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Athena Award winner announced

Judy Stroud was recognized Thursday as the 2016 Athena Award winner.

With a very humble acceptance speech, she thanked God and the people who surround her. Ms. Stroud has two careers, one as an owner of her own State Farm business franchise and one in women's basketball referee evaluation. Ms. Stroud also introduced the keynote speaker, Nora Lynn Finch, who she knew from her time at Western Carolina University.

A high school basketball standout in McDowell County, Stroud may not have known she would also be a standout in her several professions — basketball and volleyball coach, college and WNBA referee, South Atlantic Conference League Coordinator of Women’s Basketball Officials, NCAA Women’s Basketball Regional Advisor and insurance agency owner.

Since 1985 Judy Stroud has worked with the State Farm organization and has owned her own business franchise for over 25 years. Judy’s insurance work is supported by a team comprised 99 percent of women. Her training of her team of five women and one man through education, encouragement and reward enables Judy to be the community servant that she is, as well as maintaining her second career in women’s basketball referee evaluation. For two years she has served as the South Atlantic Conference coordinator of women’s basketball officials. Her responsibilities include recruiting and training women’s basketball officials. Other duties consist of assigning and evaluating officials, rules officiating and conducting clinics for officials. Judy also conducts an annual basketball clinic for high school standout students at the UNC Chapel Hill campus. From 1986-2006, she officiated in the WNBA (serving as 1 of 24 inaugural officials), she also worked women’s NCAA games all over the country. Her participation in women’s athletics followed the Title IX decisions and in many ways she continues to break ground for the recognition and treatment women deserve in the areas of high school, college and professional athletics. Mentoring comes naturally to Judy. She supports women and women athletes at all levels from junior high, where girls are learning their way through sports activities, to the collegiate and professional levels. She was named a 2014 Dedicated Women of WNC by the Hendersonville Times-News.t Kenmure Country Club.

She was nominated by Myra Grant and Lee Henderson-Hill.

Here are the other nominees:

Michelle DeGeeter nominated by Kurt Wargo. Dr. Michelle DeGeeter, an assistant professor of pharmacy at Wingate University’s Hendersonville campus, practices pharmacy in two clinics affiliated with Park Ridge Hospital Outpatient Medical Associates. The Hendersonville Regional Campus is comprised of approximately 65 percent female students and 75 percent female faculty and staff. She helps to teach and transform the lives of many around her. Dr. DeGeeter not only makes a positive impact on the lives of the patients she encounters but she also models for students an exemplary bedside, caring manner. She serves as a leader for students on campus and for fellow faculty members. Dr. DeGeeter is often sought out for her advice, always giving thought to the important interests of Wingate University, the city of Hendersonville and Henderson County. She serves on several committees within Wingate University, as an adviser to student organizations and volunteers as a pharmacist at The Free Clinics of Hendersonville. A member of several national pharmacy organizations and a certified Diabetes Educator (CDE), she has presented on nine occasions with a variety of topics ranging from strategies to enhance abilities as a pharmacy preceptor to pain management continuing education credit. She has been published in Pharmacy Education, Journal of Pharmacy Practice, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and the Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

Denise Medved nominated by Jill Hill and Sally Massagee. Denise Medved was told at a very young age that she would not be able to walk very long and that she would live most of her life in a wheelchair. However, a physician pulled her aside and said she should walk out that door and never look back but to move every day. She took his advice and made exercise her career insuring that she did “move” every day. Now, not only can she walk at age 64, she can practically put her leg to her ear. She created an exercise program and after seven years of research she launched Ageless Grace LLC. Partnering with the Western Carolina University Graduate School of Nursing-Gerontology Certificate program and hands-on pilot programs at Pardee Hospital, Ageless Grace is a brain-body fitness program based on the cutting-edge theories of neuroplasticity, which activates all five functions of the brain and addresses all 21 physical skills necessary for lifelong function. Medved has worked nonstop to get this information out to the world and the program has expanded from Hendersonville to 50 states and 16 countries. She has developed a team of more than 50 trainers world-wide and together they have trained more than 1600 people, 99 percent which are women (with Denise training more than half of them herself) to be educators or instructors for the program. She truly believes in giving back and has given to Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Loan Closet, Salvation Army and hosted fundraisers for Hurricane Sandy and other disasters, teaches volunteer classes at IAM, local schools, area retirement living communities, Mainstay/Safelight, Professional Women’s Network (PWN), Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) and Mission and Pardee Hospitals. Medved was named Outstanding Alumna of the College of Communications at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, she authored a book on marketing, spoke in Washington about Ageless Grace and was one of the first women executives in advertising, serving on the team that came up with frequent flyer miles.

Julia Hockenberry nominated by Teddi Segal. Julia Hockenberry rapidly rose to assistant director at the Boys and Girls Club. The Boys and Girls Club of America recognized her work in marketing, communications and publicity. She increased annual unrestricted giving by more than 100 percent in her first three years on the job. Professionally she has worked in journalism, publishing, and as a news director/reporter/news anchor in public radio. She is also a professional grant writer. Classically trained as a singer with a BA in music and a minor in English from Florida State University, she serves on the teen parent advisory committee at Children and Family Resource Center, sings at her church St. James Episcopal and is raising with her husband, Jay, three school age children. Hockenberry is the main connector of club girls to mental health and other health services. Julia publishes a monthly article regarding critical Boys and Girls Club events and issues for the Times-News, earning national awards for club programming excellence and excellence in marketing and communications.

Julie Huneycutt nominated by Robin Reed. Julie Huneycutt co-founded Anna’s Hope, a donor-advised fund through Community Foundation of Henderson County that was established to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and addiction. She is the first in Henderson County to use a fund as a social platform. Huneycutt joined HopeRx as a volunteer in 2013 and became the director in 2014. She helped start and facilitate the first family support group for parents who have a loved one struggling with addiction with groups averaging over 25-30 attendees a week. In 2015, she established “We Are Hope,” a substance abuse prevention week with participation by six area high schools later expanding to four middle schools, with over 7,000 students hearing the message. Women are abusing drugs 400 percent more than they did 10 years ago according to the NIH Institute on Drug Abuse. Huneycutt mentors women with addiction issues, encouraging them to seek treatment options and helping them find their self-worth and ultimate recovery. Julie mentored a young woman named Jessi whom she encouraged to personally tell her story. In 2016, Jessi received a standing ovation from the four schools were she spoke. Passionate and courageous about preventing prescription drug abuse and using her voice, personal experiences and hope to make a difference in Henderson County and beyond. This was not part of her life’s plan but on the day she lost Anna, Huneycutt turned into a fierce advocate against prescription drug abuse and vowed to do everything in her power to keep another family from suffering the way she and her family did.

Gala Rice nominated by Randy Hunter. Employed with Hunter Subaru Hyundai since August of 2000, Rice has always been a top producer in sales, being recognized as salesperson of the month 46 out of the last 60 months. She was also named the #1 salesperson in the Atlanta region, which encompasses most of the Southeast for sales volume in 2015. She has been featured in Bold Life magazine highlighting her achievements in a male dominated auto industry. She is involved in mentoring sales trainees for a two-week period after completing classroom room training. She is committed to the professional advancement of women in the automotive industry. She assists young women with skill development to give these young women an opportunity to be paid what they are worth. She has served for eight years on the board of Brevard Christian Women, being the prayer coordinator, nursery director, treasurer and chairman. She served on the board of Brevard Wesleyan Church and director of women’s ministry for 2 years. She hosted ladies retreats and luncheons. She has been involved with Habitat for Humanity and Hunter employees were the first business in Henderson County to build a complete home. She took it upon herself to lead the “Legacy Run,” helping families whose lives were affected by cancer. Rice currently leads a weekly healthy living exercise Bible study group and the group’s battle cry is changing women’s lives one meal at a time, one mile at a time and one prayer at a time. She is also a small business owner, owning a Curves Fitness Center where she works with women to develop spiritually and physically so they can live healthier lives. She is the mother of three children and has been married 25 years.

 

Tickets are still available. Call the Chamber of Commerce at 692-1413 to reserve a seat.