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2003 ATHENA Awards.

Article Excerpt
Succesful. Civic. Inspirational.

These are the trials shared by the women in the following pages. They got to where they are today with intelligence, hard work and determination.

But once they achieved their goals, they didn't stop there. The 2003 ATHENA Award recipients and finalist use their power and wits to improve their communities and mentor other women.

This year's ATHENA honorees want nothing to do with merely putting in their 9 to 5--they aspire to greater things. "Every successful business executive has shown problem solving and leadership skills," finalist Jean Gianfagna says. "We have an obligation to share those skills."

Since 1999, Inside Business has honored businesswomen in Cleveland and Akron with its Businesswoman of the Year Award. This year, we have partnered with the ATHENA Foundation, which sponsors events celebrating businesswomen across the nation, to bring greater visibility and stature to our honoring Northeast Ohio businesswomen. We congratulate these outstanding women on their success and honor them for the inspiration they continue to be.

ATHENA RECIPIENT

TEACHING by EXAMPLE

Jo Ann is equal parts traiblazer and mentor.

by Sara Lepro

JO ANN CHARLESTON LIKES A CHALLENGE.

She's faced plenty in her 48 years. "I've gone through a lot so someone else wouldn't have to," says the 200 Northeast Ohio ATHENA recipient.

In 1977, after graduating cure laud with a bachelor of science in chemistry from Southern University in her hometown of Baton Rogue, La., Charleston was recruited by the NASA Lewis Research Center (now NASA Glenn) in Cleveland. For nine years, Charleston was the only African-American female chemical engineer out of the 500 people in her division. At staff meetings, she was often mistaken for a secretary or intern.

She presented her first technical paper at a National Technical Association conference a year after being hired. She secured a U.S. patent for the "Development of Chromium Electrode Catalyst for Redox Flow Cell Batteries" in 1984.

Charleston methodically made her way up the ranks at NASA. She was one of three women selected by NASA head-quarters in 1987 to attend an executive development program for women in middle management at Simmons Graduate School of Management in Boston.

When NASA created the Educational Programs Office (EPO) in 1990, she was named branch chief of student program after...