Limelights and career paths

Lawrence Mercer ATHENA recently hosted the sixth-annual ATHENA Leadership Awards Celebration.

The 2018 event recognized honorees for advancing the cause of women in leadership who have demonstrated excellence, creativity and initiative in their communities and professions.

The 2018 ATHENA Leadership Award went to Colleen Chamberlain, human-resources director for Youngstown City Schools and proprietor of Penny Allenwood Outdoors, LLC of New Castle, Pa.

The 2018 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award went to Anna Marie Mindicino, proprietor of the Bottle Tree Creative Arts House and executive director of Do Good. Period.

Honorees for the established ATHENA Leadership Award included LeeAnn Fulena, partner at Robb Leonard Mulvihill Law Firm; and Michele Goodman-Jones, proprietor of Michele Goodman Studios.

Honorees for the emerging ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award were Michelle Bower, program director and dance director at the Buhl Community Recreation Center; Yvonne Ovial, proprietor of Leaps & Bounds Gymnastics Company; Michele Truax Ohl, proprietor, Gowns of Grace Inc. and operations director for the Guardians Nest Inc.; and Angie Mohr Urban, executive director, New Visions for Lawrence County.

America Makes recently welcomed Josh Cramer as its new education and workforce director.

Previously, Cramer served as the director of educational programs at the SME Education Foundation, where he monitored, promoted and evaluated all of its major programs. He also served as the interim executive director of the foundation.

“We are very excited to welcome Josh to our team,” said America Makes Executive Director Rob Gorham. “Josh brings a unique fresh perspective, a dynamic energy, and the essential skill sets required of the education and workforce director for America Makes. At the SME Education Foundation, Josh’s duties entailed actively collaborating with manufacturing partners to assess the knowledge and skill set needs to establish strategic plans while building programs to meet the skills gap needs of manufacturers. We look forward to Josh leveraging this experience and that as a teacher to promote and further the America Makes mission to develop and grow a workforce capable of supporting the growing and evolving additive manufacturing industry.”

The Ohio REALTORS recently awarded 17 Burgan Real Estate agents with the distinguished President’s Sales Club Award for 2018.

This award is presented to Ohio real-estate agents who generated at least $1 million in annual home sales for the year.

“In a year where Burgan Real Estate has produced the best month and quarter in over 40 years of being the most trusted local real estate experts in the Mahoning Valley, we know that none of it is possible without the work of our Burgan Bunch, especially the 17 individuals who were named to this year’s President’s Sales Club,” said Sue Filipovich, co-owner of Burgan Real Estate. “For our company to have the most agents receiving this award is yet another affirmation that the Better with Burgan culture and strategies we have implemented over the past 12 months is successfully empowering agents to grow their careers, achieve their goals with us and grow our company into one of the top performing brokerages in the Mahoning Valley.”

Tibitha Matheney received the Award of Excellence for generating at least $5 million sales; Karen Ament, James Marzo and Valerie Park received the Award of Distinction for generating at least $2.5 million in sales; and Kathy Battisti, Joan Zarlenga, John Burgan, Steve Rogers, Dacia Allen, Traci Hardy, Julie Mills, Liz Salcedo, Amanda Hamilton, Kathy Szmaj, Mandie Dillon, Leon Turek and Rachel Thomas earned the Award of Achievement for generating at least $1 million in sales.

Rachel Thomas was also recognized as a “Rookie Recipient,” as she successfully achieved this honor within two years of receiving her Realtors license.