Chamber names 4 Great Living Cincinnatians

Four longtime local leaders whose work has shaped the region’s healthcare, nonprofit, construction and business sectors have been named this year’s Great Living Cincinnatians.

This year’s recipients are:

• Karen Jones Bankston, healthcare executive, educator and community advocate
• Francie Hiltz, civic leader and philanthropist
• Pete Strange, retired chairperson of Messer Construction Co. and longtime community leader
• Jeff Wyler, founder of Jeff Wyler Automotive Group and local philanthropist

The 2026 class will receive special recognition on Feb. 26 during the Cincinnati Regional Chamber’s Annual Dinner at the newly renovated Cincinnati Convention Center. The Cincinnati Chamber hosts the annual awards program.

“Dr. Karen Bankston, Francie Hiltz, Pete Strange and Jeff Wyler represent the very best of our community,” said Brendon Cull, the Chamber’s president and CEO. He went on to describe this year’s winners as “leaders who have invested deeply in people, in opportunity and in Cincinnati’s future.” 

“We are proud to celebrate their extraordinary impact,” Cull said. 

Recognizing years of support for Cincy 

For more than half a century, the Great Living Cincinnatian honor has recognized local residents whose vision and integrity help move the region forward. Since its creation in 1967, the awards program has recognized individuals whose leadership, service and accomplishments have brought honor and distinction to the region.

The Chamber’s Senior Council selects recipients every year based on community service; business and civic achievement at the local, state, national or international level; leadership; awareness of the needs of others; and accomplishments that have brought positive attention to their community or organization.

Bankston, Hiltz, Strange and Wyler join a list of 178 previous Great Living Cincinnatians. Recent past winners include ​​the likes of John Barrett, Sally Duffy, Larry Sheakley, Jean-Robert de Cavel, Dr. O’dell Owens, Richard H. Rosenthal and Phyllis J. Weston.

Meet the 2026 Great Living Cincinnatians

Ahead of this year’s awards ceremony, the Cincinnati Chamber provided more details about each of the four winners.

Karen Jones Bankston

Bankston has spent five decades in health care administration and nursing education. Raised in a multigenerational household in northeast Ohio, she overcame early challenges, including a pregnancy in her senior year of high school, and went on to study nursing at Youngstown State University.

She began her career as an emergency room nurse, developing the assessment and decision-making skills that would guide her work for years to come. While raising two sons as a single mother, she earned advanced degrees from Kent State University and moved into management positions.

Bankston later held several key leadership roles in Cincinnati’s health care system. Her positions included vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer, chief operating officer at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and senior vice president and CEO of the Drake Center. She also served as associate dean at the UC College of Nursing and took on national leadership responsibilities with the American Nurses Association and the American Academy of Nursing.

Over the course of her career, she has received numerous honors and served on many regional boards. Now retired, she continues to support efforts that promote a more inclusive and healthy community.

Francie Hiltz

Hiltz has spent decades shaping Cincinnati’s nonprofit landscape through hands-on service and steady leadership. She first volunteered at St. Joseph Orphanage, now NewPath Child & Family Solutions, reading to children before joining her first board. She quickly built a reputation as a leader who stayed involved, made tough decisions when needed and helped secure the resources organizations depend on.

As the region’s philanthropic sector grew more complex, Hiltz stepped into key roles across many boards. She went on to chair several major institutions, including the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. She helped guide organizations through leadership transitions, capital projects and restorations, and her relationship-driven approach strengthened networks and addressed governance challenges.

Philanthropy also became a family commitment through her work with the Harold C. Schott Foundation. Over the years, she has earned numerous honors and remains a vocal advocate for engaged, collaborative leadership. “All it takes is a little vision,” she often says, according to the Chamber. “Roll up your sleeves, share that vision and invite others to join you.”

Pete Strange

Strange has built his career on helping people do their best work. He grew up around his family’s construction company and learned early that supporting others creates real value – a lesson that guided him from engineering school at the University of Cincinnati into a full career at Messer Construction. He joined the company as a co-op and remained for decades, playing a key role in its 1990 transition from a family-owned business to an employee-owned company, also known as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

As president, Strange oversaw growth from about 200 employees to more than 800 and expanded operations across several states. Messer became one of Ohio’s top-performing ESOPs during his tenure, and he was known for focusing on employee development and creating opportunities for high-performing workers.

His civic involvement began with a phone call from Sister Jean Patrice Harrington and has since spanned decades. Strange has served on boards including the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, ArtsWave, the Minority Business Accelerator, the UC Foundation, Partners for a Competitive Workforce and Mount St. Joseph University. In 2024, he received the Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s Jacob E. Davis Volunteer Leadership Award.

Jeff Wyler

Wyler built one of the country’s largest automotive groups by following a simple philosophy he set in 1973: satisfied customers and employees lead to long-term success. His first dealership in Batavia struggled at first until he launched a radio and TV campaign around the slogan, “Cars, like eggs, are cheaper in the country.” The campaign helped the business gain traction, and the company grew through strategic acquisitions and Wyler’s early adoption of the automall model.

Born in Cincinnati and raised in several states, Wyler worked his way through the University of Cincinnati, holding multiple jobs, including six years selling tickets for the Cincinnati Reds — a role he continued even after joining the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. Years later, he reconnected with that experience by joining the Reds’ ownership group.

Wyler has remained active in the community, serving on boards including the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees, where he served as chair, and the Cincinnati Art Museum. Through the Jeff Wyler Family Foundation, founded in 2009, he and his family provide more than $1 million in annual grants.

Today, the Jeff Wyler Automotive Group ranks among the top 25 dealership groups in the nation. Wyler credits his son, David, CEO, and son-in-law, Scott, COO, for helping drive the company’s continued growth. He and his wife, Linda, live in Hyde Park and take pride in leading a family enterprise that now spans multiple generations.