Austin College | Sherman Texas | April 2, 2017
Austin College and its Texoma Women Get Connected program will award two exemplary leaders from the Texoma region with the prestigious ATHENA Leadership Award® and the ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award at a noon luncheon on Wednesday, May 3, 2017.
The event will be held in Mabee Hall of Wright Campus Center at Austin College. The luncheon follows a morning Board Leadership Symposium co-sponsored by United Way of Grayson County and the Austin College Center for Community & Regional Development. Tickets to the ATHENA Awards luncheon are $25 each, while the morning symposium is free and open to the public. Registration for both events is available on the Austin College website at https://www.picatic.com/athena2017, or by calling 903-813-2041. Deadline to register is April 30.
At the luncheon, three finalists will be recognized as honorees for the ATHENA Award distinction and two for the Young Professional Award, with the recipients of each award being announced at the luncheon’s conclusion. Local honorees may represent either the profit or not-for-profit sector and must work and reside in Fannin, Cooke, or Grayson counties.
Honorees for this year’s ATHENA Award are Michelle Castle, branch manager of Guild Mortgage Company; Janis Fletcher, certified court clerk II with the Sherman Police Department; and Leigh Ann Sims, commercial loan officer at Legend Bank.
For the Young Professional Award, two outstanding young leaders will be recognized: Trish Bridges, director of critical care services at WNJ Regional Medical Center, and Mikayla Stocks, volunteer coordinator/case worker/grant writer for Grayson County Shelter.
Keynote speaker for the luncheon is Kourtny Garrett, president and CEO of Downtown Dallas Inc. Her career spans 15 years in the development of livable communities and building public-private partnerships. She also leads the Downtown Dallas 360 plan and DDI’s education agenda. A graduate of Austin College, Ms. Garrett holds a master’s degree in urban affairs from the University of Texas at Arlington.
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.
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 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 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.