The Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber will honor four individuals for their contributions to the Mahoning Valley and beyond during its annual meeting 7:30 a.m. April 10 at Waypoint 4180, Canfield.

Wally King and Gary Wagner each will receive the Valley Champion Award. Dan Rivers, regarded as the “Voice of the Valley,” will be honored with the Spirit of the Valley Award. The Spirit of the Chamber Award will be given to Shelley Murray.

A Warren native, Wagner also will be the keynote speaker at the breakfast and participate in a fireside chat-style discussion with Mike McGiffin, vice president of Engagement and Investor Relations with Lake to River Economic Development. The pair will discuss workforce and economic development and the importance of Trumbull, Mahoning, Ashtabula and Columbiana counties having their own economic development region in the state.

King, co-founder of HBK CPAs and Consultants, is the first of two Valley Champion Award recipients. Under his leadership, HBK has grown into a business consulting and accounting firm with 17 offices in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Delhi, India.

He also is a military hero and an example of the “Greatest Generation.” A World War II combat pilot, King flew 74 missions before he was shot down over Germany and captured. He spent his final weeks of the war injured and in captivity before he was reunited with Allied forces.

Wagner is a professor of economics at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and editor-in-chief of the Public Finance Review. From 2016 through 2018, he served as vice president and senior regional officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

His interest in economics can be traced back to Youngstown State University, where professors noticed his aptitude in the field and fostered its growth.

Rivers, the Spirit of the Valley Award recipient, is the former longtime host of “The Dan Rivers Show” on News Radio 570 WKBN.

A transplant from northwest Ohio, he learned carpentry as a teen in his uncle’s home construction company. His trade led him to two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Naval Seabees constructing bridges and housing. Upon returning home, Rivers followed his dream of broadcasting.

After graduating from Youngstown State University in 1981, he joined WKBN, where he remained until stepping away in November.

Receiving the Spirit of the Chamber Award, Murray is chief executive of Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries.

A lifelong resident of the Valley, she worked for more than 20 years in education in various leadership roles, including principal, vice president and head of schools at Valley Christian Schools. She came to Goodwill Industries in October 2023 as interim CEO and later was asked to stay permanently.

Her career also included teaching adult GED classes at a community corrections facility in Youngstown, as well as two terms on the Youngstown City School District board of education.

To attend, register at

regionalchamber.com under the Events tab.