‘Humbled and very honored’: Linda Luna surprised as 2024 ATHENA Leadership Award winner

Stockton native Linda Chin Luna has made an impact in her hometown as an educator and through her love of music.

On Monday morning, her Stockton Chorale colleagues, past ATHENA honorees, the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce staff and board members surprised Luna at the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce office with the news that she was selected as the 2024 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient.

"I want to cry. I feel very humbled and very honored to be even considered for it. When I heard that this was submitted on my behalf, it was really humbling," Luna told The Stockton Record on Monday. "When you work your whole career, you work your whole life, you don't do it for that. You do it to serve."

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Luna, now 63, was born and raised in Stockton.

Her father and his family immigrated from Kowloon, Hong Kong and established in downtown's Stockton Chinese community, Luna said.

"I'm the first female in the generations of both sides of my family to have college degrees," Luna said. "I'm very proud of that, because now the next generation of our children and our nieces and nephews have gone on to college to continue that legacy."

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Luna attended Franklin High School, where she met Fernando Luna, her husband. The couple has two children.

Luna went on to earn a degree from the University of the Pacific though the Conservatory of Music in 1982. She later earned a master's degree in leadership and administration from California State University, Sacramento.

She served a total of 37 years in education and administration, 26 years were at Stockton Unified School District, where she began "as a classroom teacher," Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce stated in a news release. Luna retired in 2021 as Washington Unified School District superintendent.

Luna currently serves as the CEO and president of the Stockton Chorale. She has performed with the chorale for seven years and has served as the president for three years, she said.

"It's important for people to know that the Stockton Chorale is committed to being relevant, continuing to be meaningful to the community of Stockton," Luna said. "So that we can continue this, not just for ourselves and for our joy today, but to build joy for our future, for our students, for the youth, for young adults to have music throughout their lifetime."

Luna is also a worship director leading at her Stockton church, a church pianist in Roseville and is also a contracted musician with services as a singer and pianist, the chambers news release states.

"I am really excited for the Stockton Chorale, not for myself per se, but just for the fact that the Stockton Chorale is on a huge trajectory of growth and progress for the future," Luna said. "Being 73 years old in this city, the organization is transforming. I am so excited to be a part of that. I'm just excited for the Stockton Chorale to be honored in this way, and to be a part of it."

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Luna was nominated for the 2024 ATHENA Leadership Award by her colleagues Mark Calonico, vice president of Stockton Chorale and Bruce Adams, development director for the Stockton Chorale.

"She's got an incredible background in the technical side of running a business, being a professional educator, born and raised here in Stockton, but she also balances all that technical knowledge with a deep understanding of how to relate to human beings," Calonico said. "You've got this incredible balance of that knowledge and that skill of making sure that you build people up to their maximum potential."

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Mary Bava, the 2008 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient and a former executive director at PREVAIL (formerly known as Women’s Center-Youth & Family Services) shared the news with Luna on Monday.

"She's had a very interesting career, and she's been in education for a long time. She's also very involved with the Stockton Chorale, and not only with the music aspect of it, but the human element of it," Bava said of Luna before the group surprised the award recipient. "She just really has showed a tremendous commitment to this community, and is very highly regarded."

"We go beyond what's in our job description," Bava said about what it means to be an award recipient.

There were 10 nomination letters received this year for the award, said Norman Perez, events and leadership program coordinator for Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce.

"The selection process is made by a committee not the chamber," Perez wrote in an email. "There is a scoring system, and [Luna] was the highest score."

New ATHENA Youth Leadership Award

The 2024 ATHENA Young Professional recipient will be announced on Friday, the chamber's website states.

The awards luncheon will take place on Thursday, Nov. 21 at the Stockton Golf & Country Club. There the ATHENA Leadership, ATHENA Young Professional Leadership, and the inaugural ATHENA Youth Leadership awards will be presented to this year's honorees.

This year there is also a new award category.

The Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the ATHENA Youth Leadership Award. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4.

"This award honors individuals that are under the age of 18 who are empowering and amplifying the voices of women and girls," the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce website states. "The ATHENA Youth Leadership Award highlights individuals that are creating an environment that is inclusive and collaborative, where others feel valued and respected. Recognizing exceptional youth leaders who are expanding and deepening their impact by how they live and lead in their community."

The nominees are expected to be examples of the "The Eight Principles of Enlightened Leadership" according to the Athena International model: To live authentically, learn constantly, build relationships, foster collaboration, act courageously, advocate fiercely, give back, and celebrate.

To submit a nomination for the 2024 ATHENA Young Professional Award or for more information on the ATHENA Awards Luncheon visit stocktonchamber.org/athena-awards.

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers 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: Stockton Chorale CEO Linda Luna wins 2024 ATHENA Leadership Award