2025 ATHENA Award Finalists Announced

The 2025 ATHENA Award finalists have been announced. The ATHENA Leadership Awards recognize exemplary leadership and professional excellence. The ATHENA Leadership Award recognizes an accomplished individual who actively supports women in attaining professional excellence and leadership skills. It recognizes all that recipients have accomplished as well as how they have paved the path for future successes. The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award celebrates emerging leaders between the ages of 22 and 40 who demonstrate professional excellence and clearly serve as a professional and personal role model for women and girls. The ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award is presented to an organization or business that amplifies and celebrates leaders who are women. The award highlights organizations that create a culture of inclusive leadership and create opportunities for women’s professional advancement and growth. The ATHENA Award is a program of the ATHENA Foundation, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to creating leadership opportunities for women.

2025 ATHENA Leadership Award Finalists

• Amber Shrodes, Director of Philanthropy and Community Engagement, Harford County Public Library
• Angela Rose, President & CEO, Harford County Chamber of Commerce
• Angela Sheldon, Lead Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
• Melynda Velez, Executive Director, LASOS (Linking All So Others Succeed)
• Vickie Bands, Director, Community Outreach and Health Improvement, University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health

2025 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award Finalists

• April Cheatham, Director of Community and Business Relations, Extreme Family Outreach
• Ashley Mintzer, Branch Manager, Harford Bank
• Chanel Kelly, Program Manager/Director, Tenax Technologies
• Lauren Beward, Business Development Manager, Bravura Information Technology Systems, Inc.

2025 Organizational Leadership Award

• 755 Alliance: BangTam Miller, President and Founder
• Homeward Bound Veterinary Services: Dr. Kristen Vance, Director
• Rodier Family Law: Samantha Rodier, Managing Partner
• The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region: Shawn Kros, President & CEO

Celebrate the dedication and achievements of the finalists at the 2025 ATHENA Leadership Award Breakfast on March 7 from 7:30 to 10 AM at the Water’s Edge Event Center, 4687 Millennium Dr, Belcamp, MD 21017. The event is hosted by the Harford Community College Foundation and presented by PK Law. The keynote speaker is Ranger Angela Crenshaw, Director of the Maryland Park Service.