As the excitement from summer simmers down and the leaves start to change, we at the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce gear up for an exciting fall season!
One of our most anticipated and inspiring events of fall is the ATHENA Award Reception, an evening that honors and recognizes influential woman leaders. The evening at the Egyptian Theatre consists of recognizing women for two awards: ATHENA and Woman of Accomplishment.
The ATHENA Award is part of an international program honoring women who demonstrate professional excellence, community service, and a commitment to mentoring and empowering other women. The Woman of Accomplishment recognition, created by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, honors retired women who made a meaningful impact in their careers and continue to serve their community in significant ways.
This October marks the 36th award reception since its beginning in 1995. Over the past 30 years, 35 ATHENA recipients have been named and over 70 Women of Accomplishment have been honored. These women have created a legacy and continue to help build future ATHENA recipients and Women of Accomplishment through their continued mentorship and dedication to the community.
As the Marketing and Events Manager, I am privileged to work closely with not only past ATHENA and Woman of Accomplishment recipients, but also each year’s finalists and honorees. Every year I am impressed and inspired with the level of impact the women make on our community, and this year is no different!
We look forward to recognizing the actions of ATHENA finalists Devyn Grzywa with FNBO, Dr. Donna Larson with DeKalb High School, Rylie Loucks-Kues of Family Service Agency of DeKalb County, and Linda Sherman of Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center, in addition to Woman of Accomplishment honorees Kathy Dombek and Donna Willrett. All finalists and honorees will be recognized on the award night on Thursday, Oct. 16 at the Egyptian Theatre. The 2025 ATHENA recipient with be announced live that night.
If you want to feel inspired and learn more about the women being recognized this year, visit dekalb.org to read their biographies or purchase $25 tickets to join us at the event on Thursday, October 16th at the Egyptian Theatre at 6:30pm. The public is invited to attend by purchasing tickets online or at the door on the evening of.
The fall season doesn’t stop there! We’re also excited to host the DeKalb Chamber Foundation’s first Trades Exploration Day on Wednesday, Oct. 22 from 3:30-6pm at DeKalb High School followed by our annual Spooktacular Downtown DeKalb trick-or-treating event on Tuesday, Oct. 28 from 4-6pm. Both events are free and open to the public.
For more information on all the events mentioned and more within the coming weeks, visit our website dekalb.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.