40 Years of ATHENA: A History of the ATHENA International Awards in Greater Rochester
Our community and the women who call it home have always been on the cutting edge of progress: from Susan B. Anthony’s championing of the suffrage movement to Martha Matilda Harper being a pioneer for women in business and the first woman member of Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Greater Rochester has always been a hub for iconic women. Since 1987, Greater Rochester Chamber has been proud to join ATHENA International to recognize and uplift the women in our community.
As we approach the 40th anniversary of the ATHENA Awards coming up on Thursday, February 5, 2026, we’re looking back at where we’ve come from and looking forward at what’s next for our community.
The internationally-recognized ATHENA Award® Program was founded in 1982 in Lansing, Michigan by Martha Mertz. The award was originally established to honor the achievements of exceptional women leaders. And more importantly, it was established to inspire others to achieve excellence in their professional and business lives. The ATHENA International Award has been presented in Greater Rochester since 1987. The inaugural recipient was Judith A. Schwan, the assistant director of the worldwide Kodak Research and Development Laboratories. The work Schwan did for Kodak helped the Greater Rochester region shape its reputation as a global leader in the optics industry. In a piece celebrating her life, the National Academy of Engineering wrote, “as a woman in a corporate engineering environment, she earned her promotions in the more difficult days before the gender barriers began to come down for women at Kodak. She was a role model and mentor, an effective but nonstrident feminist, and a career counselor for both men and women.”
In the 40 years since, the program has expanded here and abroad. The ATHENA International Awards are now presented in over 500 communities in 48 states and 11 countries. At Greater Rochester Chamber, we’ve added additional awards to uplift, recognize, and inspire even more women who are leading in their respective fields. The ATHENA Young Professional Award was first given out in Greater Rochester in 2015 to Claudia Burcke when she was a Vice President at Greater Rochester Enterprise. Three years later, Greater Rochester Chamber added our third award category: the ATHENA Organizational Excellence Award, given to women-owned or led businesses and organizations that encourage women employees to reach full leadership potential. This was first presented in 2018 to Dixon Schwabl + Company.
Schwan, Burcke, DS+CO, and all of our honorees and recipients from over the past forty years have embodied the ATHENA leadership pillars and moved Greater Rochester forward. Since 1987, Greater Rochester Chamber has celebrated over 700 women and their organizations as ATHENA Award honorees.
And now, you have the opportunity to shape what’s next for this program. Nominations for the 40th annual ATHENA Awards in 2026 are open now through November 7, 2025. Do you know a woman, organization, or young professional who is charting the next legacy for our community? Nominate them today to recognize the work they’re putting in and offer the chance to spotlight their role as a community champion. Learn more & nominate online here.
Greater Rochester has always been a community that shapes our future together with strong women leading the way. Because real progress only happens when everyone has a seat and a say. Here’s to 40 years of ATHENA, and 40 more years to come.