Brenda Stallings wins the 2013 Athena Award® - Dubois County Free Press, Inc.

The Rotary Club of Jasper honored seven Dubois County women leaders at the 2013 ATHENA Award ceremony held Thursday night at the Huntingburg Event Center and named Brenda Stallings, CEO/President of Matrix Integration as the 2013 Athena Award®.

The Rotary Club of Jasper recently announced the 2013 finalists for the ATHENA International Leadership Award. This year’s nominees are front row (l-r): Brenda Sermersheim, Maureen Braun, and Brenda Stallings. Second row: Judi Brown, Leslie Petry, Joan M. Knies, and Sue Habig. The award will be presented at the August 22 Dinner at the Huntingburg Event Center. Tables and tickets are available by calling Kevin Bartley at 630-6828. German American, Kimball International, and Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center are Premium Sponsors of the event. — This year’s nominees are front row (l-r): Brenda Sermersheim, Maureen Braun, and Brenda Stallings. Second row: Judi Brown, Leslie Petry, Joan M. Knies, and Sue Habig.

Brenda Stallings receiving the 2013 Athena Award from Rotary Club of Jasper president Kevin Bartley. Stallings is the President and CEO of Matrix Integration. She was named the 2013 Athena Award®.Photo by Kathy Tretter — Brenda Stallings receiving the 2013 Athena Award from Rotary Club of Jasper president Kevin Bartley. Stallings is the President and CEO of Matrix Integration. *Photo by Kathy Tretter*

In an interview with Jim O’neal of WITZ News AM/FM ATHENA Award winner Brenda Stallings said receiving the award was an honor. “I am still stunned but honored. It goes back to leadership and leadership is about serving,” Stallings said about the award. “My belief is that when you serve others they will do so in return. I am a firm believer in the law of attraction. If what we think and we do well, and carry that forward, it will come back and other people can in turn do well.”

Stallings has also been the recipient of the 2011 Enterprising Woman of the Year in the category of businesses with more than $25 million in annual revenue; 2013, Power 100: Woman of the Channel award by Computer Reseller News Magazine.

She has been a board member for Dubois Strong since 2004, a board member of the Business Alliance Network Organization since 2006, and a chairwoman of Memorial Hospital’s finance committee since 2012.

A third of the evening’s proceeds are given to a charity of the award winner’s choice. Stallings chose to send the proceeds to Advisory board for Junior Achievement.

Founded in 1982 by Martha Mayhood Mertz, ATHENA® International is a non-profit organization that seeks to support, develop and honor women leaders. The program inspires women to reach their full potential and strives to create balance in leadership worldwide. All of the nominees were subjected to a rigorous screening process. These seven scored the highest, and each will receive a finalist award. One will be the recipient of the 2013 ATHENA International Leadership Award®, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Jasper, to be announced at the event August 22.

Supporting, honoring and developing women leaders are the foundations of the ATHENA Leadership Model®, developed through a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The model identifies eight distinct attributes that are reflective of women’s contributions to leadership: Authentic Self, Relationships, Giving Back, Collaboration, Courageous Acts, Learning, Fierce Advocacy, and Celebration and Joy. These personal traits combined with the strongest aspects of traditional leadership—taking risks, assertiveness, hard work—prepare women to be successful leaders in the 21st Century. These seven women are recognized for their demonstration of these characteristics in their lives.

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all locations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. In more than 162 countries worldwide, approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 30,000 rotary clubs. The groups meet weekly and are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds. The main objective of Rotary is service – in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. For more information go to www.rotary.org.