Local People
- Last Updated on Sunday, 29 May 2016 21:01
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce announced Geraldine Jones, President of California University of Pennsylvania, as the 2016 Washington County ATHENA Award Recipient.
Geraldine Jones |
The 2016 ATHENA Award was presented during a lunch presentation on Friday, May 8, 2016 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Pittsburgh/Southpointe and was attended by a record crowd of 400. The 2016 finalists also included:
• Teresa Babyak, Director of Operations, Washington Health System, Washington Physicians Group
• Joyce D. Ellis, Executive Director, Lemoyne Community Center
• Natalie Furgiuele, M.D., Mon-Vale Specialty Practices
• Jana Grimm, Esq., Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
According to Jeff Kotula, president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, the ATHENA Award is an internationally recognized award that honors women’s leadership within the business and civic communities. Mr. Kotula stated, “The award promotes leadership by honoring exceptional individuals in the community who contribute in significant ways to the achievements of women and women’s leadership issues. As Ms. Jones and the four finalists demonstrate, we are very fortunate that Washington County’s businesswomen are taking a leadership role in both our civic and business communities.”
The ATHENA Award recipient and finalists are selected by a panel of accomplished Washington County businesswomen, who determine the candidates by the following criteria: have achieved the highest level of professional excellence; contribute time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community; and actively assist others, particularly women, in realizing their full leadership potential.
Celebrating its 14th year in Washington County, the annual ATHENA Award Presentation is sponsored by First Commonwealth Bank and hosted by the Washington County
Laural Ziemba |
Chamber of Commerce.
In addition, The POWER of Southpointe and the Washington County Chamber of Commerce also announced the recipient of the 2016 Washington County ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award as Laural Ziemba, Director of Public Affairs for Range Resources Corporation.
The inaugural award honors emerging leaders who demonstrate excellence, creativity and initiative in their business or profession. The recipients provide valuable services by contributing time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community, and, most importantly, serve as role models for young women personally and professionally.
In presenting the award to Ms. Ziemba, Megan Chicone, President of The POWER of Southpointe commented, “We believe that Laural exemplifies the spirit of this inaugural award as she is a dynamic, successful, professional woman who has been impactful in the lives of others. We believe that she is not only dedicating her time and skills to building our area, but is also providing a new investment of talent for Washington County.”