Perez-Davis named ATHENA Award speaker

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Marla E. Perez-Davis, deputy director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, will be the keynote speaker at the 26th annual ATHENA Award Dinner, presented by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and The Vindicator/vindy.com.

Perez-Davis is responsible for planning, organizing and managing the agency-level programs and projects assigned to the center. Before her current assignment, Perez-Davis served as deputy director of the Research and Engineering Directorate, where she was responsible for leading, planning, coordinating and managing all phases of Glenn’s research and engineering activities to accomplish NASA missions.

Perez-Davis is the recipient of NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal; 2015 Crain’s Women of Note, the Top 25 Elite Business Women, Hispanic Business Magazine; Women of Color Career Achievement; Distinguished Alumni Award Alumni Association of University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez; Women in Aerospace Award for Aerospace Awareness; Women of Color Technology Award for Career Achievement; and the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Santiago Rodriguez Diversity Award.

The 2018 ATHENA Award Dinner will be May 17 at Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman and will include a VIP reception for the sponsors, nominees and nominators, followed by the public reception, dinner, keynote speaker, recognition of all nominees and the announcement of this year’s recipient.

Today is the deadline to nominate and showcase a colleague who demonstrates the ATHENA qualities of professional accomplishment, community leadership and mentorship of other women.

The Valley’s ATHENA Award program, one of the top five largest in the country for number of nominees and attendees, has honored more than 900 women in 25 years.

For information on the ATHENA and to nominate someone, go to: www.regionalchamber.com/initiativesprograms/athena.