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SHERMAN, TEXAS—The deadline is approaching for nominations for Athena Award and Athena Young Professional Award for exemplary women leaders in Grayson, Fannin, and Cooke counties. Nominations must be made by January 30 with completion of the online ATHENA Leadership Award® Nomination Form and the ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award Nomination Form, which can be found at www.austincollege.edu/athena. Past award recipients are not eligible to receive the award, though previous nominees may be nominated again.
Austin College and its Texoma Women Get Connected program reinstituted the prestigious awards locally a few years ago and will recognize the 2017 honorees at a luncheon in spring 2017.
The ATHENA Leadership Award® is presented to individuals who have attained and embody the highest level of professional excellence in their business or profession, devote time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community, and actively assist women in realizing their full leadership potential.
ATHENA Young Professional Leadership nominees are emerging women leaders who demonstrate excellence, creativity, and initiative in their business or profession; provide valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in their community; and clearly serve as role models for young women both personally and professionally.
Event sponsors and table sponsors are needed for the event. Learn more from the Sponsor Information Sheet, also available at www.austincollege.edu/athena. Event sponsorships benefit the College’s Social Entrepreneurship for Poverty Alleviation (SEPA) summer intern program. For more information, please contact Trish Jennings at 903.813.2042.
The ATHENA Award had been presented locally in the past by the Sherman and Denison Chambers of Commerce, but had not been awarded in several years until revived by Austin College in fall 2014. Since its reinstatement locally, the ATHENA Award has honored Stacy Rake Murphy, owner and principal agent of Nationwide Insurance in Sherman (2014), and Brenda Hayward, executive director of Child and Family Guidance Center of Texoma (2016). The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award has honored Michelle Lemming, president and CEP of Texoma Health Foundation (2014), and Hillary Luckett Clark, a Sherman attorney and community leader (2016). No awards were given in 2015. A list of all known local recipients is included on the Austin College Athena Award website.
The ATHENA Leadership Award Program is administered by ATHENA International, a non-profit women’s leadership organization, along with licensed host organizations and sponsors. Over 6,000 awards have been presented in the U.S. and around the world since the program’s inception in 1982. Recent recipients include Condoleezza Rice, Billie Jean King, Pat Summit, and Gabby Giffords.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.