Valley’s ATHENA Awards mark 25 distinctive years

In ancient Greek religion and culture, Athena, daughter of Zeus, reigns as the patron goddess of heroic endeavors, personifying strength, courage, wisdom and enlightenment. She also rises as a warrior but one believed to fight only for just causes and never without a noble purpose.

Given those stellar traits, is it any wonder then that Athena has long been revered by the masses?

Such reverence endures today most visibly and most potently in an international awards program dedicated to contemporary women who embody the spirt and demeanor of the Greek goddess.

The ATHENA program presents annual honors to a woman – or a man – for professional excellence, community service and active assistance to women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.

Since the program’s inception in 1982, more than 7,000 exemplary leaders in more than 500 communities have received the prestigious award in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, China, Greece, India, Russia, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom.

The Mahoning Valley rises as a hot spot on that global ATHENA map as its program ranks among the Top 10 in the world. The Vindicator, in cooperation with the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, is proud to have been a sponsor of the program for more than 20 years.

CONGRATS TO 2017 WINNER

In Boardman on Thursday night, the local ATHENA Awards program celebrated its 25th year by bestowing its 2017 honor to Patricia Sweeney, Mahoning County health commissioner. We congratulate the active front-lines public health leader on her singular honor.

Like many of her predecessors as ATHENA honorees, Sweeney stands out as a trailblazer in her field. She is the first female health commissioner in Mahoning County history.

Among the many feathers in her cap, she has played an aggressive role in fighting the opiate epidemic in our community and in launching initiatives to reduce the county’s abysmally high infant-mortality rate.

Sweeney also has led more than 30 community organizations to discover the most pressing public health issues in the county, then obtained grants to address those issues.

She joins the ranks of other notable Mahoning Valley women who have shared the ATHENA honor since 1990. That list includes a virtual who’s who of powerhouse women in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Among them are Eugenia Atkinson, former director of the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority; Cynthia Anderson, former president of Youngstown State University; Diane Sauer, owner of Warren’s Diane Sauer Chevrolet; and Kathy Cook, president of St. Joseph Warren Hospital and 2016’s honoree.

Helen Paes, who holds the distinction of the Valley’s first Athena winner in 1990, served as keynote speaker at this year’s awards ceremony.

“I am continually humbled to be connected with the ATHENA,” she said. “To the 25 women who have received the award, all of you represent a powerful and empowered network.”

We couldn’t agree more and have been proud to be affiliated with the esteemed and distinctive ATHENA program.