Since 2010, the league has honored 37 women throughout the region.
“Over the years we have recognized two to three women every year ... who have demonstrated the same tenacity that those early suffragists portrayed,” said Christine Corba, executive director of the League of Women Voters of the Greater Dayton Area. “In some way, shape or form they have ‘dared’ to make a difference.”
Corba described this year’s group of honorees as humble and powerful.
“We have so many amazing women in this city,” Corba said. “Women make it happen. There’s just something about the grit that women have.”
Meet this year’s Dangerous Dames:
Myla Cardona-Jones
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
Myla Cardona-Jones was born and raised in Dayton. After attending Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School, she left for college and lived in Washington D.C. for 10 years before returning to the region with her husband and 2-year-old son in 2013.
She currently serves as the chief executive officer of the Brunner Literacy Center and is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati.
“My role in making an impact on the Dayton community is rooted in my commitment to literacy and education,” Cardona-Jones said. “Through my work with the Brunner Literacy Center, I strive to provide adults with the reading, writing, and life skills they need to achieve personal and professional success.”
Cardona-Jones believes education is a powerful tool for breaking cycles of poverty and opening doors to opportunity.
“I am passionate about ensuring that every adult learner has access to the resources they need to thrive,” Cardona-Jones said. “By empowering individuals, we strengthen families, workplaces, and the broader Dayton community.”
Cardona-Jones is active on several boards and committees such as: Learn to Earn Dayton Board of Trustees, Dayton Metro Library Board of Trustees, Dayton Art Institute Associate Board, The Women’s Board of Dayton Children’s Hospital, Welcome Dayton Committee Member, Levitt Pavilion Community Outreach Committee, Wibn Conference Committee and RipplAffect Board of Directors.
“My proudest career moment so far has been realizing that I can be deeply involved in so many incredible causes while also being a mom to my amazing son and that I don’t have to keep those parts of my life separate,” Cardona-Jones said.
She’s proud that her son is growing up with an awareness of service and can’t wait to see how he makes a difference in his own way.
“Being named one of Dayton’s Dangerous Dames is an incredible honor that connects me to a legacy of bold, courageous women who have worked tirelessly to create positive change,” Cardona-Jones said. “To be recognized among such inspiring women reinforces my commitment to advocating for education and opportunity for all. This recognition is not just a personal milestone, but a reminder of the collective strength we have when we stand up for what matters.”
She’s inspired daily by the resilience and generosity of the Dayton community. Those that dedicate their time and energy to lifting others up, motivate her to contribute in any way she can.
One simple, but powerful thing, we can do to make the world a better place is to practice kindness and actively listen to others, she said.
“Whether it’s through volunteering, offering a word of encouragement, or simply taking the time to understand someone’s story, small acts of compassion create ripples of change,” Cardona-Jones said. “We can also commit to lifelong learning by seeking knowledge, challenging our perspectives, and using what we learn to uplift others. When we approach the world with empathy and a willingness to help, we create stronger, more connected communities.”
Barbra Stonerock
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
Barbra Stonerock grew up in east Dayton before moving to Kettering in her teens. Upon graduating from Kettering Fairmont High School, she studied political science at Wright State University.
“After considering offers to join Reynolds & Reynolds in Atlanta or the Arthritis Foundation here in Dayton, I chose the Arthritis Foundation role and stayed in Dayton to serve the community through a career in the not-for-profit sector,” Stonerock said.
When she travels, she’s proud to say she’s from Dayton — “the birthplace of aviation and innovation.”
Stonerock currently serves as the vice president of community engagement for The Dayton Foundation.
“I’m grateful to celebrate 20 years of service this year at The Dayton Foundation,” Stonerock said. “As vice president of community engagement at the Foundation, I get to work alongside an impressive team that lifts up and serves our not for profit partners, and impacts important community issues. Our mission is to “help you help others,” and I embrace that every day."
Being named a Dangerous Dame will be an ongoing and aspirational goal for Stonerock.
“The original Dangerous Dames spoke up and demanded the right to vote,” Stonerock said. “Every day, my work at The Dayton Foundation empowers our not for profit leaders as they advocate for what is right, and for opportunities for all in our community. Being named a Dangerous Dame brings this work full circle.”
Stonerock is inspired by her mom, Linda Nunn, to make a difference. Nun distributed POW/MIA bracelets during the Vietnam war to raise awareness for captured and missing soldiers, and advocated for peace.
“On the first day of school in September 1976 when Dayton Public Schools became desegregated and new students were being bussed to my school, she sat me down and told me to do what is right — to make the new students feel welcome," Stonerock said. ““We are all the same,” she said. I very vividly remember her important words and the serious expression on her face that day."
She recalled her mom telling her that she would make new friends that day and she did. Stonerock recently reconnected with the first new friend she made through a mutual work project.
Something that surprises most people about Stonerock is that she has a black-belt in Taekwondo.
“That’s a different kind of “dangerous,”" she said.
Hope Taft
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
Hope Taft was born in Arkansas and met her husband, Bob, in Guatemala in 1966. They married one year later and moved to Ohio in 1972.
Her husband’s political career took them to Cincinnati, Columbus and most recently Dayton. He served as the 67th governor of Ohio from 1999 to 2007 with Taft by his side.
During that time, the Heritage Garden was planted to represent the botany and geology of the five major physiographic regions of Ohio.
“It acts as a place to try to save rare Ohio native plants and encourages native plant use in residential settings,” Taft said. “I still go weekly during the growing season to work with the Governors Gardeners volunteers, a group I started, and lead tours of the grounds.”
She’s worked hard to get Ohio Legislature to pass a bill designating April as Ohio Native Plant Month and a more recent bill to allow friends to legally share native plant seeds.
Some people call her a connector, while others call her a pollinator because of her interest in native plants and their pollinators.
“Either description fits my favorite way to work. I like to connect people and ideas together to form a group that is stronger than either by itself,” Taft said. “I like to plant seeds for good things to grow and then nurture their growth. I like to spread hope and give people courage to fulfill their best dreams. I hope I have done that in a few instances in Dayton and in Ohio.”
In 2010, Taft helped start the Little Miami River Kleeners, which has broadened its mission and is now called the Little Miami Watershed Network. She served as the volunteer leader until just recently and in that time they pulled out thousands of pounds of trash from the river to keep it clean and sustainable.
She currently is active in many conservation-oriented organizations and serves on many boards.
Being named a Dangerous Dame in some ways allows Taft to walk in the path of Martha Taft, the wife of former Senator Robert A. Taft, who were her husband’s grandparents.
“She helped to start the League’s efforts in Cincinnati and spoke nationally for them in the 1920s,” Taft said. “But as I read the display in the Ohio Statehouse on the Ohio women who worked hard to get the right to vote, I realize that I have a long way to go to be as brave and courageous as they were.”
Taft is inspired to contribute to Dayton, and the environment in particular, by those that have mentored her and added to her knowledge.
“People right now could do easy things to make the world a better place,” Taft said. “They could start off by smiling and saying a kind word to everyone they meet. They could use native plants in their yards. They could not be a litter bug. They could recycle...”
But, she encourages people to do the more challenging things like getting others involved in their passions or “being that in-moveable rock that begins the ripples that can change the direction of peoples' ideas and produce inspiring results.”
Taft hopes this honor serves as “a reminder of how ordinary citizens can make a big difference in the world if they do something to right the wrongs they see around them.”
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