BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ChamberMaster//Event Calendar 2.0//EN METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:P3D REFRESH-INTERVAL:P3D CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20260724T163000Z DTEND:20260724T183000Z X-MICROSOFT-CDO-ALLDAYEVENT:FALSE SUMMARY:ATHENA Leadership Award Luncheon 2026 DESCRIPTION:The ATHENA Leadership Award is presented to a local woman who has achieved the highest level of professional excellence\, contributes time and energy to improve the quality of life for others\, and actively assists women/girls in realizing their full potential. Award recipients have included leaders in education\, business executives\, non-profit founders\, and more.\n\n \n\nNominations are sent to ATHENA International\, the award presenter\, who selects finalists and the recipient. The luncheon on July 24 is held to recognize nominees\, honor finalists\, and celebrate the award recipient.\n\n\n\n\n\nPlease reach out to Riley Borchgardt (rileyb@conroe.org) for sponsorship questions.\n\n\n\nAbout Elizabeth Smart:\n\nThe abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth was abducted on June 5\, 2002\, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately\, the police safely returned Elizabeth back to her family on March 12\, 2003\, after being held prisoner for 9 grueling months. Through this traumatic experience\, Elizabeth has become an advocate for change related to child abduction\, recovery programs\, and National legislation.\n\n\n\nElizabeth triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about the very private nightmare she suffered during her abduction\, which led to conviction. The Founder of the "Elizabeth Smart Foundation"\, Elizabeth has also helped promote The National AMBER Alert\, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act\, and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions. Elizabeth has chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book\, "My Story." In addition\, she and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivor's guide\, entitled\, "You're Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment." This guide is meant to encourage children who have gone through similar experiences not to give up but to know that there is hope for a rewarding life.\n\n\n\nIn 2018\, Elizabeth wrote a powerful and inspiring book\, "Where There's Hope\," which is both an up-close-and-personal glimpse into her healing process and a heartfelt how-to guide for readers to make peace with the past and embrace the future. Her most recent work releasing in December 2025\, "Detours: Hope & Growth After Life's Hardest Turns\," is a memoir-meets-guide empowering readers to navigate life's detours\, embrace resilience\, and find healing and purpose after adversity. In Detours\, she explores how trauma can derail one's path in life and shares her struggles with captivity\, reintegration\, and resilience\, offering four key "Rest Stops" for navigating difficult turns.\n\n\n\nElizabeth's abduction and recovery continue to motivate parents\, law enforcement\, and leaders worldwide to focus on children's safety. She emphasizes vigilance by "everyday" people and the belief that hope always exists to find every missing child. Smart attended Brigham Young University\, studying music as a harp performance major. She married her husband Matthew in 2012\, and they now have three beautiful children. Elizabeth's example is a daily demonstration that there really is life after tragedy.\n\n \n\n\nPrevious ATHENA Leadership Award recipients:\n\n2025: Rachel Goodlad\n\n2024: Nicole Robinson Gauthier\n\n2023: Judge Kathleen Hamilton\n\n2022: Natalie Saikowski Goertz\n\n2021: Carol Gooch\n\n2020: Dr. Dana Hoyt\n\n2019: Dr. Marlen Tejeda\n\n2018: Danielle Scheiner\n\nSee 2025 event pictures here.\n\n\n\n2026 Nominees:\n\nAgnes Bogdonowics\, Stuttgard\, LLC\n\nAlicia Andino\, First National Bank Texas\n\nAmanda Johns\, The Salvation Army\n\nBarbara Killian\, Frontier Waste Solutions\n\nBianca Chapa\, Bianca's Buddies\n\nBrenda Smith\, Retired Conroe ISD Teacher\n\nCameron Klepac. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion\n\nCaroline Mason\, Whitestone Printing\n\nChastity White\, Story Built Homes\n\nDarlene Gagnon\, Henry's Home Sanctuary\n\nDiana White\, Conroe Symphony Orchestra\n\nDr. Tamara Blanton\, Hometown Healing Family Medicine\n\nErin Lichnovsky\, Gateway Events\n\nFranchesca Calhoun\, Angel Reach\n\nHeather Smith\, Rejuve Wellness and Aesthetics\n\nKrystle Riley\, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital\n\nLila Taylor\, The Laundry Fairy\n\nSavannah Crihfield\, CH&P Management\n\nShruti Jindal\, Celebree School of the Woodlands Creekside\n\nStephanie Kosut Gregory\, Prevail Behavioral Health & Wellness Center\n\nSusan Scott Watts\, Keller Williams Luxury\n\nTina Bernard\, The Badass Arts\n\nVicki Musgrove\, Conroe Noon Lion's Club X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:
The ATHENA Leadership Award is presented to a local woman who has achieved the highest level of professional excellence\, contributes time and energy to improve the quality of life for others\, and actively assists women/girls in realizing their full potential. Award recipients have included leaders in education\, business executives\, non-profit founders\, and more.
\n \;
\nNominations are sent to ATHENA International\, the award presenter\, who selects finalists and the recipient. The luncheon on July 24 \;is \;held to recognize nominees\, honor finalists\, and celebrate the award recipient.
\n
\n
\nPlease reach out to Riley Borchgardt (rileyb@conroe.org) for sponsorship questions.
\n
\nAbout Elizabeth Smart:
\nThe abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. Elizabeth was abducted on June 5\, 2002\, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately\, the police safely returned Elizabeth back to her family on March 12\, 2003\, after being held prisoner for 9 grueling months. Through this traumatic experience\, Elizabeth has become an advocate for change related to child abduction\, recovery programs\, and National legislation.
\n
\nElizabeth triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about the very private nightmare she suffered during her abduction\, which led to conviction. The Founder of the &ldquo\;Elizabeth Smart Foundation&rdquo\;\, Elizabeth has also helped promote The National AMBER Alert\, The Adam Walsh Child Protection &\; Safety Act\, and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions. Elizabeth has chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book\, "\;My Story."\; In addition\, she and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivor'\;s guide\, entitled\, &ldquo\;You'\;re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment.&rdquo\; This guide is meant to encourage children who have gone through similar experiences not to give up but to know that there is hope for a rewarding life.
\n
\nIn 2018\, Elizabeth wrote a powerful and inspiring book\, "\;Where There&rsquo\;s Hope\,"\; which is both an up-close-and-personal glimpse into her healing process and a heartfelt how-to guide for readers to make peace with the past and embrace the future. Her most recent work releasing in December 2025\, &ldquo\;Detours: Hope &\; Growth After Life'\;s Hardest Turns\,&rdquo\; is a memoir-meets-guide empowering readers to navigate life'\;s detours\, embrace resilience\, and find healing and purpose after adversity. In Detours\, she explores how trauma can derail one'\;s path in life and shares her struggles with captivity\, reintegration\, and resilience\, offering four key "\;Rest Stops"\; for navigating difficult turns.
\n
\nElizabeth&rsquo\;s abduction and recovery continue to motivate parents\, law enforcement\, and leaders worldwide to focus on children&rsquo\;s safety. She emphasizes vigilance by "\;everyday"\; people and the belief that hope always exists to find every missing child. Smart attended Brigham Young University\, studying music as a harp performance major. She married her husband Matthew in 2012\, and they now have three beautiful children. Elizabeth&rsquo\;s example is a daily demonstration that there really is life after tragedy.
\n \;\n

\nPrevious ATHENA Leadership Award recipients:
\n2025: Rachel Goodlad
\n2024: Nicole Robinson Gauthier
\n2023: Judge Kathleen Hamilton
\n2022: Natalie Saikowski Goertz
\n2021: Carol Gooch
\n2020: Dr. Dana Hoyt
\n2019: Dr. Marlen Tejeda
\n2018: Danielle Scheiner
\nSee 2025 event pictures here.
\n
\n2026 Nominees:
\nAgnes Bogdonowics\, Stuttgard\, LLC
\nAlicia Andino\, First National Bank Texas
\nAmanda Johns\, The Salvation Army
\nBarbara Killian\, Frontier Waste Solutions
\nBianca Chapa\, Bianca'\;s Buddies
\nBrenda Smith\, Retired Conroe ISD Teacher
\nCameron Klepac. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
\nCaroline Mason\, Whitestone Printing
\nChastity White\, Story Built Homes
\nDarlene Gagnon\, Henry'\;s Home Sanctuary
\nDiana White\, Conroe Symphony Orchestra
\nDr. Tamara Blanton\, Hometown Healing Family Medicine
\nErin Lichnovsky\, Gateway Events
\nFranchesca Calhoun\, Angel Reach
\nHeather Smith\, Rejuve Wellness and Aesthetics
\nKrystle Riley\, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital
\nLila Taylor\, The Laundry Fairy
\nSavannah Crihfield\, CH&\;P Management
\nShruti Jindal\, Celebree School of the Woodlands Creekside
\nStephanie Kosut Gregory\, Prevail Behavioral Health &\; Wellness Center
\nSusan Scott Watts\, Keller Williams Luxury
\nTina Bernard\, The Badass Arts
\nVicki Musgrove\, Conroe Noon Lion'\;s Club
\n
\n \;
\n LOCATION:Hyatt Regency Conroe (1001 Grand Central Parkway\, Conroe\, TX 77304) UID:e.1664.5126587 SEQUENCE:3 DTSTAMP:20260618T233011Z URL:https://www.chamber.conroe.org/events/details/athena-leadership-award-luncheon-2026-5126587 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR