Banquet cooks up awards for female business leader

The 21st annual Athena International Awards Banquet is being held this April in Columbia, hosted by the Women's Network.

The keynote speaker for the event will be Dianne Lynch, president of Stephens College. Guests will enjoy a sit-down dinner, a short program, and the presentation of two awards.

The Athena Young Professional Award and the Athena International Award will be given out to women who have shown leadership and who have positively contributed to the local business community.

The Women's Network has a mission to empower and educate women while providing opportunities for communication and innovation. The organization hosts several events each year, including luncheons and other networking social events, while also providing scholarships and grants to locals.

The banquet is likely to be the ideal networking opportunity for Columbia female business leaders. No doubt most of the women planning to attend will be placing a new business card printing order to ensure that they have enough digitally printed cards to distribute to everyone they meet.

The Athena International Awards Banquet is taking place at the Lela Raney Wood Hall's Kimball Ballroom at Stephens College on April 9 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Tickets are $30 and must be purchased by April 3. To learn more about this event, or the awards, contact Brenda McDermott at 573-817-9119.