Two exemplary leaders from the region will be presented with the prestigious ATHENA Leadership Award® and the ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award at a luncheon Wednesday, May 3, at noon in Mabee Hall of Austin College’s Wright Campus Center. The event is presented by Austin College, its Center for Community and Regional Development, and its Texoma Women Get Connected Committee, in partnership with United Way of Grayson County. Cost of the luncheon is $25 per person, and online registration is required by May 1. For information, call 903.813.2041.
Sponsors for the event include Texoma Health Foundation, Wilson N. Jones Regional Medical Center, Austin College Institutional Advancement staff in honor of Jill Joiner Roberts, and Kristine Berry McKinney in memory of Clara Blackford Smith.
The 2017 Young Professional Leadership Award nominee honorees are Trish Bridges, director of critical care services at Wilson N. Jones Regional Medical Center, and Mikayla Stocks, volunteer coordinator, case worker, and grant writer at Grayson County Shelter.
Nominee honorees for the ATHENA Leadership Award are Michelle Castle, branch manager at Guild Mortgage Company; Janis Fletcher, City of Sherman certified court clerk in the Municipal Court; and Leigh Ann Sims, commercial loan officer at Legends Bank.
Austin College reinstated the local awards three years ago, with nominations open to leaders in Cooke, Fannin, and Grayson counties. The award recipient in each category will be announced at the luncheon.
Kourtny Garrett, president and CEO of Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI), will speak during the luncheon, following up on a morning session of the Texoma-area Nonprofit Symposium. Garrett has been a member of the DDI leadership team since September 2002, serving as executive vice president from 2012 to 2016 when she took on the role of president of the economic development group, with the CEO position to begin in January 2017. A Dallas Morning News article called her “downtown Dallas’ biggest economic evangelist” and she is determined to move the city forward. She serves on many Dallas-area boards, is a 2009 Leadership Dallas graduate, and has been included on the Dallas Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty” list. Recognized for her innovative leadership, shealso leads the Downtown Dallas 360 plan and DDI’s education agenda. A 2000 graduate of Austin College, Garrett holds a master’s degree in urban affairs from the University of Texas at Arlington.
ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award Nominees
ATHENA Young Professional Leadership nominees are emerging women leaders who demonstrate excellence, creativity, and initiative in their business or profession; provide valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in their community; and clearly serve as role models for young women both personally and professionally.
Trish Bridges
Bridges was recognized for her leadership skills and heart for service early in her career as a nurse. Today, she is the director of critical care services at WNJ Regional Medical Center, which encompasses several departments in the hospital including the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Room. Beyond the hospital’s walls, Trish has been described as an “invaluable” member of the North Texas Young Professionals, first as a volunteer and then on the board of directors. She currently services as NTYP president.
Mikayla Stocks
Upon graduating cum laude from Austin College in 2016, Stocks jumped into the career world at the Grayson County Shelter. In her first nine months with the organization, she raised $64,000 to provide more food boxes, clothing vouchers, transportation, and services for the organization. This past Christmas, she organized gift donations for children at the shelter and for low-income families. She also has been active in the Texoma Homeless Coalition, coordinating with shelters in the Texoma region to conduct a 2017 Housing Inventory Count and surveys of residents in shelters in the three-county area.
ATHENA Leadership Award Nominees
The ATHENA Leadership Award® is presented to individuals who have attained and embody the highest level of professional excellence in their business or profession, devote time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community, and actively assist women in realizing their full leadership potential.
Michelle Castle
Since opening the Sherman branch of Guild Mortgage in 2011 with three employees, Castle has added four locations and increased the support staff to almost 30. She is recognized for creating an office culture and processes that serve as a role model for Guild Mortgage branches across the country, and often presents at the company’s national summit to share her marketing expertise. Castle also is known for mentorship and strong support of career advancement for women working in the mortgage banking business. A generous sponsor of local charity events, including the Guild Breakfast with Santa at Sherman’s Snowflake Festival, she serves as board president of the Child & Family Guidance Center of Texoma.
Janis Fletcher
In her role with the Sherman Municipal Court, Fletcher deals daily with legal issues of citizens. For the past two years, she has worked toward advanced court clerk certification from the State of Texas, and in April 2017, achieved her Level III certification, becoming the 72nd person in the state to reach the highest level. Outside her career, Fletcher works to save lives through breast cancer awareness and early detection. She serves as board president of Women Rock, a local nonprofit organization dedication to raising funds and awareness for the disease. A cancer survivor, Fletcher provides education, support, and empowerment for women undergoing treatment.
Leigh Ann Sims
The banking industry defines Sims’ professional life, and beyond the office, she is known for service to the community she calls home. She is currently president of the Sherman Service League and serves on the advisory board of Grand Central Station soup kitchen in Sherman, is vice chair of Wesley Village in Denison, and is a member of this year’s Leadership Sherman class. She spent several years organizing and serving Thanksgiving dinner for the women and children of the Crisis Center in Sherman.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.