you finally do make it to that office."
15th ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award honoree
Dobson joins a list of 14 other women in the community who have been presented with the honor since 2010.
Nikki Lowery was the first ever recipient of the ATHENA Young Professional Leadership award presented by the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce.
Last year, the honor went to Stephanie Braithwaite, founder and program manager of Lotus Rising Recovery Services and facility director at Lily Pad Living. In 2018 and 2020, there were no ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award recipients.
Dobson will be presented with her award at the annual ATHENA Awards Luncheon on Nov. 19, 2026. The location has not been announced yet.
Nominations are still being accepted for the ATHENA Youth Leadership Award (under 18 years old). Nominations can be submitted for this category until 5 p.m. Sept. 16, 2026. To submit a nomination, visit stocktonchamber.org/athena-awards.
To learn more about the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce or the ATHENA Awards, visit stocktonchamber.org.
Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers business and community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Tiffany Dobson receives 2026 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award
