IRVINE, Calif. ― Dianne Galang, vice president of new business development at Daymon, has been named the recipient of the 2022 Courageous Leader award from NextUp (formerly the Network of Executive Women) and the Kristine Pettoni Foundation during NextUp’s annual Leadership Summit.
Galang is a founding member and co-chair of programming for NextUp’s Anywhere Region and helped pioneer a way to bring the organization’s mission to life in a virtual world, according to Tamiko Olabintan, chief operating officer for NextUp.
“Dianne built a programming strategy with little to no resources and managed to do 16 events in 2022 — and counting!” said Olabintan. “She is a committed leader who has ensured that each event is better than the last. Her region peers say that the high performance of her team has been essential to what the NextUp Anywhere Region has achieved.”
In accepting the award, Galang said, “I am so honored to receive this award from NextUp and the Kristine Pettoni Foundation. There are few words to describe the feelings I have when I heard their recognition, but I am so thankful for the NextUp organization and the opportunity to continue the mission to advance all women in business. I am deeply passionate about diversity and equity for everyone, and this organization is taking the steps to achieve that.”
The Kristine Pettoni Foundation is an Atlanta-based, non-profit organization dedicated to improving financial literacy and reducing underemployment for working women. Pettoni was active in several industry and charitable organizations and was serving as the co-secretary of the Atlanta Region of NextUp at the time of her passing in 2019.
“Kristine embodied courage,” said Olabintan. “She was a hands-on leader who accepted feedback and listened to her teams and peers with compassion and grace, and the winner of this award, Dianne Galang, truly embodies those qualities.”