Press Release | Austin College | Sherman, Texas
Nominations are now open for Austin College’s Athena Award and Athena Young Professional Award. The College’s Center for Community and Regional Development and its Texoma Women Get Connected program will recognize two exemplary leaders with the prestigious ATHENA Leadership Award® and the ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award at a luncheon on Friday, May 2.
Nominations will be accepted for the 2019 awards until February 28, with completion of the online ATHENA Leadership Awards® Nomination Form. Local honorees may represent either the for-profit or not-for-profit sector and must work and reside in Fannin, Cooke, or Grayson counties. Past award recipients are not eligible to receive the award, though previous nominees may be nominated again.
Event sponsors and table sponsors are needed for the event. Learn more from the Sponsor Information Sheet. Event sponsorships benefit the College’s Social Entrepreneurship for Poverty Alleviation (SEPA) summer intern program. For more information, please contact Ginger Nye at 903.813.2834.
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 under age 40 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.
Since 2014, the ATHENA Award has honored Stacy Rake Murphy, owner and principal agent of Nationwide Insurance in Sherman (2014), Brenda Hayward, executive director of Child and Family Guidance Center of Texoma (2016), Michelle Castle, branch manager at Guild Mortgage Company (2017), and Luann Daniel, executive director of Women Rock.
The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award has honored Michelle Lemming, president and CEO of Texoma Health Foundation (2014), Hillary Luckett Clark, a Sherman attorney and community leader (2016), Trish Bridges, director of critical care services at Wilson N. Jones Regional Medical Center (2017), and Amber Pilcher, banking services manager and regional retail manager for Landmark Bank Denison. No awards were given in 2015.
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 was founded in 1849 and is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter. During the 2018-2019 academic year, the campus recognizes 100 years of co-education and has hosted several events commemorating the history of women and accomplishments of current alumnae. The Athena Awards Luncheon will highlight the 2019 award honorees as well as some of the pioneering women associated with Austin College history.