KC Chamber set to honor steward of economic inclusion with its 2024 ATHENA award
September 3, 2024 | Startland News Staff
Transformational leadership guides Qiana Thomason’s purpose, officials with the KC Chamber said, detailing the Health Forward Foundation executive’s commitment to health equity through strategic community investments and policy influence through seasoned social capital.
Thomason is set to be honored 5 p.m. Oct. 16 at Starlight Theatre during the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 ATHENA Leadership Award ceremony. The reception also will celebrate Kamera Meaney, director of advocacy and government relations for University Health, as the ATHENA Young Professional.
Click here for more event details.
“The ATHENA Award is about championing women in business and the community,” said Lindsay Jarquio, director of leadership development for the KC Chamber. “This is an opportunity to honor exceptional women like Qiana Thomason and Kamera Meaney, who unlock the potential of others and drive progress in critical issues.”
“The ATHENA Award celebrates those who lead the way in empowering women throughout the Kansas City region to rise, lead and inspire the future,” she continued.
The prestigious honor is presented annually to a woman (or man) who stands out in professional excellence, community service, and actively helps women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills, according to the KC Chamber.
Click here to learn more about past ATHENA recipients.
As president and CEO of Health Forward Foundation, Thomason guides the $1 billion foundation in stewarding diverse capital investments, leadership in public policy, and institutional social capital that fosters health and economic inclusion throughout the Kansas City region.
Her transformational leadership has positioned Health Forward as a national model, the KC Chamber said in a release.
Click here for more on Qiana Thomason’s background and previous awards.
Kamera Meaney, University Health
University Health’s Meaney works strategically to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes for underinvested communities through policy creation and lobbying efforts.
She is also committed to the betterment of the community and all of those within it, the KC Chamber said, noting Meaney is a graduate of the Centurions Leadership Program and a current participant in the Missouri Chamber’s Leadership Missouri.
She serves on the UMKC Alumni board and was a past board president of Nurture KC as well as the Centurions Alumni Board.
RELATED: Nurture KC partners with Prospect KC in fight against hunger in Kansas City’s urban core
Featured Business
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Build Trybe outgrows incubator mode, taking over Maker Village KC to train at-risk youth in trades
When Nick Ward-Bopp launched Maker Village KC more than five years ago near Martini Corner, he never dreamed the maker space would incubate a program for at-risk youth that ultimately would build beyond it. Set up in a once-vacant Midtown building he rehabbed with co-founder and longtime friend Sam Green, the space started as a…
Fund Me, KC: Tangible launching ‘magical pillow’ that shares physical touch with far-away loved ones
Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses or lend a helping hand to others. This is an opportunity for business owners and innovators — like Akshay Dinakar and the launch of his Tangible “magical pillow” — to share their crowdfunding stories and potentially gain…
LaunchKC shines spotlight on founders as first social venture studio cohort takes the stage
Tying Jerren Thornhill’s social venture to the footwear industry jogs a logical path, the founder said: re-selling used shoes was a $2 billion industry in 2021, and more importantly: “Kids love shoes.” His startup, One Pair — founded in 2020 to provide teenagers with a pathway to financial security through entrepreneurship while simultaneously minimizing their…
System set up to ‘suck the life’ out of formerly incarcerated people takes a hit with new microloan deal
A recently announced agreement is expected to help returning citizens break a cycle of struggle that’s historically been reinforced by a criminal justice system advocates say is set up to make them fail, said Kyle J. Benson-Smith. The Kansas City District SBA Office and two local nonprofit organizations held a public signing ceremony Wednesday afternoon…