Women Leadership Awards

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The ATHENA Valley of the Sun leadership awards will be handed out by the Mesa organization April 4, given to leaders who actively assist women in attaining professional excellence and leadership skills. We’ll talk about efforts to help women progress in their careers and hear about the award winners from Kristine Quade, President of ATHENA Valley of the Sun.

TED SIMONS: COMING UP ON "ARIZONA HORIZON," AN AWARD GIVEN TO WOMEN FOR HELPING OTHER WOMEN SUCCEED. ¶ ¶

TED SIMONS: COMMUNITY LEADERS THAT HELP WOMEN ACHIEVE PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS WILL BE HONORED TOMORROW NIGHT BY ATHENA VALLEY OF THE SUN. JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ON THE AWARDS CEREMONY IS KRISTINE QUADE, ATHENA VALLEY OF THE SUN PRESIDENT. WELCOME TO "ARIZONA HORIZON."

KRISTINE QUADE: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

TED SIMONS: YOURE PART OF ATHENA INTERNATIONAL, WHAT IS ATHENA INTERNATIONAL?

KRISTINE QUADE: MARTHA MERTZ THE FOUNDER IN LANSING, MICHIGAN WAS A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER AND WENT TO HER LOCAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCES AND SAID I WOULD LIKE TO SIT ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. THEY SAID, OKAY, SWEETHEART,WE DON'T HAVE FEMALES ON THE BOARD, 35 YEARS AGO. HER CONCEPT WAS, IF I FEATURE ONE WOMAN AND HER ACOCMPLISHEMNTS, OTHER WILL FOLLOW. SHE STARTED THE ATHENA AWARD IN LANSING, MICHIGAN SUPPORTED HEAVILY BY GENERAL MOTORS. CHAMBERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY STARTED TO PICK IT UP AS A WAY OF HONORING WOMEN IN BUSINESS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. IN 1998, SHE OBTAINED A KELLOGG FOUNDATION GRANT TO STUDY CHARACTER OF LEAD ARES HIGH ON MY LIST OF CREDENTIALED RESEARCHERS AND THEY CAME UP WITH EIGHT PRINCIPLES. WE DECIDED TO EMPHASIZE THE PRINCIPLES.

TED SIMONS: AND THIS IS LIVE AUTHENTICALLY, LEARN CONSTANTLY, BUILD RELATOINSHIPS, ADVOCATE FIERCELY, GIVE BACK, CELEBRATE, THAT'S A LOT OF PRINCIPLES.
KRISTINE QUADE: YEAH

TED SIMONS: YOU HAVE SOME WINNERS. EVERYONE KNOWS THEY ARE WINNERS. WHO WON?

KRISTINE QUADE: DR. BRENDA COMBS IS THE ATHENA LIVE AUTHENTICALLY. SHE WAS A STREET PERSON FOR A WHILE AND PULLED HERSELF UP OUT OF THE STREET, GREAT STORY ABOUT HOW THAT OCCURRED, HAS BECOMED A DOCTOR ESSENTIALLY, AND TEACHES AT THE DOCTORAL LEVEL. THAT'S A STORY THERE, STREETS TO THE TOWER. WE HAVE MARIANNE DOUGLAS WHO QUIT HER CORPORATE JOB AT AMERICAN EXPRESS AND SAID I HAVE TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. SHE STARTED "MAMA'S HOUSE" FOR WOMEN THAT WERE TRAFFICKED TO GET THEM OFF THE STREETS AND GET THEM GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT. WE HAVE JODY FARLEY WHO STARTED SINGLETON MOMS, A WAY TO HONOR ONE OF HER FRIENDS WHO DIED OF CANCER. SO SHE HAS SUPPORT GROUPS FOR FAMILIES WHOSE MOTHER IS EXPERIENCING CANCER. ANNIE GROSS STARTED PEARLS OF WISDOM. SHE HOLDS QUARTERLY WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS FOR WOMEN TO SEE THE COMMUNITY DIFFERENTLY, LARGER THAN THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED. DOCTOR NADIA CONTRANGEE IS FROM SYRIA AND HAS STARTED THE LEARNING TREE ORGANIZATION AS A WAY TO HELP THE COMMUNITY LEARN AND UNDERSTAND AND RELATE TO MUSLIMS.

TED SIMONS: ALL OF THESE WINNERS, AND AGAIN THEYRE FOR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES REGARDING THE PRINCIPLES, ARE THEY SELECTED BY LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS? HOW DOES THIS WORK?

KRISTINE QUADE: WE OPENED IT UP TO THE COMMUNITY. WE HAD A NOMINATION PROCESS WHERE THEY COULD BE NOMINATED BY OTHER PEOPLE. WE ARE DEFINING LEADERSHIP AS GIVING BACK TO YOUR CHURCH, COMMUNITY, GIRL SCOUTS, NONPROFIT, FOR PROFIT. YOU CAN BE IN AN ORGANIZATION IN PUBLIC SERVICE. IT'S NOT JUST BUSINESS.

TED SIMONS: WHEN THE AWARD CEREMONIES IN AND OF THEMSELVES, SEEING PEOPLE CELEBRATED, WHAT DOES IT DO TO OTHER WOMEN WHO ATTEND, MAYBE ARE NOT THAT CELEBRATED IN THEIR OWN LIVES BUT TRYING TO GET THERE?

KRISTINE QUADE: WE HAVE SELECTED SIX YOUNG ATHENAS BECAUSE OF THE WORK THEY ARE DOING IN LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE. THEY'LL PRESENT THE AWARDS TO THESE RECIPIENTS.
TED SIMONS: OVER ALL, HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED? WHAT IS YOUR STORY HERE?

KRISTINE QUADE: MY STORY HERE. I MET MARTHA A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. AS SOON AS SHE SHOWED ME THE LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES, I WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT LEADER OF MCDONALD DOUGLAS HAD I HAD THESE. I WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT LEADER IN MY LAW PRACTICE IF I HAD THESE. I WOULD BE A DIFFERENT CONSULTANT IF I HAD THESE. I WAS REALLY DRAWN TO THESE PRINCIPLES, THESE ARE AN ONGOING WORK OF ART. SAY LIVE AUTHENTICALLY, BEING AUTHENTIC IS A PATH. IT'S A LEARNING. WE ARE NOT ALWAYS THERE. WE ARE NOT ALWAYS ON. WE CAN GET THERE.

TED SIMONS: THAT'S THE ONE I WAS GOING TO ASK ABOUT. BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND FOSTERING COLLABORATION, ACTING FIERCLY AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS BUT, LIVING AUTHENTICALLY, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

KRISTINE QUADE: I WANTED TO LOOK INTO THAT MORE. WHY WOULD THAT BE A PATH? THE PATH IS BECAUSE WE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW OUR BLIND SPOTS, OUR PROJECTIONS, OUR PERCEPTIONS UNTIL WE ENCOUNTER THEM WITH OTHERS. IF WE HAVE A LEARNING COMMUNITY AND TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES WE STRUGGLE WITH, SAY FOR EXAMPLE, AUTHENTICITY CAN BE BUILT THROUGH MENTORING AND RIPPED DOWN THROUGH SCAPEGOATING. HOW DO YOU STAY IN THE CORE WHEN YOU FEEL SHOVED OFF UNDER THE BUS.

TED SIMONS: THAT'S AUTHENTIC LIVING. I THINK THAT WILL BE HONORED. GIVE US A LOCATION?

KRISTINE QUADE: THE MARRIOTT BUTTE, 10:30 TO 1:00. WE ARE SOLD OUT BUT WE'LL HAVE LOTS OF PUBLICITY AFTERWARDS. I'M HOPING TO BRING THE WOMEN FORWARD SO THE PRESS CAN TELL THEIR STORY FURTHER. THAT'S AN AWESOME ONE.

TED SIMONS: CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. WE APPRECIATE IT.

KRISTINE QUADE: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ¶ ¶ ¶

Kristine Quade: President of ATHENA Valley of the Sun

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