Don't Just Talk About It; Be About It [ATHENA]

Serving as the ATHENA Grand Rapids Chair over the past two years has been incredibly impactful in how I think about leadership. As a Council, we embraced the philosophy, "don't just talk about it, BE about it" and, over the past two years, we were able to make significant shifts in how we leveraged our resources to align to our values.

I'm proud to say that last year alone, 90% of the vendors we worked with (from catering, to speaker gifts, to linens and facilities) were women-owned or women-led, and 50% of our vendors were minority-owned.

Progress doesn't happen accidentally. Grateful for the opportunity to work with a council that doesn't accept the status-quo and for the leadership and openness of Mel Trombley & the Chamber team that always finds a way to turn our lofty ideas into reality.

Looking forward to all the good things ahead with our new fab Council Chair, Krashawn Martin!