Dallas Regional Chamber

DALLAS, Texas (April 6, 2009) ... The Dallas Regional Chamber announced today the deadline for accepting ATHENA® Award nominations. The ATHENA® Award is a national program that recognizes the accomplishments of Dallas businesswomen. Nomination forms are located at www.dallaschamber.org and will be accepted through Friday, May 29th at 5:00 p.m. The recipient will be honored at the 2009 Women's Business Conference luncheon on September 3, 2009. Attendance at last year’s Women’s Business Conference exceeded 1,700 attendees.

The ATHENA® Award is open to individuals who strive toward the highest levels of professional accomplishment, excel in their chosen field, devote time and energy to their community in a meaningful way and forge new paths encouraging others to follow. Launched in 1982 through the Lansing, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, this program spotlights outstanding women in the community who espouse leadership opportunities for other professional women.

“The ATHENA Award is a very coveted and recognized award in this community as well as globally” said Suzanne Charriere, 2008 ATHENA Award® winner. More than 5,000 awards have been presented in over 500 communities in the United States, Canada, China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and most recently the United Kingdom. By honoring exceptional leaders, the ATHENA® Award seeks to inspire others to achieve excellence in their professional and personal lives.

Previous recipients include:
*2008 – Suzanne Charriere, Corrigan Associates (formerly)
* 2007 – Wanda Brice, The Women’s Museum
* 2006 – Wendy Lopez, LOPEZGARCIAGROUP
* 2005 – Becky Sykes, Dallas Women’s Foundation
* 2004 – Camille Keith, Southwest Airlines (formerly)
* 2003 – Retta Miller, Jackson Walker L.L.P.
* 2002 – Valerie Freeman, Imprimis Group
* 2001 – Liz Minyard, Minyard Food Stores (formerly)
* 2000 – Grace McDermott, US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce
* 1999 – Brenda Jackson, TXU Electric Delivery
* 1998 – Gale Duff-Bloom, JCPenney Company, Inc. (formerly)
* 1997 – Norma Lea Beasley, SAFECO Texas
* 1996 – Jinger Heath, BeautiControl Cosmetics (formerly)
* 1995 – Tegwin Pulley, Texas Instruments

Nomination forms are available at www.dallaschamber.org under the women's business initiative program. Nominations are due Friday, May 29, 2009 by 5:00 p.m., Dallas Regional Chamber, Attn: Emily Morton, 700 N. Pearl Street, Suite 1200, Dallas, Texas 75201. Please call 214-746-6776 or email emorton@dallaschamber.org for more information.