Athena members are to be commended for their engagement in the Commission on the Status of Women on both the local and state levels.   As we heard in the update from Yvonne Fry and Susan Leisner at the March meeting, six of the members of the HCOSW are Athena members and we have never had less than three members on the Commission. The membership’s unanimous approval of the Community
Action Committee working with the COSW on a proclamation to the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners supporting Pay Equity Day on April 14 aligns with Athena Society’s position statement on Pay Equity. We also want to congratulate Sylvia Carley as a 2015 inductee into the Hillsborough County Women’s Hall of Fame.

Our new member update this month is Marlene Spalten. Marlene is the President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.  Under Marlene’s leadership, the Community Foundation has become more focused on funding organizations which give women the tools to create healthy lives for themselves and their families. Marlene began her career as a teacher – with a B.A. from Cornell in Education, she built on her credentials to become the Associate Head of the School for Advancement and Planning at the prestigious Bolles School in Jacksonville. From there she was recruited to the role of Vice President of Baptist Health and Executive Director of the Baptist Health Foundation. Baptist Health is Jacksonville’s largest community-owned hospital group consisting of five hospitals. Welcome Marlene!