Marion Women's Business Council hosts Athena Award luncheon March 13
Six outstanding Marion County women have been nominated for the 2023 Athena Leadership Award, which is sponsored by the Marion Women's Business Council (WBC). This year's luncheon is scheduled for Monday, March 13 at The Barn at All Occasions in Waldo.
The Athena Leadership Award is presented to a woman – or man – who is honored for professional excellence, community service, and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills. Caledonia resident Ellen Messenger, community relations director for Tri-Rivers Joint Vocational School District, was the 2022 recipient of the award.
Following are the six nominees for 2023 Athena Award, listed in alphabetical order:
Lisa Cudd, entrepreneur and philanthropist, owner of Bluebird's Nest Shop online retail store
Heidi Jones, executive director of the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce and former executive director of Marion Matters, Inc.
Jennifer Decker Lawson, senior education specialist and coach for Focus 3, an advisory firm that provides consulting and training
Amy Orr Parker, education specialist for the Ohio Department of Education and founder of Luke 3:11 Ministries
Leslie Schneider, resource development director for United Way of North Central Ohio, Inc.
Lora Troutman, founder of the Peace and Freedom Committee and retired Whirlpool Corp. employee
Lisa Cudd
Lisa Cudd has worn many hats throughout the years. Until her retirement from Marion General Hospital, she spent 27 years in various capacities earning awards for her excellent customer service and recognition for her work. She converted the medical staff office to completely digital records and maintained the physician credential software, even lowering the credentialing turnaround time.
While at MGH, she was very active in the Marion Chapter International Association of Administrative Professionals from 1991-2015, holding multiple offices and achieving Certified Administrative Professional status 1995-2015.
Cudd also started a home-based business called Bluebird’s Nest offering greeting cards and stationery through local shops and Etsy. Her sales have quadrupled since 2020 and she maintains Etsy’s Star Seller status for smooth shipping, speedy replies and rave reviews.
Cudd has served as volunteer Cub Scout Den Leader and Cub Master with Boy Scouts of America, volunteered with the Marion Palace Theatre, and served in various positions with St. Mary Church.
However, it was an inspiration in February 2014 that lead to what may be her biggest impact in the local community. After seeing a report on Columbus, Ohio’s 100 Women Who Care Chapter, she thought, “Why not here?” With the help of Dena Coy and Doris Schwartz, Cudd founded the local chapter and three months later, with 13 founding members, the first meeting and donation to a local 501c3 entity transpired.
Heidi Jones
Many in Marion know Heidi Jones from Marion Matters, which she joined in 2013 and spent many hours with low income families working to build relationships for community solutions across economic class lines. As a lifetime Bridges Out of Poverty trainer, she has created a more systematic understanding of poverty in in the Marion area. She has brought programs like "Getting Ahead" to help those in poverty gain skills to obtain a better life and knowledge to access valuable resources to sustain pathways out of poverty. Jones also brought the Employer Resource Network (ERN) to Marion to add stability to business workforce.
Jones has worked locally with collaborative organizations addressing transportation, housing, and childcare issues facing Marion County residents. These issues have been ones that many residents have been struggling with in our community, especially women who also struggle with issues such as food instability, job insecurity and domestic violence. She can add a voice and unique perspective that has been shaped by her experience. With her investment in the community and her knowledge base, Heidi has become a "first-stop" for individuals struggling. She is also a driving force professionally by supporting female colleagues working across the for-profit and non-profit realms. Heidi can be seen as a true support to give endorsements and support other female professionals.
Jones is an honorary member of The National Society of Leadership and Success. She also saw an opportunity to act as host for the Martin Luther King Jr. Park Neighborhood Association to meet and act as a rallying point for the west-side neighborhood.
Jennifer Decker Lawson
While at Marion City Schools, Jennifer Decker Lawson was responsible for implementing the 4 Pillars, as well as creating alternative learning opportunities for students supporting diversity, equity and social justice. She served as lead project coordinator for the Ohio Principal Evaluation System project, Ohio Teacher Evaluation, and Race to the Top Assurance Area. Lawson also served as a project lead for Student Learning Objectives and Assessment literacy with Align, Assess, Achieve, LLC.
Lawson has been a member of multiple area boards, including Marion YMCA (president), Marion Area Counseling Center, Women’s Business Council, Marion Young Professionals (founding member & consultant), United Way of Marion County (Silver Level member & campaign co-chair), and Ohio Health/Marion General Hospital.
Lawson is also Lean Six sigma, green belt certified; a PAX Tools Trainer; Leader in Me Parent Certification Trainer; Title IX Coordinator, Investigator, Decision-Maker, Information Resolution Facilitator; Focus 3-R Factor trained; Adaptive Schools Facilitator Certified; and Funkytown Training-Conflict Resolution.
Showing support in both her personal and professional life for other female teachers, administrators, friends and community members as they strive to make their goals is an area Lawson goes above and beyond in by outlining a path for them.
Amy Orr Parker
Amy Orr Parker has spent the last decade working at the State of Ohio Department of Education as an Education Program Specialist. She currently works in the Office of Nutrition, but has also worked in the Office of Assessment and the Office of Early Learning over the years.
Parker earned the State of Ohio Master Teacher distinction in 2008, and has written and won numerous grants to fund her creative ideas to benefit her students.
Parker has spent most of her volunteer efforts with various local churches, but she has also spent time in the Salvation Army’s Soup Kitchen, donated over four gallons of blood through the American Red Cross, was vice chairman of the City of Marion 2nd Ward Board of Zoning Appeals, was vice president of the board of directors for Love, INC. She is an ordained independent minister to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Many people locally know Parker through the Lumpy Loads of Laundry and Peanut Butter Jelly Truck Projects. Along with her husband and a team of volunteers, she created and founded the local nonprofit agency Luke 3:11 Ministries in 2019 to administer those initiatives. In 2022, they served over 30,000 mobile meals, have generated nearly 2,000 jugs of recycled, refilled laundry detergent for distribution through local food pantries and clothing closets. Parker's newest project is a mobile laundry service, which cleaned 160 loads in the fourth quarter of 2022. She is working on securing corporate sponsors for upcoming free laundry nights.
Leslie Schneider
In 2019, Leslie Schneider was honored to be chosen as one of Marion’s “Dynamic Dozen." That was in part through her work as the resource development director for the United Way of North Central Ohio, Inc., which serves Marion, Crawford, and Wyandot counties. She has held this position for over five years.
Schneider helped to shape the current community campaign by building connections, which results in hundreds of thousands of dollars being invested back into quality programs in Marion annually. Her spirit of unity and love for Marion shines through in her everyday life.
Prior to United Way, her strength of caring and compassion led her to work as a hospice professional for a local health care organization. She is a skilled facilitator, and has a certificate of results based accountability from Clear Impact Academy, which leads her to serve on multiple coalitions throughout Marion. She is also a certified leadership coach through the Emerge Coaching Network based in Akron.
Schneider serves as a board member for the Marion Rotary Club and Marion Public Library, as well as a chairperson for the Marion Family and Children First Council. She is an advisory council member of the Marion Boys and Girls Club, a member of the Women’s Business Council, the Historic Women’s Club, and the Marion League of Women Voters. She is a mentor for the Marion Mentors program and Marion MPACT committee member.
Schneider is passionate about early childhood development and learning. She served as member of the Marion City Schools board of education from 2016-2022. During that time, she attended many education advocacy events and served on several committees through the Ohio Department of Education.
Lora Troutman
Lora Troutman worked for the Whirlpool Corporation Marion Operations for 39 years, retiring in 2016. After retiring from Whirlpool, she spent six years as a bus aid for Marion City Schools, where she dealt with arguments, fights, drugs, and personally being attacked. She did this with dignity and compassion, always being a supportive adult for the youth who needed one.
Serving the community is where her commitment to Marion comes through the most. In 2007, she founded Marion’s Peace and Freedom Committee (PFC). She invited five friends to join her and together they coordinated and held Marion’s first event. Seventy-five people attended that first breakfast. Sixteen years later, 380 people attended the 2023 MLK Breakfast and Youth Oratory, Essay, Poetry, and Art Awards. The goals of the youth contests are to actively help strengthen the reading, writing, and public speaking skills of area students; and to encourage and educate youth through Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dreams for peace, freedom, and equality. For her work with PFC and the MLK Breakfast/Youth Contests, Troutman was recognized in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama with his Drum Majors for Service Award.
In recent years, the Peace and Freedom Committee has expanded to include additional programs. The Annual Hats Off to You Ladies Luncheon recognizes Marion women who have overcome obstacles. In 2021, with Troutman's leadership, the PFC started a Juneteenth Celebration which includes a blood drive to collect much needed donations from the community of color. The PFC most recently expanded its mission to have a physical presence in the underserved neighborhood near Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. Currently, 11 women make-up the committee. She also serves her church as leader of Daughters of Life Ministry.
Ticket information
The winner of this year's award will be unveiled during a luncheon scheduled for Monday, March 13 at The Barn at All Occasions, 6989 Marion-Waldo Road in Waldo. A social time is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. with the luncheon set to begin at noon.
Tickets to the luncheon cost $25 each and must be reserved by Monday, March 6. To reserve a seat, send an email to mrn.wbc@gmail.com or register on the WBC's website at www.womensbusinesscouncil.com.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion Women's Business Council hosts Athena Award luncheon March 13
