Jennifer Groce, executive director of Re:New DeKalb, was awarded the ATHENA Award at the 19th annual ATHENA Awards Thursday at DeKalb’s Best Western and Suites, 1212 W. Lincoln Highway.

The award recognizes an individual for her professional accomplishments, community service and for serving as a role model for women in the community.

Groce was among four other finalists which included five community and professionally active women. The women recognized as finalists were Lisa Angel, special projects manager for Northern Illinois Publishing Co.; Susan Johnson, owner of the downtown DeKalb store New Traditions; Mary Overbey, director of Senior Services for the Family Service Agency; and Amy Polzin, office manager for NIU’s Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences.

Dawn Littlefield, of the Kishwaukee United Way and 2007 recipient of the ATHENA Award, named this year’s recipient by first describing her characteristics in detail.

“She shows the rest of us how it can be done…and always with a smile, a ready laugh, a keen sense of the absurd and a large chunk of tact,” Littlefield said.

Groce accepted the award with a stream of tears and a feeling of speechlessness. She thanked sponsors, committee members, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, as well as her family. She also addressed the other women nominated for the award.

“You are all incredible women,” Groce said. “I am humbled to be named among the likes of you. I am up here representing all of you.”

The ATHENA Award Program, which began in 1982, has awarded women not only in the U.S, but internationally as well. The award is given to women possessing eight specific characteristics: authentic self, celebration and joy, collaboration, courageous acts, fierce advocacy, giving back, learning and relationships.

Besides presenting one individual with this coveted award, the ceremony also included honoring the past ATHENA recipients and presenting the Women of Accomplishment (WOA) Award. The recipients of the WOA Award this year were Linda Groat, retired library specialist at NIU’s Southeast Asia Library Collection at Founders Memorial Library, and Linda Schwarz, who retired from her position at NIU as the director of the Office of Sponsored Projects.

The award was sponsored locally by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, the DeKalb National City Bank and Mike Mooney Chevrolet-Cadillac.