The tributes are heartfelt and abundant.
As I write this column in the waning days of March — Women’s History Month and International Women’s Month — I’ve been struck by the number of women who have posted on LinkedIn about the female mentors, managers and colleagues who shaped their careers.
It’s in that same spirit of honoring female leaders that the Business Forum’s ATHENA Leadership Award is handed out each year.
Carole Schaeffer, JLA Architects’ vice president of business development-Wisconsin and the founder of Schaeffer Consulting, was named this year’s winner on March 11 at Nakoma Golf Club.
“Thank you so much for the women that are supporting other women here and lifting each other up. It is an incredible, incredible thing, and now, more than ever, we need to do that for each other,” Schaeffer said when accepting her award, “and continue to be mentors and leaders and to be there for the next generation.”
Schaeffer’s long list of career accomplishments includes time as the executive director of Smart Growth Greater Madison and vice president of business development roles at Friede & Associates and Miron Construction Co. She has also spearheaded events that offer hands-on experiences to encourage women to pursue careers in construction, mentored young women in real estate and construction and worked with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s WIRE (Women in Real Estate) program, in addition to serving on a slew of boards and advisory bodies.
In addition to Schaeffer, this year’s nominees included Joanna Burish, Lindsay Hagens, Nicki Handel, Ashley Rodriguez, Nicole Safar, Tami Schiltz, Tessa Sokol and Janis Strutt, who were all honored for their professional excellence, community service and dedication to helping other women succeed in leadership.
Since 1982, ATHENA International has celebrated more than 8,000 award recipients, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Billie Jean King, Condoleezza Rice, astronaut Christina Koch and Gabrielle Giffords.
As in past years, In Business Madison was a media sponsor for the local event, and staff journalist Brittney Kenaston served on this year’s judging panel.
Madison has plenty of networking groups that bolster women in leadership roles, including TEMPO Madison, the Wisconsin Women’s Network, the Progress Center for Black Women, the Brauds, StartingBlock’s Her Network, the Midwest Mujeres Collective and Wisconsin Women in Government.
Data shows such support is still needed. According to 2024 data from LinkedIn, women held only 30.6% of leadership positions across industries globally. The report, “The State of Women in Leadership,” also found progress had slowed — the figure was only a 0.2 percentage point bump since 2022.
“Women face significant challenges in securing their first management role, and leadership gaps widen with age, particularly for older generations,” the study showed. “Even in industries where women are the majority of the workforce, leadership opportunities remain unevenly distributed.”
Congratulations to all of the ATHENA nominees who are leading the way for the next generation, and lifting others up as they ascend in their careers.
