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WOMEN TO WATCH
Leading the Way: ATHENA Orlando Women’s Leadership by Kate Slentz ATHENA Orlando Women’s Leadership Board of Directors: Melanie DiVirgilio, VP of recruitment; Suzi Gaiser, VP of alumni relations; Karen Keene, president; Hope Newsome, secretary and general counsel; and Stephanie Gardner, treasurer
I had the privilege of participating in ATHENA NextGen, the eightmonth women’s leadership program piloted right here in Orlando. The program is just one of many created as part of ATHENA International, a global, non-profit organization founded by Martha Mayhood Mertz, a successful entrepreneur and business leader who wrote a book about the unique characteristics of women leaders entitled, Becoming
KAREN KEENE, co-founder and president of ATHENA Orlando Women’s Leadership, Inc.
more. So, we put our heads together and piloted the ATHENA NextGen program for professional women to help them realize their full leadership potential.
ATHENA: Eight Principles of
How did ATHENA NextGen get started?
Enlightened Leadership.
Like so many things, ATHENA Orlando
workforce after being stay-at-home moms
Women’s Leadership evolved from the
or entrepreneurs who decided to leave cor-
vision of a group of women who came
porate America to start their own busi-
together and dared to dream. In 2012, we
nesses. We intentionally select a diverse
held a leadership luncheon for 350 estab-
group of women, often representing as
lished women leaders and their up-and-
many as 16 different industries, who learn
coming counterparts. One year later, the
and grow with one another.
All the programs are modeled around these eight principles, including ATHENA NextGen, which recently celebrated its fifth
number of attendees nearly doubled.
Each year the class is a mix of millennials, as well as women re-entering the
anniversary. I asked the ATHENA
Following the luncheon events, we sur-
Orlando Women’s Leadership board
veyed attendees who told us the activity
In five years of the program, how has it grown?
they enjoyed most were the roundtable
Back in November, we celebrated our fifth
discussions. Prominent women leaders
anniversary. To date, 265 women leaders
steered the dialogue about ATHENA’s
have successfully completed the program.
eight leadership principles, from fostering
Also, we have fully funded a $100,000
collaboration to building relationships and
endowed scholarship at UCF to assist
advocating fiercely. However, 45 minutes
female graduate students in their pursuit
during lunch wasn’t enough time for a
of their educational goals.
some questions about the program, its impact, and about their own experiences, as they lead the way for current and future ATHENA NextGen classes.
deeper dive. Attendees were asking for 28
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