Quad Cities honors women leaders of excellence this month.
For two Prescott-Area ATHENA Leadership Award recipients, Carmen Frederic and Teri Drew, the encouragement, impact and responsibility of the honor has stayed with them since the moment a banquet room full of businesspeople roared with applause and standing ovations.
“So much of the time we can feel very alone, working hard and doing our thing, when someone reaches out and acknowledges us,” said Frederic, the 2023 Prescott-Area ATHENA Leadership Award recipient. “It takes you by surprise and makes you feel so much more a part of your community. It brings to the forefront the power of recognition that we can offer to each other.”
Frederic is the executive director of Prescott Area Shelter Services (PASS). “A lot of my conversations are with women who live at the shelter. We talk about what an impact a woman leader can have on other women, especially with self-esteem and making others feel worthy. There are things that happen on our journey that can bring us to a low point. A lot of people feel terrible about themselves. But we can help others stay positive and then one day they will be able to talk to the next person who is in need of hope and encouragement to stay strong.”
She recalls her surprise last September when her name was called at the ATHENA Leadership Awards celebration. “I looked around in that room and saw all these women with all this expertise. It’s hard to feel like you deserve this recognition when you’re in a room with that kind of female presence. I’ve felt that way many times in my life when someone has given me a compliment or acknowledged something I did. I’ve learned that people don’t say these things for no reason – they see something in you. I’ve also learned to say, ‘Thank you’ and to recognize others when I appreciate something about them.”
Teri Drew, regional director of NACOG-Economic Workforce Development and 2022 Prescott-Area ATHENA Leadership Award recipient, agrees. “You don’t think about recognition when you’re up to your eyeballs in projects, but when you start to realize the appreciation of the community, it’s time to be a bright light moving forward, to encourage another person and rejoice in their achievements. Being recognized encouraged me to inspire others.”
Drew says one of her mantras is to be kind. “Recently, I saw a woman leaving a beauty shop and as she stepped off the curb hesitantly, about to cross the street, she looked so frail. I rolled down my car window and said, ‘Your hair is gorgeous!’ She instantly straightened up with pride. Pride is one of my favorite emotions in people. Vocalizing positivity is really simple to do and it changes a person’s physical posture and hopefully their mental point of view in that moment. I want others to feel that gratitude and pride that I felt at the ATHENA Awards.”
This year, as the Quad Cities business community comes together again in celebration through the international ATHENA Leadership program, Pioneering Television News Anchorwoman Mary Jo West will share her life lessons for “S.U.C.C.E.S.S.” as the keynote speaker. Also, three awards will be announced: ATHENA Leadership, Young Professional ATHENA Leadership and Organizational ATHENA Leadership.
Quad Cities Business News presents the fifth annual Prescott-Area ATHENA Leadership Awards, 3-5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20, at Starting Point in the Pine Ridge Marketplace. FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Photo by Kay Lyons Photo by Kay Lyons: In 2022, Teri Drew, shown here with her husband, Rick Drew, was honored as the Prescott-Area ATHENA Leadership Award recipient.