Girl Scouts receive the prestigious 2010 ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award

Girl Scouts a finalist for 2010 ATHENA Award

Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas (GSSWT) was presented with the 2010 ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award on August 12!

The inaugural award was presented by the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce at its Enterprising Women's Conference at the Omni San Antonio Hotel.  The event became a celebration among sister Girl Scouts when the award recipients and many attendees acknowledged that they were once Girl Scouts.

The luncheon included a keynote address by ATHENA International founder and Girl Scout alumna, Martha Mayhood Mertz, who shared eight wise, indispensible principles that speak powerfully to all who would lead. 
 
Following Martha's remarks, the ATHENA Award® honoring individuals who strive toward the highest levels of personal and professional accomplishment, was presented to H-E-B executive and Girl Scout alumna, Suzanne Wade. Congratulations, Suzanne! 
 
"What is honored in a country will be cultivated there." - Plato
The ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award heralds businesses and organizations that support, develop, and honor women leaders. This prestigious award is a natural extension of the original ATHENA Award and actively supports ATHENA's mission. Recipients of the ATHENA Leadership Organizational Award develop women leaders by providing opportunities for personal and professional development and growth, create an environment that allows women to achieve their full leadership potential within the organization, and gives back to the community and encourages employees to contribute time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community. 
 
GSSWT's selection as the ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award recipient is validation that the girls and young women in Girl Scouts are leaders TODAY, and that they can and do change the Girl Scouts present to accept award world. Several Girl Scouts were on hand to accept the award with CEO, Anna Maria Chávez and Chair-elect, Jackie Gorman-Johnson. Girl board member, Caitlin O'Brien, formally accepted the award on behalf of the council, stating that, "We stand before you, with my sister Girl Scouts, as a testament to the dedication of our volunteers, our community supporters, and of the generations of women leaders in our community who have felt empowered by Girl Scouts and are truly living the dream of our founder, Juliette Gordon Low."
 
GSSWT would like to acknowledge all of the ATHENA Award finalists, who are remarkable business leaders in the community. Thank you to the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the 2010 Enterprising Women's Conference Committee, as well as members of the ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award Selection Committee.
 
Be a part of the excitement! See photos of the event and watch the video online.