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Lehigh Valley, PA:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Women\u2019s Business Council will present the ATHENA, ATHENA Young Professional, and the first Organizational ATHENA Awards during their Annual ATHENA Awards Celebration on Monday, October 11, 2021 at Samuels Theatre, Cedar Crest College in Allentown. The event will begin at 5:00 p.m. and includes a cocktail reception,\u00a0Hors d\u2019oeuvres,\u00a0and awards program honoring the new ATHENA recipients.<\/p>\n The prestigious ATHENA Award, presented annually by the Chamber since 1981, actively shares ATHENA International\u2019s mission to support, develop and honor women leaders, inspire women to achieve their full potential, and create balance in leadership worldwide. The ATHENA and ATHENA Young Professional Awards honor individuals who demonstrate excellence, creativity and initiative in their business or profession, who provide valuable service by contributing time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community and who actively assist other women in realizing their full leadership potential. This year we have added the ATHENA Organizational Award which recognizes businesses and organizations that support, develop and honor women leaders.<\/p>\n The ATHENA Award will be presented to Laura McHugh, Associate Vice President, Marketing & Communications, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Laura McHugh is a two-time Emmy-award winning journalist and communications executive with a passion for telling the Lehigh Valley\u2019s stories.<\/p>\n Laura serves her community as Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications for United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, where she has worked since 2017. In this role, she shines a light on the region\u2019s greatest challenges and the solutions-focused work of United Way and its partners to address their root causes. Laura has more than 15 years of reporting, producing and hosting experience in both commercial and public television news, including covering forest fires in Montana and tornadoes in Kansas. From 2008 to 2017, Laura produced and hosted local programs and documentaries for PBS39, where she created\u00a0FOCUS<\/em>, WLVT\u2019s award-winning weekly news magazine program.\u00a0Additionally, she has worked as a freelance producer and host for Service Electric TV2 and as an adjunct professor of communications for Cedar Crest College.<\/p>\n Laura\u2019s work has earned two Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards, fifteen Emmy nominations, two National Educational Telecommunications Association awards and two\u00a0Truth in Finances<\/em>\u00a0Awards from the Pennsylvania Institute for Certified Public Accountants. Laura serves as President of the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-Atlantic Chapter and as a volunteer committee member for ArtsQuest.<\/p>\n Laura loves living in Eastern Pennsylvania and taking advantage of the adventures it offers with her husband Joe, two young sons Joey and Charlie and their golden retriever Rowdy.<\/p>\n The ATHENA Young Professional Award will be presented to Natasha Ljuljic,\u00a0HR Specialist, Talent & Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Air Products.<\/strong><\/p>\n Natasha is a passionate HR talent and diversity leader. She is responsible for managing Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging initiatives globally as the company positions itself to be the most diverse industrial gas company in the world. Natasha is dedicated to promoting a diverse an inclusive workplace where people feel they belong and know they matter. Her body of work includes the oversight, development and creation of strategic programming and resources that support the organization in their diversity growth journey and leading a powerful network of Employee Resource Groups. She has been an integral leader in championing several key initiatives that have shifted organizational culture as the company works to achieve its ambitious diversity targets set for 2025.<\/p>\n She is equally committed to serving and giving back to the community. Natasha currently sits on the board of Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites, Valley Youth House, and Rising Tide. She serves as a member of the D&I Council for LINC (Lehigh Valley Inter-Regional Networking and Connecting Consortium), a member of the African American Business Leaders Council\u2019s events committee and is a member of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce\u2019s DEI Collaborative.<\/p>\n Natasha attended Misericordia University in Dallas, PA, obtaining a BS in Accounting and an MBA with a concentration in management and holds a Diversity and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University. Prior to working for Air Products, she was employed at a public accounting firm for several years where she had a dual role \u2013 supporting college and university recruitment and the firm\u2019s small business tax practice. She currently lives in Stroudsburg, PA with her husband and three children.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The ATHENA Organizational Award will be presented to Olympus Corporation of the Americas.<\/strong>\u00a0 Olympus is passionate about creating customer-driven solutions for the medical, life sciences, and industrial equipment industries. For more than 100 years, Olympus has focused on making people\u2019s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling by helping to detect, prevent, and treat disease; furthering scientific research; and ensuring public safety. Olympus is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with more than 35,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries and regions. Olympus Corporation of the Americas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Olympus Corporation, is headquartered in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, USA, and employs more than 5,500 employees throughout locations in North and South America. For more information, visit\u00a0www.olympusamerica.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n About the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber\u2019s Women\u2019s Business Council:<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>The Women\u2019s Business Council strengthens the Greater Lehigh Valley by empowering, recognizing and inspiring women in business and the community. The Women\u2019s Business Council provides information and a networking forum for women in management, professional and private enterprise.\u00a0 The Chamber\u2019s mission is to improve the economy and quality of life in the Lehigh Valley Metropolitan Area.\u00a0\u200bWith nearly 5,000 members who employ more than 220,000, the Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top six nationwide.\u00a0Our thirty-plus affiliated chambers, councils and committees are On Every Main Street with more than 1,500 community focused volunteers who actively contribute, at the grass roots, to develop and achieve their respective and collective goals.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n About the Chamber:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce\u2019s mission is to serve as the voice for business by continuously improving the economic climate and creating growth opportunities for the Greater Lehigh Valley region. We accomplish this through business-to-business networking events and marketing products, affinity programs and exclusive, money saving member benefits, training programs, government affairs initiatives and public policy advocacy, and community development enterprises.\u00a0 With nearly 5,000 members who employ more than 200,000 individuals, The Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top six nationwide.<\/em><\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lehigh Valley, PA:\u00a0The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Women\u2019s Business Council will present the ATHENA, ATHENA Young Professional, and the first Organizational ATHENA Awards during their Annual ATHENA … Continue reading Women\u2019s Business Council to Recognize Two Outstanding Area Women and One Business at the Annual ATHENA Awards<\/span>
\nDanielle Joseph
\nExecutive Vice President, Diversity Councils
\nhttps:\/\/www.lehighvalleychamber.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n
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