Wayne Bank and Trust Co. and the Indiana University East Center for Leadership Development are pleased to announce the first annual ATHENA Leadership Award® Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. on June 12, 2014, at Forest Hills Country Club, located at 2169 South 23rd St. in Richmond, Ind.

Both organizations felt that bringing the ATHENA Award to Wayne County was a perfect fit.  Wayne Bank is owned by Bonnie Boyd Kruckenberg, Wendy Boyd Semba and Kristen Boyd Scrougham and IU East just inducted its first female chancellor, Kathryn Cruz-Uribe.

Nominations are now being accepted for the ATHENA Leadership Award® which will be presented at the dinner 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 keynote speaker will be Sherrie Bossung, RN, M.B.A., director of Community Outreach and Employee Engagement of Eli Lilly and Company and vice president of Eli Lilly and Company Foundation.

Founded 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 6,250 women leaders from hundreds of cities and eight countries since its inception in 1982. The program is facilitated locally by Wayne Bank and Trust Co., a licensed ATHENA host organization. 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.

Wayne Bank and the IU East Center for Leadership Development are honored to bring this award to Wayne County. ATHENA Leadership Award® Recipients are presented a hand-cast, bronzed and crystal sculpture that symbolizes the strength, courage and wisdom of ATHENA recipients.

Wayne Bank and the IU East Center for Leadership Development believe in the values underlying ATHENA International’s philosophy of incorporating the talent and expertise of women into the leadership of our businesses, our communities and our government. Reflective of a quote attributed to Plato, “What is honored in a country will be cultivated there,” the ATHENA Leadership Award® honors and illuminates the leaders and leadership styles of individuals others would emulate.

The Wayne County recipient will be invited to join ATHENA Leadership Award Recipients and other leaders at the annual ATHENA International Women’s Leadership Summit held each spring in Chicago.

ATHENA International is nationally underwritten by KMPG. Local sponsorship is provided by Wayne Bank and Trust Co. and Indiana University East Center for Leadership Development.

Nominations will be accepted until May 5, 2014. Nomination and sponsorship forms may be obtained at waynebankonline.com or by contacting Norene Groth, director of Marketing at Wayne Bank and Trust Co., at (765) 935-5222 or ngroth@waynebnk.com or Stephanie Hays-Mussoni, director of Gift Development at IU East, at (765) 973-8331 or shaysmus@iue.edu.