ATHENA Leadership Awards Gala

• By: admin
• On: 11/23/2021 13:02:02
• In: Chamber News

The Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce held its annual ATHENA Leadership Awards Gala on Saturday November 6. We were once again able to recognize two exceptional Vermont women for their leadership, achievements, and community spirit. Our event was held at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, and we would like to thank our sponsors Community National Bank, National Life Group-Women Inclusion Network, Union Mutual, Casella, Green Mountain Harvest, Kingsbury Companies, Northfield Savings Bank, People's United Bank, Leahy Press, Vermont Business Magazine, VT Mutual Insurance, VT Works for Women, Passumpsic Bank for their ongoing support of this event. We would also like to thank our panel of judges, who had the difficult task of deciding the finalists from a field of very qualified candidates.

Lisa Keysar was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors at Union Mutual to assume the position of President and CEO in October of 2020, giving her the distinction of being the first female President of her company's 147-year history. Lisa currently sits on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Vermont and as Corporator for Northfield Savings Bank. Personally, Lisa is generous with her time and money and commits to hosting and participating in volunteer efforts both on her own time and through Company sponsorships. Lisa supports the Company's 1-for-1 volunteer benefit where employees earn a day off for volunteering. Congratulations to Lisa as our 2021 ATHENA Award recipient!

Dr. Page Spiess was recently named as an inaugural Fellow within Norwich University's Institute for Innovation in Teaching and Learning as well as the Academic Integrity Officer for NU campus programs. These recent honors substantiate the initiative and creativity she has demonstrated as a collaborative interdisciplinary instructor and peer mentor in and out of the academic setting. Dr. Page Spiess began her service work in Vermont over 10 years ago after moving to the state. Since then, her efforts have concentrated on inspiring young Vermonters and supporting her community members. As a STEM professional and former Maine MATHCOUNTS competitor, Page has acted as a grader and volunteer in the Vermont State MATHCOUNTS Competition. She has also spent years working with Vermont Works for Women in multiple capacities, including as a Planning Committee member for the Women Can Do! Conference, and as Program Developer and Coordinator for the Rosie's Girls STEM Leadership Camps at Vermont Technical College. Congratulations to Page as our 2021 ATHENA Young Professional Award Recipient!

This Gala is a monumental undertaking for our Chamber every year. We began planning this Gala the day following the last one. But it's an effort we take on gladly. Our staff worked very closely with a volunteer committee to deliver a program worthy of the prestige of this international award. I am very proud of their effort and would like to take this opportunity to thank them, as well as our committee of dedicated volunteers, for all of their hard work

Please visit centralvt.com to find out more about this award, or to learn more about the Chamber.

Kevin Eschelbach is president and CEO of the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce.