Business community honors Amanda Covington with the prestigious 2023 ATHENA Leadership Award
Today, the Salt Lake Chamber hosted the 47th annual Women & Business Conference and awarded the prestigious 2023 ATHENA Leadership Award. This annual conference provides a valuable platform for furthering professional growth and fostering relationships in the business community. This year’s theme was “Thriving in the Hive.” View the conference agenda here.
During the luncheon, the Salt Lake Chamber presented the ATHENA Leadership Award to Amanda Covington, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for The Larry H. Miller Company. This award is presented to an active member who demonstrates creativity and initiative in business, provides valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community, and assists women in reaching their full leadership potential.
“Through her unwavering commitment to excellence and her tireless dedication to empowering women in leadership, Amanda Covington embodies the ATHENA spirit. She is a shining example of how creativity, initiative, and a passion for community can drive extraordinary change,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber.
In addition to the ATHENA Leadership Award, five women received the Pathfinder Award for their work to create new paths and promote the development and recognition of women in business. This year’s recipients included:
- Lucy Cardenas, President & Owner, The Red Iguana Restaurants
- Natalie El-Deiry, Director of Immigration & New American Integration, Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity
- Kaitlin Eskelson, President & CEO, Visit Salt Lake
- Deneiva Knight, External Affairs Director, Comcast
- Pauline Ploquin, President & Partner, Struck
Attendees at the conference had the opportunity to hear from several business leaders in breakout sessions, covering topics such as aligning passion and purpose in business, how to embrace change, networking and simple tips for expanding a professional toolkit. View session overviews here.
Jacki Zehner, Founder of SheMoney and ShePlace, gave the keynote address, sharing her expertise on financial wellness and how supporting women’s financial education, agency and wellness is good for everyone. After departing Goldman in 2002, Jacki dedicated nearly a decade to immersing herself in the intricacies of the wealth management industry. She then wholeheartedly embraced philanthropy, actively participating on numerous women-focused nonprofit boards and contributing through her family foundation. Additionally, Jacki co-founded the global philanthropic network Women Moving Millions, where members collectively committed over one billion dollars with a gender-focused perspective.
This year’s conference was sponsored by Dominion Energy and WCF Insurance. Wells Fargo sponsored the ATHENA Awards Luncheon and the event sponsor was the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation. BW Productions, Comcast, JP Morgan Chase, Mountain America Credit Union, Select Health and Target River were breakout sponsors. Exhibit hall sponsor was CHG Healthcare and the gift sponsor was Holland & Hart. Supporting sponsors were Altabank, Boart Longyear/Veracio, CBRE, Cricut, Deseret Digital Media, Deseret Management Corporation, Intermountain Health, Morgan Stanley, O.C. Tanner Company, PCF Insurance Services, Rio Tinto Kennecott, Rocky Mountain Power, The Larry H. Miller Company, University of Utah, WaFd Bank and Zions Bank.
