WOMEN IN 2023 ATHENA AWARDS
FEBRUARY 5, 2023
BUSINESS
RACHEL GIBBONS, ARIZONA DAILY SUN
Amanda Guay, community health director for North Country Healthcare, delivers her acceptance speech after receiving the Athena Award at last year’s ceremony.
A Message from the President
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any have felt a great new start in 2023 and palpable energy turning the calendar page to a new year! However, as we usher in 2023 not many things excite me as much as the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and ATHENA AWARDS. What an impressive gathering to kick off a business year and a wonderful opportunity to honor and celebrate prestigious female leaders from all types of professional careers; for their excellence in their chosen fields, their mentorship of others to achieve their career goals, and their valuable engagement in community service. For more than three decades the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce has chosen to invest in the spirit of the ATHENA awards as a way to recognize individuals that might otherwise go unnoticed for the passion and dedication they bring to the workplace and community at large. The ATHENA is an international award with a mission to support, develop, and honor female leaders, inspire females to achieve their full potential and create balance in leadership. Since its inception in 1982, the ATHENA Leadership Award has been presented to more than 7000 exemplary leaders in over 500 communities
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“across the world”. Along with visible recognition, the spirit of the ATHENAS is actually based on leadership tenets which, through the years have become the foundation of enlightened and successful leadership. Those leadership tenents are: live authentically, learn constantly, advocate fiercely, act courageously, foster collaboration, build relationships, give back and celebrate. I’m sure that you will agree that one or more of these traits really resonate with you and how you are living your life. They certainly inspire me to be all I can be in this crazy world. Over the past 17 years, I have had the special and great honor of reviewing hundreds of the nominee forms and getting acquainted with them on paper. Little did I know how moving and impressive the process of selecting a recipient could be. Little did I know that each year, I could hardly wait to read about the accomplishments these ladies have achieved. This year is no different and I encourage you to take some time to read their abbreviated biographies each of which are published by the Arizona Daily Sun, and get to know these great humans. Thanks to the judges who volunteered to score each nominee according to the three categories established nationally for the award. 2023 is an unusual year because it is the first time the Greater Flagstaff Chamber is awarding
two ATHENAs. One for private sector leadership and one for public/nonprofit leadership. This will not be a new and lasting trend but we are just giddy about focusing on two separate categories this year. Today hundreds of cities in the US and abroad are engaged in ATHENA largely due to the efforts of Martha Mertz, ATHENA Founder, and her team traveling the globe to help female leaders earn respect and recognition. For those efforts and for the community of Flagstaff embracing this leadership model, we are forever grateful at the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce. The recipients will be named at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting on Friday, February 10 at the High Country Conference Center. Thank you to all who invest in the Greater Flagstaff Chamber community through membership to enable our mission to help businesses be successful by promoting, supporting and serving as a resource for them and to empower business people to build a community where businesses can thrive and citizens are proud to live. Collectively, we have impacted our region and helped businesses be successful since 1891! With gratitude, Julie Pastrick President, CEO, Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce