Salt Lake Chamber names Wardell 2019 Athena Leadership Award recipient

The Salt Lake Chamber has announced that Linda Wardell, general manager of City Creek Center, will receive its 2019 Athena Leadership Award. Wardell will be honored at the 43rd Annual Women & Business Conference and Athena Awards Luncheon on Nov. 12 at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City.

The chamber said that the Athena award is part of a national recognition program and is its highest recognition for women in business. It is presented annually to an active member of the Salt Lake Chamber who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in business. Each recipient must also provide valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community and assist women in reaching their full leadership potential, the chamber said.

“To know Linda is to become a better person,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance, in announcing the award. “Both in business and the community, Linda is an exceptional example of what servant leadership can achieve and how it inspires others. As chair of the chamber, she has made it her mission to tackle one of Utah’s most pressing issues facing business today — the gender wage gap. Her efforts will ensure Utah has a fairer and more equitable pay environment and that everyone has the same incentives and opportunities.”

In addition to the Athena Leadership Award, five women will receive Pathfinder Awards at the November event. The Pathfinder Awards are presented annually to community leaders who create new paths promoting the development and recognition of women in business. The five Pathfinder recipients this year are Theresa Foxley, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah; Mikelle Moore, senior vice president and chief community health officer at Intermountain Healthcare; Christy Tribe, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Utah; Melanie Vartabedian, a partner at the Ballard Spahr law firm; and Jennifer Williams, chief brand ambassador at Dental Select.

Wardell has more than 30 years of experience managing and marketing shopping centers. She is involved in the community including serving on the board for the Downtown Alliance, executive committee member of the Women’s Leadership Institute, member of the Zions Bank Advisory Board and the business advisory board for Westminster College.

Established in 1982 in Lansing, Michigan, the Athena award program is now administered from its Chicago headquarters and boasts over 300 active communities in the United States, Canada, China, Russia and the United Kingdom. More than 5,000 individuals representing a wide variety of professions and businesses have received the Athena award.