Qualifications:

• Nominee must demonstrate excellence, creativity and initiative in her business or profession.
• Nominee must demonstrate an ongoing advancement or progressive job growth in her career including significant leadership accomplishments and milestones along the way.
• Nominee must possess a minimum of 10 (Ten) Years of professional business experience.
• Nominee must provide valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in the community.
• Nominee must actively assist women in achieving their full leadership potential.

Eligibility:

• Previous Athena Award recipients are not eligible for nomination.
• The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce staff are not eligible for nomination.
• The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce Board Members are not eligible for nomination.
• Athena Committee members are not eligible for nomination.
• Athena Committee members may not score an application that they submit for nomination.
• Nominees must own or be an employee of a business that is a member in good standing of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
• Nominations must be received no later than January 29, 2021 at 4 p.m. Incomplete nominations will not be reviewed.

Selection Process:

• Nominations will be live on www.scrantonchamber.com on January 11, 2021.
• Nominations must be received by January 29, 2021 at 4 p.m.
• The Athena Award Committee will review all nominations and score independently.
• The Athena Award Winner will be announced by February 12, 2021.
• The Athena Award will be presented at the International Women’s Day Celebration on March 8, 2021.

Jim Bognet is a conservative Republican preparing to run for Congress in PA-8 against impeachment enabler Matt Cartwright, the Democratic incumbent. Jim believes Cartwright has abandoned his constituents by joining the liberal witch hunt and voting to impeach President Trump. Jim held a senior appointment in the Trump Administration in Washington, D.C. and resigned his position to move home to Hazleton, PA to lead the fight in the 8th congressional district against the Democrat’s fatally flawed impeachment crusade and Matt Cartwright’s political war against President Trump.

Jim Bognet was born and raised in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Jim grew up in a big Italian-Irish family, surrounded by dozens of uncles, aunts, and cousins in a tight-knit community at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, where he was an altar boy. Jim’s dad is a small business owner, a mechanical contractor building schools and doing plumbing and heating projects for factories and commercial buildings across northeastern Pennsylvania. Working construction with his dad taught Jim how to dig a ditch, knock down a wall, and the value of hard work and saving money. Jim’s mom is a high school teacher who taught him the value of education, discipline, and compassion. Jim is proud to have had one grandfather who was an Italian immigrant, and a grandmother (Army) and grandfather (Navy) who served abroad in World War II in Europe and the Pacific.

Jim played football, basketball, and baseball at Hazleton Area High School before attending Penn State University on an academic scholarship. Jim was awarded a half-tuition scholarship to UCLA, where he earned a law degree and a MBA.
Jim opposes illegal immigration and strongly supports President Trump’s policies to reverse illegal immigration and finish building the Wall. Jim has witnessed the personal tragedy of the opioid epidemic in his family, and believes we must get serious about cracking down on drug kingpins and traffickers with greatly enhanced criminal penalties, increased treatment for addicts, and counseling for their families.

Jim has spent his career fighting for conservative economic policies, to cut taxes,
create jobs and help small businesses. He worked on manufacturing and small business issues in the Trump administration, and believes we must rebuild our industrial heartland. Jim wants good jobs at good wages, to allow people in Northeastern Pennsylvania to thrive. Jim will fight to protect social security, and health care for seniors, families, and people with pre-existing conditions.

Jim interned for Rick Santorum in the U.S. Senate, and worked on Rep. Lou Barletta’s first campaign for Congress. Jim since has worked on Governor and Senate races over 17 years, and as campaign manager for three statewide campaigns and worked for three presidential campaigns. Jim founded his own small business, a firm helping companies and organizations across the country with public affairs and communications issues. Jim believes deeply in education, and contributes to Penn State, UCLA, Shriners’ Hospital for Children, and Operation Smile.

Matt Cartwright has spent his entire career sticking up for working people, first as a trial attorney and now as the Congressman in Pennsylvania’s Eighth District. He is a fighter for all hardworking northeastern Pennsylvanians, especially when it comes to protecting and expanding access to health care, and growing our local economy.

Matt was named one of the most effective Democrats in Congress for his ability to work across the aisle and get things done. Matt is a strong advocate for better wages and economic security for middle class Americans; job-creating federal investments in northeastern Pennsylvania; high-quality care for our veterans; and protecting our environment for future generations.

Since taking office in 2013, Matt has introduced more legislation supported by both Democrats and Republicans than any other House Democrat. In 2019, the Center for Effective Lawmaking named him one of the most effective members of the U.S. House for his record of advancing real solutions to the biggest issues our nation faces. In the past few years, Matt has gotten bills signed into law by the president that protect low-income veterans from being scammed out of their hard-earned benefits, prevent government officials from using taxpayer dollars on personal expenses, and safeguard the rights of child pornography victims.

Credit: WNEP

Empower: Women’s Leadership Conference (April 17) – Rescheduled to September 10, Kalahari Resort

All April Chamber events postponed until further notice – Additional details to come soon

SKILLS 2020: Workforce Resource Summit (April 21) – Moving to virtual event, new date coming soon

Build a Better Brand Seminar (March 26) – Postponed until further notice

“The Office” Book Launch YP Mixer  at Scranton Art Haus (March 25) – Postponed until further notice

The Office: A Book Launch at The Marketplace at Steamtown (March 25) – Postponed until further notice

Member Welcome Lunch (March 19) – Postponed until further notice

Business Breakfast Briefing with McNees Wallace & Nurick (March 13) – Postponed until further notice

We’ve compiled a list of other COVID-19 resources that may be useful:

• COVID-19 and Cancer Resources from the American Cancer Society
• NEPA Together Partnership
• Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce Resources
• New York Times Guide – Answers to Your Coronavirus Questions
• Business Closure Compliance Resource Center

• Coronavirus Impact and Mitigation for Small Businesses
• CharityHowTo – Coronavirus, and Nonprofits: How to Communicate
• Baker Tilly Webinars
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Webinars