ATHENA Award

We are proud to continue a tradition of recognizing exceptional women in our community through three awards: the ATHENA Award, Rising Leader Award, and Woman of Accomplishment Award. Each award celebrates women whose leadership, service, and dedication make a lasting difference in our community.

The ATHENA Award honors women who live or work in the City of DeKalb and are making an impact through professional excellence, community involvement, and mentorship of women.

The Rising Leader Award, new in 2026, recognizes a woman making a significant impact early in her career through professional achievement, creative leadership, and community engagement.

The Woman of Accomplishment Award honors retired women whose leadership and service continue to make a difference through volunteerism, advocacy, and meaningful contributions to their community.

Presented By

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ATHENA Award Reception October 15, 2026

Join us at the historic Egyptian Theatre for the annual ATHENA Award Reception where we recognize amazing women being honored for multiple awards such as the ATHENA Award and Rising Leader Award. The evening kicks off with a cocktail hour at 6:30pm, followed by the awards program at 7:15pm. A cash bar will be available.

Early bird tickets for $20 are available through October 10. Regular tickets for $30 are available through October 14. Didn't register beforehand? Tickets can be purchased at the door for $30.

tickets

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Congratulations 2026 ATHENA Award Finalists!

Click on the name of each finalist to read their biography.

Donna Larson - Principal of DeKalb High School

Amy Oster - President of OC Creative

Jenna Spychal - Owner of Jonamac Orchard

Finalists will be recognized and the award recipient will be announced at the ATHENA Award Reception on October 15 at the Egyptian Theatre.

Congratulations 2026 Rising Leader Award Recipients!

Jessi Haish LaRue - Executive Director of Glidden Homestead, Marketing & Events Specialist of DeKalb Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC)

Malia Jones - Family & Community Engagement Specialist, Birth to Five Illinois Region 16/DeKalb County

The award recipients will be recognized at the ATHENA Award Reception on October 15 at the Egyptian Theatre.

New for 2026, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce’s Rising Leader Award recognizes a woman who is making a significant impact early in her career through professional achievement, creative leadership, and community engagement. The award celebrates women who are excelling today while demonstrating the potential to become influential leaders in their organizations and the DeKalb County community.

Scoring & Selection Process

ATHENA Award
To ensure a fair and impartial selection process, all completed ATHENA finalist nominations are reviewed and scored by other Chambers of Commerce across Illinois that have long-standing ATHENA programs of their own.

Each nomination packet is carefully evaluated based on established criteria that reflect the core values of leadership, mentorship, and community impact. These external reviewers do not have ties to local nominees, helping to maintain the integrity and objectivity of the selection process. Once all scores are submitted, the highest-scoring finalist is named the ATHENA recipient.

Rising Leader Award
Unlike the competitive scoring process for the ATHENA Award, the Rising Leader Award is non-competitive and designed to celebrate the unique impact of each nominee.

Recipients were selected by a committee based on their demonstrated professional achievement, creative leadership, and community engagement through a review of submitted nomination materials.