Mary-Elizabeth Eberhardt was recently surprised by the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, past ATHENA recipients, University of Pacific leaders, and her family and friends as the 2026 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient.
Tim Quinn, the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce CEO, announced the honor on Friday, Sept. 11, at the Vereschagin Alumni House, Omega Phi Alpha Library at the University of the Pacific at 1022 Dave Brubeck Way in Stockton. Eberhardt was surprised by her 96-year-old mother, Mimi Eberhardt; her husband, David Sandstrom; her son; her sister; her cousins; her uncle and others.
"Mary-Elizabeth is just a fierce leader and she's got a big heart for Stockton. She's strong and she'll let you know what she's thinking and she's usually
right on a lot of the stuff too," Quinn told The Record. "It's awesome that she can get that done with such grace but really be able to stand up for what's right and move everything forward."
Leticia Robles, the University of the Pacific Board of Regents Chair, nominated Eberhardt for the award, Quinn said. Robles was the 2023 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient.
Eberhardt is the vice president and director of community banking for Bank of Stockton, a former University of the Pacific board of regents, vice chair of the San Joaquin Partnership and is a founding member of the Children's Museum of Stockton.
She has also been recognized with the University of the Pacific Medallion of Excellence and the Goodwill Helping Hands Awards, according to the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce.
Eberhardt said she was thankful to be chosen as the recipient for the award.
"I'm honored and humbled to receive the award and to follow all of these other women, strong, independent, forceful women is amazing," Eberhardt said. "Thank you very much. I'm very appreciative of it."
The Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce surprises an individual every year with the honor, 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."
"Mary-Elizabeth embodies the spirit of the ATHENA Award through a lifetime of authentic leadership, courageous action, lifelong learning, fierce advocacy, collaboration, and service. Her legacy is reflected not only in the institutions she has strengthened or the initiatives she has helped bring to life, but in the countless people who have gained confidence, opportunity, and a stronger sense of possibility because she believed in them," the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce said in its news release. "She leads with conviction, asks the questions others may hesitate to ask, and consistently uses her influence to open doors for others. Her story is a powerful testament to what can happen when leadership is rooted not in recognition, but in purpose, and when success is measured by the lives made better along the way."
A passion for Stockton
Pacific President Christopher Callahan was also in attendance for the surprise.
"Mary-Elizabeth is a passion leader. She's passionate about Stockton, she's passionate about institutions like Pacific and she's passionate most importantly about people ... She's added so much over the years to this community," Callahan said. "This is a perfect recognition of all she's done already and all the great things she's still going to be doing because she's still fully engaged, highly active."
He said Eberhardt served in the University of the Pacific board of regents for nine years. The last three years on the board, she served as the chairperson.
Eberhardt graduated from University of the Pacific in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and a teaching credential from the university's Gladys L. Benerd School of Education in 1980, according to the Pacific Alumni Association website.
Eberhardt said her grandfather helped bring the University of the Pacific from San Jose to Stockton. Many of the her family members are alumni of the university including her father, husband, son, sister, cousins and uncle.
Kay Ruhstaller, outgoing CEO of Family Resource Center and the 2025 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient, described Eberhardt as someone who is "on fire for Stockton."
"She is so deserving. For one thing, she's been a leader in the banking industry, which is a traditionally male dominated field. I feel like it has taken a lot of courage for her, and she has given so much of herself to UOP as a regent," Ruhstaller said. "She's been very involved in the community involvement program here at UOP ... Her commitment to financial literacy through the bank and through community reinvestment has been very powerful."
Past ATHENA Leadership Award recipients who attended the surprise included Kathy Janssen, Leticia Robles, Susan Lenz and Gillian Murphy, among others.
'A force to be reckoned with'
Eberhardt was born in San Francisco but raised in Stockton.
Before she went into her family's banking industry, Eberhardt was a teacher at East Union High School in Manteca, where she taught physical education and English.
"I decided to try something different. My family was in banking. I'm the oldest out of all the kids on all sides. There was nobody in the bank after my father and my uncle and I thought, 'Maybe somebody should be learning the banking business since we've been involved with it for so long,'" Eberhardt said.
Eberhardt left teaching and went to a banking program in San Francisco and Los Angeles then returned to Stockton where she went on to work for the bank. She also went to the Pacific Coast Banking School where she was trained as a banker.
Eberhardt now runs 21 branches of the retail portion of the Bank of Stockton, she said.
"You think, 'Wow, there's people out there who recognize what you do, what you can do, what you've done,'" Eberhardt said. "I've been told on occasion I'm a force to be reckoned with."
When asked what her advice is to anyone who might be inspired by her story, she said, "you need to be honest. You need to be loyal. If you make a mistake, you step up to the plate and you acknowledge it. If you do those things and you're open and honest, you can travel far."
Eberhardt said she is happy that she is able to give back.
"We're a family that believes when you have resources, whether it's time, talent, financial resources, you always give back and you'll always get back," she said.
39th ATHENA Leadership Award honoree
Eberhardt is the 39th women to receive the ATHENA Award since 1986.
Forty years ago, Judy Chambers received the very first ATHENA Leadership Award presented by the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce. In 2020, an ATHENA Leadership Award was not awarded.
In late August, the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce named Tiffany Dobson, deputy district director for Congressman Josh Harder, as the 2026 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award recipient.
Eberhardt and Dodson will be presented with their awards at the Nov. 19, annual ATHENA Awards Luncheon at the Stockton Golf & Country Club. The ATHENA Youth Leadership Award (under 18 years old) recipient will be named ahead of the November awards.
To learn more about 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: Mary-Elizabeth Eberhardt named 2026 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient
