Wayne Bank and Indiana University East have selected this year’s ATHENA Award recipients.  

Kathryn Girten is the recipient of the ATHENA Leadership Award® and Tai Muldoon is the ATHENA Young Professional recipient. The Boys and Girls Club of Wayne County is the recipient of the ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award. 

The awards will be presented to the recipients at the annual dinner at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 10, at Forest Hills Country Club, located at 2169 South 23rd St. in Richmond, Indiana. This is the eighth year for the awards. 

The ATHENA Leadership Award® is presented to an exemplary leader who has achieved excellence in their business or profession, served the community in a meaningful way and, most importantly, actively assisted women to achieve their full leadership potential. The event recognizes women leaders who motivate, inspire, and create positive change in the community. Previous award recipients include Mary Jo Clark, Jackie Carberry, Angie Dickman, Janis Buhl-Macy, Kim Poinsett, Tracie Robinson, and Melissa Vance. 

Kathryn Girten joined Indiana University as the sixth Chancellor of IU East in July 2013, as the first woman chancellor to serve the campus. 

Girten has previously been awarded the Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce Art Vivian Distinguished Community Leader Award in 2020, as well as the Community Achievement Award from Amigos in 2018. 

Girten has been a member of the Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Forward Wayne County steering committee. She serves on the boards of First Bank Richmond, the First Bank Richmond Community Foundation, Reid Health, the Richmond Art Museum, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and the Wayne County Foundation. 

The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award actively supports and celebrates the ATHENA mission of supporting, developing, and honoring women leaders, inspiring women to achieve their full potential—creating balance in leadership worldwide. ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Nominees are 18-35 years of age. Nominees are emerging women leaders who demonstrate excellence, creativity, and initiative in their business or profession. Provides valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in their community. Clearly serves as a role model for young women both personally and professionally. Previous award recipients include Roxie Deer, Jessie Pilewski, and Ashley Sieb.  

Tai Muldoon is the CEO/Executive Director of Girls Inc. an organization which inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold through direct service and advocacy.  Muldoon is a 2013 graduate of Indiana University East and has certifications in Fundraising Management and in Nonprofit Executive Leadership from Indiana University and Western Governors University.  She previously held roles at Ivy Tech and Birth to Five. 

This is the second year the ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award is presented in Wayne County. The award actively supports and celebrates the ATHENA mission of supporting, developing, and honoring women leaders, inspiring women to achieve their full potential—creating balance in leadership worldwide. ATHENA organizational nominees are businesses or organizations, in the profit or non-profit sectors, that create an organizational culture that encourages women employees to achieve their full leadership potential or gives back to the larger community of women and girls by providing and/ or supporting leadership development opportunities and initiatives. 

The inaugural award was presented to the Girl Scouts of Wayne County Service Unit. 

This year, The Boys & Girls Club of Wayne County is the recipient of the Organizational Leadership Award.  

The Boys & Girls Club of Wayne County is dedicated to helping kids in the area through programs that encourage academic success, healthy lifestyles, and good character and citizenship. Their mission also includes inspiring and enabling all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens.  The four locations offer computer labs, homework help, games rooms, gymnasiums, arts and crafts, and more.  The Club keeps the dues low, $15 a year, to encourage participation. 

About the Leadership Award® Awards

Wayne Bank and IU East are honored to bring and sponsor this award to Wayne County, established locally in 2014. Proceeds benefit local organizations dedicated to serving leadership building for women of all ages.

The program is facilitated locally by Wayne Bank and Indiana University East, licensed ATHENA host organizations. Nominations are sought throughout the community and recipients are selected by a diverse group of community leaders based on the criteria above.

ATHENA Leadership Award® recipients hail from all professional sectors. The award’s rich history, international scope and emphasis on mentorship make this award unique and amongst the most prestigious leadership awards one can receive.

About ATHENA International 
Founded over 30 years ago, ATHENA International is a women’s leadership organization that supports, develops, and honors women leaders through the programs it administers. ATHENA’s flagship program, the ATHENA Leadership Award® Program, has honored over 7,000 women leaders from hundreds of cities and eight countries since its inception in 1982. 

To RSVP visit waynecoathena.com or contact Dana Henderson at (765) 259-0205. For more information about the dinner including sponsorship opportunities, contact JoAnn Spurlock, vice president, and director of operations at Wayne Bank, at (765) 259-0209 or jspurlock@waynebnk.com or Rae Buchholz, director of Gift Development at IU East, at (765) 973-8331 or raebuchh@iu.edu.