The Regional Chamber and The Vindicator/vindy.com will proudly present the special 20th Anniversary ATHENA Award Dinner on Thursday, May 24, 2012. The ATHENA Award celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding professional women from the Mahoning Valley. Since its inception in our community, no other program has generated as much anticipation, visibility and admiration as this nationally recognized event.

Annika Sorenstam, regarded as the greatest female golfer of our generation and often the best of all time, will keynote this monumental event. Sorenstam amassed 89 worldwide professional victories during her 15-year Hall of Fame career, including 72 LPGA wins, 10 of which are Major Championships.

You are cordially invited to be an important part of the 2012 ATHENA festivities as a nominator and a sponsor.

• Identify, nominate and showcase a colleague who demonstrates the ATHENA qualities, which include professional accomplishment, community leadership and mentorship of other women.
• Learn more about the nomination process here.  
• Participate as a sponsor — a powerful marketing opportunity to enhance your organization’s visible commitment to the community, leadership development and our Valley’s success stories.

The ATHENA Award Dinner will include a VIP reception for the sponsors, nominees and nominators, followed by the public reception, dinner, recognition of all nominees and the announcement of this year’s recipient.

The remarkable success of the ATHENA program is a result of the participation and support of the business community. We are grateful for your past support as nominators and sponsors and look forward to your continued participation to expand and sustain this truly special program.

Along with naming the 2012 ATHENA Award recipient, the program will include the presentation of the ATHENA Scholarship to a deserving female student attending YSU or a local KSU branch. The $1,500 Athena Scholarship was created in 2007 through a partnership with the CFMV. The scholarship fund, a component fund of the CFMV, furthers the goals of the ATHENA mission and promotes education. Recipients of the ATHENA Scholarship must demonstrate initiative and excellence in her educational or work pursuits, a proven record of community involvement and service and commitment to, and experience in, mentoring others. For more information on the ATHENA Scholarship, click here.

ATHENA FORUM
In addition to the ATHENA Award program, the Regional Chamber and the ATHENA Committee, comprised of outstanding professional women from the Valley, facilitate an ATHENA Leadership Forum series of programs that present speakers and issues of interest to women, as well as men. This series provides opportunities for establishing professional networks and enriching lives.
 
If you would like more information about the Mahoning Valley’s ATHENA program or Leadership Forum, please contact Kim Calvert, Vice President of Marketing & Business Services at the Regional Chamber, at 330.744.2131, ext. 35.