LAKESHORE ATHENA® AWARD PROGRAM
NEWS RELEASE
PATTI POPPE, PRESIDENT AND CEO of CMS ENERGY AND ITS PRINCIPAL SUBSIDIARY, CONSUMERS ENERGY, WILL BE THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT THE 13TH ANNUAL
Thirteen area lakeshore women will be honored at this year’s 13 Annual Lakeshore ATHENA Award Luncheon.
GRAND HAVEN, Mich., September 18, 2017 – Patti Poppe, President and CEO of CMS Energy and its principal subsidiary, Consumers Energy will be the keynote speaker for the 13th Annual Lakeshore ATHENA Award luncheon. The event will be held on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at the Trillium Catering and Event Center,
17246 Van Wagoner Road, Ferrysburg |Spring Lake. Poppe was elected to this position in July 2016 leading Michigan’s largest utility and the nation’s fourth largest combination utility. Poppe held a variety of automotive management positions and served as power plant director at Detroit, Michigan based DTE Energy before returning to her hometown of Jackson to join Consumers Energy in 2011. She earned a master’s degree in management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University. As President and CEO, Poppe has focused on connecting the company more closely with its customers and adapting lean operating system principles throughout the utility.
The Lakeshore ATHENA Award Luncheon is a program of The Chamber of Commerce Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Ferrysburg; the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce and the Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce and is presented annually to recognize outstanding lakeshore women who have demonstrated excellence in their business or profession, have provided valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in their community, assist women in reaching their full potential and who exhibits the spirit of regional collaboration. This year we celebrate eight ATHENA Nominee Finalists and five ATHENA Young Professional Nominee Finalists.
2017 ATHENA Nominee Finalists
Liz DeLaLuz ~ Greater Ottawa County United Way
Darcy Komejan ~ Children’s Advocacy Center
Reyna Masko ~ Ottawa County Court Investigator
Geri McCaleb ~ City of Grand Haven Mayor
Jennifer Owens ~ Lakeshore Advantage
Kelly Springer ~ Metal Flow Corporation
Rachel Terpstra ~ Gielow Groom Terpstra & McEvoy, PLC
Mirka Wilderer ~ Evoqua Water Technologies
2017 ATHENA Young Professional Nominee Finalists
Elizabeth Carson ~ The Shoreline Center
Stefanie Herder ~ Grand Haven Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Colleen Hill ~ Huntington Bank
Elizabeth Kidd ~ Community Foundation of the Holland / Zeeland Area
Nicole Paquette ~ Community Foundation of the Holland / Zeeland Area
Reservations are required for the Tuesday, October 3, 2017 event. Cost to attend is $45 per person for Chamber members, $55 per person for non-members or $430 for corporate table of eight. A portion of all tickets sales supports the ATHENA Scholarship Program. Reservations can be made by calling The Chamber Grand Haven 616.842.4910 by September 27, 2017 or you may register on line at www.grandhavenchamber.org. PNC Bank is the premier sponsor of the Lakeshore ATHENA® Program.
CONTACT: Pamela Blake
The Chamber
616.842.4910