What traits does American society prize in its women? According to Plato, that question matters more than one might think. “What is honored in a country will be cultivated there,” Plato once said.
The Athena Award Program was created to celebrate individuals who have achieved the highest levels of professional success and community service, inspiring women to follow in their paths. Eight recipients in Dutchess County this year are at the top of their fields with a record of serving their communities and – in particular –mentoring other women.
Established in 1982 in Lansing, Mich., the Athena Award Program grew and spread to 300 other communities in the U.S., Canada, China, Russia and the United Kingdom. This is the second year that the Poughkeepsie Chamber of Commerce is serving as a local host. The chamber honors eight Dutchess County Athena Award recipients with a brunch on Sunday, Dec. 2 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Grandview on Rinaldi Boulevard. The event is open to the public, and tickets are $75 per person. Soledad O’Brien, anchor and special correspondent for CNN, is the keynote speaker.
One grand winner, announced at Sunday’s brunch, attends an international conference. Last year, Colette Lafuente received the award.
This year’s honorees are: Ann Armater, vice president for development at Health Quest; Jennifer Bates, owner of Cartier’s Hair Design; Anne Conroy, president and CEO of Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation; Susan LaFosse, assistant mathematics professor emeritus Dutchess Community College; Suzanne McLaughlin, COO/CNO Saint Francis Hospital and Health Centers; Rita McPeck, community relations manager/business sales officer KeyBank; Kipp Bleakley O’Neill, retired community volunteer and Dutchess County legislator; and Marjorie Revereto, president/CEO of Ulster Savings Bank. Although none were selected this year, men are also eligible for the award.
One of the honorees from 2006, Betsy Brockway, director of the Dutchess County Health and Human Services Cabinet, was a member of the review committee this year. Brockway said she was “awed by the experience, passion and dedication” of this year’s recipients. “If someone hired all these women they would have one outstanding consulting firm,” Brockway joked. “It would change the world.”
She also said the Athena ceremony helps bring powerful women together and makes them more aware of one another – creating a great networking tool. “Although the world has changed and you see more women in prominent positions, there are many I don’t know personally,” said Brockway. While some recipients have more prominent positions in the community, other are “very quietly doing their work,” Brockway said. For them, the award “brings countywide recognition to their efforts and causes and makes them role models for other women,” she said.
Armater, who is vice president for development for Health Quest, said she was honored to be among the recipients this year. She shared one valuable lesson she has learned as a manager: the importance of women’s commitments outside the office as mothers and community leaders. “The biggest lesson for me is to remember that we are packages – it’s important to address needs of staff and also acknowledge there’s another side of them … especially for women because a lot of them are moms,” she said.