Mayra Medrano was honored with the 2016 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award at The Business Forum luncheon on Thursday, November 3.
“To me, it was surprising to get this award. As I was looking at the bios of the past recipients, I was amazed at the women who came before me. They are doing some pretty badass things in this community … so many things that I want to be a part of, ” Medrano tells Madison365. “It was shocking to me to get this award and I am so humbled. I am very proud to be nominated along with them.”
The Business Forum hosts the annual ATHENA Young Professional Award Celebration to honor emerging leaders between the ages of 25 and 40 who strive toward the highest levels of personal and professional accomplishment, excel in their careers, demonstrate community involvement and are role models for young women.
Medrano is the business community services manager for Madison Gas & Electric (MG&E) where she supports local businesses in energy conservation, energy efficiency, and cost saving measures. She is the current president of the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County where her leadership and creativity has resulted in new funding sources for the organization from Dane County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). In addition, she has demonstrated initiative by helping the Latino Chamber of Commerce forge more partnerships with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative and Madison Black Chamber of Commerce.
The Business Forum is a local professional women’s organization that fosters the personal and professional growth of its members and other women through networking, scholarships, mentoring and community involvement. The ATHENA Award Celebration event is the largest fund-raiser for The Business Forum. It provides scholarships to Madison-area women to advance their professional goals by furthering their education. Since this event began in 1998, The Business Forum Foundation has awarded over $300,000 in scholarships.
“We always hear that networking is very important and even though Madison is a small community, we tend to be separated at various times. So, from a professional perspective, it’s very, very important to be able to connect with like-minded people who can support you … and The Business Forum does just that,” Medrano says. “There are many different ways to get engaged with them. The group of people attending and the momentum I felt at this luncheon was simply incredible.”
Medrano has been recognized by In Business Magazines’ 40 under 40, Brava Magazines Women’s Philanthropy-The Next Generation and one of Madison365’s 48 most powerful Latinos in Wisconsin.
“I’m very, very proud to have won this award and to be around so many women who are doing great work in our community,” Medrano says.
