ATHENA Leadership Award Goes to Tawnya Kristen!
“You are amazing, you are worthy, you are deserving.”
It was an evening to remember! Watching Tawnya Kristen, executive director of Green Mountain United Way, be awarded the 2023 ATHENA Leadership Award moved all of us to tears and cheers.
We could not imagine a more deserving woman to be recognized for not only forging her own way, when no one gave her the path to follow, but for making room for the women around her: She actively moves the women around her into the spotlight, cheering and supporting all of us along our journeys, too. She is accomplished, yes; and she is so much more than that: kind, compassionate, fierce, formidable, impactful, beautiful.
Between the bubbles, sparkles, fancy dresses, and cocktails of a gala-style evening, a group gathered at the Barre Elks Lodge to see the award be presented. None of us knew ahead of time who the recipient would be, which added some extra excitement to the evening! We heard from Kim Bolduc, a business owner and Chamber member, and Gwen Schuyler with Family Center of Washington County. Both women talked about the impact of women in leadership. And Kim reminded us all, if you ever doubt yourself, just remember:
"“You are amazing, you are worthy, you are deserving.”
Betsy Bishop, president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and the he 2022 ATHENA award recipient, spoke about what it meant to her to be awarded at the previous year’s ceremony, and she shared all the things that could have held her back — including low comments from superiors and co-workers about motherhood and how women should behave at work. Thankfully, she didn’t listen to them! She reminded all of us to use those opportunities to dig deep and believe in our own power and the strength of women in leadership.
It was a wonderful evening! Many, many congratulations to Tawny for her award. Next up, in her own words: “Okay, now it’s time to get back to doing the work!”
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The ATHENA Leadership Award® is presented by the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce to a woman who is honored for professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.
