Texoma Area ATHENA Award Nominees Announced

SHERMAN, TEXAS

Austin College officials have announced the nominees for the 2018 Athena Leadership Award and Athena Young Professional Leadership Award, with the recipients to be announced April 27 at noon at the College. Tickets for the luncheon celebration at Austin College in Wright Campus Center’s Mabee Hall are available at https://www.picatic.com/athena2018for $25 per person. In addition to the award presentation, the luncheon will include a keynote address by Kate Murphy, senior child welfare policy associate for Texans Care for Children.

This year’s ATHENA Leadership Award honorees are Stephanie Chandler, director of community investment for United Way of Grayson County, Inc.; LuAnn Daniel, founder and chief executive officer for Women Rock Inc.; Deborah Estes, education consultant; and Tonya Price, chief nurse officer for Wilson N. Jones Regional Medical Center.

ATHENA Young Professional Leadership nominees are Amber Pilcher, banking services manager and regional retail manager for Landmark Bank Denison;  Kristina Quinlan, member services and events director for Sherman Chamber of Commerce; and Melanie Truxal, Main Street coordinator for the City of Denison.

The regional event, which honors women leaders who work or live in Grayson, Fannin, or Cooke counties, is sponsored by the Austin College Center for Community and Regional Development and the College’s Texoma Women Get Connected program, in partnership with United Way of Grayson County. 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 luncheon also serves as a final session of the morning’s Nonprofit Symposium, which begins at 8 a.m. in Wright Campus Center, Room 254, and will feature information about grant writing, public policy as it pertains to nonprofits organizations, and fiduciary responsibility. The morning events are free and open to the public, but require registration, also athttps://www.picatic.com/athena2018.  

Event sponsors and table sponsors are needed for the event. Sponsorships benefit the College’s Social Entrepreneurship for Poverty Alleviation (SEPA) summer intern program, which partners with local nonprofit organizations. For more information, please contact Trish Jennings at 903.813.2042 or tjennings@austincollege.edu.

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. A list of all known local recipients is included on the Austin College Athena Award website.

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 LivesAustin 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.