Every qualified nominee for the Dane County ATHENA Award has met the demanding criteria developed by ATHENA International. Each has excelled in her or his profession or life's work, contributed meaningfully to the community and proactively opened doors of opportunity for women.

It is then a significant achievement and honor when one nominee is chosen to receive the annual Award. Past recipients (with only a few highlights of their accomplishments at the time of the nomination) include:

Eileen Mershart - CEO, YWCA of Madison - 2009
Eileen Mershart has worked to eliminate barriers to women's equality throughout her career at the YWCA and the Wisconsin Women's Council. Helping women meet their full potential is what has defined Eileen's life and career.

Penny Chase - Social Worker, Community Coordinated Child Care - 2008
Penny Chase was recognized for her work with Community Coordinated Child Care, Inc. (4-Cs). Penny has trained and provided technical assistance to workers in the child care field for more than eight years. As a result, more than 2,000 child care providers, many of them who speak Spanish or Hmong, received training they needed to meet the State's requirements.

Fabiola Hamdan - 2007
Fabiola was recognized for her work as a mentor and advocate for Latino women in the community. Born in LaPaz, Bolivia, Ms. Hamdan came to the United States with herl mother and siblings in 1986. Her advocacy efforts began early in life when she sought more strenuous academic programming for her siblings to better prepare them for post-secondary education. Since then, Ms. Hamdan has established organizations and worked within local systems to improve the lives of our community's most vulnerable citizens.

Nancy Fulton Young - Founder of Mental Health Service for Women and Families - 2006
As a psychologist, Nancy founded her organization in 1979 to serve the emotional and mental needs of women and their families. Nancy's extensive mentoring includes work with 37 graduate students in the School of Psychology and guiding seminarians during their journey to become pastors. Throughout her life she has volunteered her appreciable skills to assist victims during national disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina). She assists female victims in Dane County with a safe opportunity to confront their offenders. Nancy contributes her time/talents to countless community organizations. "The common theme for Nancy's volunteerism is helping the most vulnerable women and children."

Jody Glynn Patrick - Publisher, In Business Magazine - 2005
Jody is respected for effective use of her visibility in this community to promote others' success and well-being. A successful and interesting career path makes Jody an ideal role model, and she mentors informally and through programs at the UW-Madison, Girl Scouts and YWCA. Jody's memorable book on her family's experience during her breast cancer treatment is a gift to readers. Her philanthropy includes donation of the book's profits to Gilda's Club and the Ronald McDonald House.

Molly Carnes - Center Director and Professor, University of Wisconsin Medical School - 2004
Molly Carnes' list of "first woman to . . ." accomplishments in the medical field is long. However, it is her exceptional skills combined with her insights and desire to help women that has created unparalleled impact. As the first tenured female UW-Madison Department of Medicine (1990), she dedicated herself to helping a diverse group of women in academic medicine, science and engineering achieve their full potential as researchers, scholars and educators. Molly established and directs the UW Center for Women's Health Research; is co-founder/director of the UW Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute; is a founding Board Member for the Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation, is the national President of the Association of Academic Women's Health Programs and developed a pilot program to make graduate school accessible to leaders in academic women's health. Addressing the isolation of women in a historically male field, Molly was instrumental in the development of an annual Women's Health Summit hosted by the Wisconsin Medical Society.

Sister Mary David Walgenbach - Prioress, St. Benedict Center of Madison - 2003
Honored for her achievements that reach the world over. Sister Mary David has worked with monasteries in Africa, the Philippines and other developing countries to improve the lives of women, create hospitals and provide medical clinics. In 1953, she and three other Benedictine nuns came to Madison to begin the St. Benedict Center. There she leads an ecumenical order of women religious. The center has become a place for peace and healing for many, including those with AIDS and their caregivers.

Marian Walluks - President, Personnel Advisors, Inc. - 2002
Marian was chosen for her strength in networking and commitment to help women connect to the resources to guide them toward success. Marian's company specializes in administrative and economic development services to professional organizations, including training through the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation, coordination of the Launching Entrepreneurial Advisory Panels Program for the UW-Madison School of Business, and event planning for Oak Creek Publishing. Marian is an active volunteer and contributor to a variety of women's organizations.

Deborah Thomas - Executive Director and Board President, The Hancock Center for Movement Arts & Therapies, Inc. - 2001
Deborah was celebrated for her innovation and advocacy in the development of dance therapy. Deborah began working with dance therapy in the early 60s and came to the UW-Madison in 1974 to teach it. When the university cut the program, she created the Hancock Center. There she developed an endowment program to make therapy accessible to people who could not otherwise afford it. Programs evolved to include support to men, women and children affected by violence, incest or sexual abuse, as well as seniors and the disabled. Deborah was instrumental in establishing professional legal status for dance therapists in Wisconsin through a national credentialing process.

Gloria Jones-Bey - Retired Vice President of Nursing, Meriter Hospital - 2000
[Currently researching TBF files for then-current information]

Jean Manchester-Biddick - Retired owner and CEO, Neesvig's, Inc. - 1999
Jean was recognized for successfully assuming the leadership of Neesvig's after her husband's death. Jean paved the way and set a high standard for women as business leaders. She served in dozens of industry boards and community organizations, and was a leader and volunteer in many church, educational and philanthropic organizations. Jean co-founded both TEMPO-Madison and The Business Forum. She also established the Council on Women's Giving, a national program that educates women about philanthropy and finance.

Carol Toussaint - then Senior Associate, Hayes Briscoe Associates - 1998
TBF's first ATHENA Award recipient. Honored for her long-time community leadership, her work as an organizer and her coalition building. [Currently researching TBF files for then-current information.]