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The
ATHENA Award®
The Athena Award, an international program with over 3000 recipients, was founded
in 1982 to recognize and honor the achievements of outstanding and professional
business women. The program was introduced to Rochester in 1987 by Women's Council
of The Rochester Business Alliance, Inc. The ATHENA Award recognizes women of
achievement in our community for their professional excellence and community
service, and for actively and generously assisting women in their attainment
of professional excellence and leadership skills. Women's Council believes that
by recognizing women of achievement, doors stay open for all women. And opportunities
for them continue to grow.
This program is a celebration of excellence and a recognition of the leadership roles that women have in their workplace and in the community. As such, there are no winners or losers in the ATHENA program. Every woman offers unique value to the business world, to the community and to other women.
The ATHENA Leadership Model is a philosophy of leadership based on women's unique ways of knowing and leading. The model was developed by the ATHENA Foundation in collaboration with national authorities on women and leadership, and was funded with a grant from the WK. Cell Foundation. The Leadership model gives identity, credibility, visibility and coherence to the ATHENA philosophy and its perspectives on leadership. It is intentionally future oriented and evolving and affirms the way that women have led and continue to lead in the 21st century.
Elements of the model, and how they are defined, include:
Fierce Advocacy - tempered by profound respect and compassion for others.
Celebration and Joy - a sense of the vitality, the robustness, and the limitless possibilities of life
Relationships - the recognition that leadership is practiced in a complex, interconnected world
Courageous Acts - initiative, courage, and passionate commitment
Giving Back - leaving a different kind of legacy
Collaboration - to achieve a common goal
Authentic Self - inner clarity honed through reflection, meditation, restfulness, and introspection
Learning - the continual process of developing skills and competencies that build on their prior experience.