Joan Lunden selected as Conroe Chamber's ATHENA Leadership Award Luncheon keynote speaker

CONROE, TX – Award-winning journalist, best-selling author, television host and motivational speaker Joan Lunden will deliver the keynote address at the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce ATHENA Leadership Award Luncheon. The luncheon is scheduled for Friday, July 19, 2024, at the Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe | Houston. The ATHENA Leadership Award Luncheon is presented by Better Bookkeepers and Lunden’s keynote address is sponsored by Worthington Manor.

“Better Bookkeepers is once again honored to support the ATHENA Leadership Award Luncheon,” said Melanie K. Bush, owner, Better Bookkeepers. “Our female leaders empower and drive us to reach higher and achieve more every day. Like our fabulous speaker this year, ATHENA leaders are respected for hard work and dedication to their craft. They consistently strive for righteousness in every situation, overcoming adversity along the way.”

For the seventh year, the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce will partner with ATHENA International, an organization that develops, supports, and honors girls and women from the classroom to the boardroom, building a global pipeline of women leaders. To recognize the wonderful women in Montgomery County, the Chamber collects nominations for the ATHENA Leadership Award and sends them to ATHENA International, where a committee selects three finalists and an award recipient based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrates a high level of professional excellence
• Contributes time and energy to improve the quality of life for others
• Actively assists women and girls in achieving their full potential

The luncheon on July 19 will recognize nominees, honor finalists, and celebrate the recipient who is announced at the event. This is the only women-focused event in Montgomery County that celebrates women leaders from all industries, ages, and backgrounds. Over 500 guests are anticipated to attend the luncheon.

“Joan Lunden has been a beacon of honesty, integrity and professionalism – not only as a journalist and television anchor, but as a woman, a mother, and a fighter,” said Scott Harper, President of the Chamber. “Her story will resonate with our ATHENA audience.”

Lunden will speak on women’s empowerment and overcoming the odds.

For nearly two decades, Lunden greeted viewers each morning on ABC’s Good Morning America making her the longest running female host ever on early morning television. She continues to be one of America’s most recognized and trusted journalists which has made her a sought-after speaker for events across the country. As an ardent health & senior advocate, she has testified before the Food and Drug Administration advocating mandatory mammogram reporting and the Congressional House Ways and Means Committee advocating for the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Lunden is the host of the PBS television series, Second Opinion with Joan Lunden and the Washington Post Podcast series, Caring for Tomorrow on the future of healthcare. She is also the ambassador to the Poynter Institute’s MediaWise for Seniors program which educates individuals over 50 on media literacy - separating fact from fiction online. Recently, Lunden also served as a visiting professor at Lehigh University in their College of Health teaching Population Health and the Media.

One of the most visible women in America, Lunden has graced the covers of more than 60 magazines and book covers. Her newest book, Why Did I Come into This Room: A Candid Conversation About Aging quickly became a New York Times Best Seller.

In June of 2014, Lunden was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. An eternal optimist, she turned her diagnosis and subsequent cancer treatment into an opportunity to become an advocate to help others. Lunden shared her battle against breast cancer in her book Had I Known.

She continues to interact with Americans daily on her website, Joanlunden.com, as well as her social media platforms. Lunden has served as national spokesperson for various organizations such as the American Heart Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, American Lung Association, American Red Cross, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Colon Cancer Alliance.

Her books include: Why Did I Come into This Room: A Candid Conversation About Aging; Had I Known; Chicken Soup for the Soul: Family Caregiving; Growing Up Healthy: Protecting Your Child From Diseases Now Through Adulthood; Wake-Up Calls; A Bend in the Road is Not the End of the Road; Joan Lunden’s Healthy Living; Joan Lunden’s Healthy Cooking; Mother’s Minutes; Your Newborn Baby; and Good Morning, I’m Joan Lunden.

Former ATHENA Leadership Award recipients have included:

2023: Judge Kathleen Hamilton
2022: Natalie Saikowski Goertz
2021: Carol Gooch
2020: Dr. Dana Hoyt
2019: Dr. Marlen Tejeda
2018: Danielle Scheiner

The link to nominate a woman for the ATHENA Leadership Award is https://bit.ly/ATHENA_nomination. Sponsorship opportunities for the ATHENA Leadership Award Luncheon are available by contacting Courtney Budra, Director of Special Events, at 936.538.7111 or courtneyb@conroe.org. To purchase tickets to the event, visit https://bit.ly/45wEw36.