“Stephanie is an exceptional strategic leader who will help guide our business community through their continued evolution.” said Chris Kershner, president and chief executive of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce. “Stephanie has led the business community in the areas of public policy, women’s leadership and workforce, and I’m excited to expand her reach to support our employers."
In her new role, Keinath will oversee the strategic operation of the chamber’s programming, including several brands that function under the chamber umbrella.
These programs include Leadership Dayton, the Leadership Dayton Alumni Association, EMPOWER, the Executive Women’s Council, the Dayton/Miami Valley Safety Council, the Dayton Area Logistics Association, Generation Dayton and more.
Keinath will also manage member networking events for the chamber’s nearly 2,200 members as well as the organization’s advocacy efforts on public policy issues that affect the region’s business community.
“I’m so excited to do work that I deeply care about in the community I love," Keinath said. “The challenges of these last several years have underscored the need for organizations like the Dayton Area Chamber to continue doing what we do best — supporting, connecting and growing our businesses and leaders across the community.”
The chamber has seen other recent leadership changes this year, with Kershner in April first presented as the organization’s new president, effective on Phil Parker’s retirement this past summer.
Keinath will be taking the office that Kershner held in one of his former roles before assuming the chamber’s presidency.
In 2010 and 2011, Keinath was selected as a ‘Business Leads’ Fellow for the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce. In 2019, she completed a year-long national fellowship focused on education and talent development, sponsored by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
And this year, Keinath was selected for the U.S Chamber of Commerce Business Leads Elite Fellowship Program, focused on leadership in education and workforce policy and programming. She also serves on the U.S Chamber’s Education, Employment & Training Committee.
Keinath also received the Better Business Bureau’s Women in Business Networking “25 Women to Watch” Award in 2017.
Keinath is a 2013 graduate of Leadership Dayton and is actively involved in the community, serving on the Welcome Dayton Committee. Stephanie also recently began serving as a trustee for board of directors of the National Aviation Heritage Area, and assumed the role of president of the board for The Contemporary Dayton in September 2020.
Keinath holds a certificate in non-profit and community leadership from the University of Dayton and is a graduate of the 2017 Conscious Feminine Leadership Academy through Women Writing for (a) Change, Cincinnati. Stephanie earned her BA in international studies from Wright State University and her Masters of Public Administration from the University of Dayton.
She and her husband Marcus live in Washington Township.
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