JEAN MADSEN (left), a long-time educator, was given the 11th annual Athena Award this year by Athena Chair person Chantel Chase.
The long-time educator, who recently received the 2008 Athena Award from the Davis Chamber of Commerce’s Women In Business Leadership Committee, has been involved with everything from the Bountiful/Davis Art Center (BDAC) to the founding of the Davis Applied Technology College (DATC). At the Women in Business luncheon held last week, chamber members and officials from all across the county gathered to honor Madsen’s impact on the community.
“The life she’s led intersected with each and every one of ours so many times,” said Davis Chamber president John Pitt during his remarks at the luncheon. He also riffed on the old saying “If it is to be, it is up to me. If it is to be, many times it is up to Jean Madsen.”
Madsen, who has lobbied for education in Washington, D.C., was instrumental in the creation of Weber State University’s Davis Campus. She sits on the Foundation Board of the DATC, recently helped create the Jean Madsen Children’s Center at the BDAC, is a co-founder of the Bountiful chapter of the Soroptimists club (a service group that helps women and children) and is a member of both the Chamber of Commerce’s “Lakesiders Club” and the Bountiful Lion’s Club.
In between all this, Madsen performed as a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for several years. She also served as a long-time principal of J.A. Taylor Elementary, and was honored at the luncheon by the J.A. Taylor choir singing the school’s theme song. Madsen, who got her graduate degree in music, wrote the song.
“When you get to be 84 you’ve lived a lot of lives,” said Madsen. “It’s been a wonderful trip.”
The Athena Award, which the Women in Business Leadership Committee has presented for the last 11 years, is an international award designed to honor women leaders who have made an impact on their community.
“The Athena was designed to honor, encourage, and support women leaders,” said Martha Mertz, founder of the Athena Award, in a video presentation. Athena Awards, which were first presented 25 years ago, are now being given out in countries all across the world, including India. “We wanted to change the face of what leadership looked like.”
jwardell@davisclipper.com
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