EMBA Student Honored With ATHENA Award from KC Chamber

Photos courtesy Kyle Rivas/Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce

Every year, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce recognizes two outstanding female leaders with the ATHENA Award, one of its highest honors.

The list of past honorees is a who’s who of Kansas City’s foremost female leaders, including philanthropist and civic leader Adele Hall and former Urban Neighborhood Initiative president and CEO Dianne Cleaver.

Joining that esteemed list this year was Lauren Conaway, a current student in the executive MBA program in the Helzberg School of Management and founder and CEO of InnovateHER, an organization dedicated to breaking down barriers to leadership for women and gender minorities. Conaway received the ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award at the annual luncheon ceremony Sept. 20.

Conaway, who had been nominated for the award before, said the honor reflects five years work building an ecosystem of support and connections for aspiring business leaders.

“I don’t think anyone does impact work for money or accolades, and I’m no exception,” she said. “I’m truly honored but I also know that InnovateHER belongs to the community.”

Conaway said InnovateHER — and her podcast Startup Hustle, which has become one of the top 10 entrepreneurship podcasts on Apple with more than 5 million downloads — grew out of her own experience as a professional and entrepreneur fighting for a seat at the table.

“I've had a lot of really great experiences, but as the only woman at many management tables throughout my career, I can also tell many negative stories that felt really gendered,” she said. “I soon learned that surrounding myself with a strong network of mentors and champions completely changed my experience as a professional for the better, and I am passionate about giving those same opportunities to women+ leaders — those who have been historically excluded and held back because of their gender through no fault of their own, as well as the emerging leaders who are ready to activate and get involved.”

Providing networking opportunities, resources and leadership development programming, Conaway said InnovateHER serves more than 6,600 leaders in Kansas City. But she also acknowledged that she doesn’t do it alone. For the ATHENA Awards ceremony, she surrounded herself with the leaders — including Linda Endecott, the director of the Rockhurst EMBA program — who modeled the philosophy of support that Conaway hopes to provide through InnovateHER.

“All are my friends, mentors, and champions in their own unique way,” she said. “I’m very grateful to them. I'm aware that no one succeeds — or wins awards — in a vacuum, so I wanted to make sure that they had a seat to see what their care and concern has done for us.”