MJ Tocci Wins 2011 Athena Award

I am thrilled to learn that my friend MJ Tocci has been named the winner of the 2011 Greater Pittsburgh ATHENA Award.  The Pgh Business Times reports here.

The ATHENA Award Program of Pittsburgh is online here.  According to the website:

The ATHENA Award recognizes women in our community who:

• Demonstrate excellence, creativity and initiative in their business profession
• Contribute time and energy to improving the quality of life for others in the community
• Actively assist women in realizing their full leadership potential
• It is the program's explicit focus on the importance of mentorship that distinguishes the ATHENA Award among other honors for women in business.

According to the Business Times, MJ "was recognized for her professional excellence, mentorship and contributions to Greater Pittsburgh. Her company coaches attorneys on communications skills. She is also the founder of Fulcrum Advisors and is on the faculty of the Women's Executive Leadership Program at the Beard Institute at Duquesne University. She is on the boards of the Women and Girls Foundation, Strong Women, Strong Girls; and Carnegie Mellon University's PROGRESS."  And don't forget her next chapter -- which the PG wrote up just the other day.

The Pittsburgh program is part of ATHENA International.

I love it when great people are recognized for doing great things.  This is great news for MJ -- who built her professional career as a prosecutor in the San Francisco area (to be specific, because this matters:  Oakland) before moving to Pittsburgh -- and for Pittsburgh!