Comcast’s Toni Murphy Receives ATHENA Young Professional Award

Lisa Scales is 2018 ATHENA Award Recipient

Also recognized during the event at the Westin Convention Center Hotel was Lisa Scales, president and CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. She was presented with the award – recognizing professional excellence, contributions to the community and mentorship of other women – at today’s 28th annual ATHENA Awards luncheon, convened by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.Named for the Greek goddess of strength and wisdom, the ATHENA Awards program distinguishes itself from other regional accolades by highlighting women who mentor other women and girls, helping to build a pipeline of future leaders.

Women leaders are making a difference in Pittsburgh every day, and our 2018 recipients – and all of the award nominees – deserve recognition for their contributions, professional and personal. They are positively impacting the lives of many people in our region while helping other women, in particular, reach their full potential,” said Allegheny Conference CFO Janel Skelley.

The 2018 ATHENA Young Professional Award was presented to Toni Murphy, vice president of business services at Comcast – Keystone Region. This award recognizes a leader age 35 or younger who dedicates her time and talent to help other women and girls to thrive.

At Comcast, Murphy leads a team of 150 professionals serving customers in four states. She is a force in shaping cultural transformation at the company where she led the creation of the Keystone Region’s Diversity & Inclusion Council and acts as executive champion for its Black Employee Network.

Off the job, Murphy serves as development committee chair and regional board member for Strong Women, Strong Girls Pittsburgh where she is broadening funding partnership, reaching more college women and girls and extending the supportive female community that spans generations. Additionally, she shares her inspirational perspectives widely as a formal and informal mentor to 100-plus women and through her addresses to Women for Economic Development Leadership (WELD) Pittsburgh and other groups.

The other 2018 ATHENA Young Professional Award finalists are:

– Valerie Faust, Founder and Executive Director, Blossom & Flourish: Growing Girls to Greatness
– Renée E. Williams, Executive Director, Laurel Legal Services, Inc.

The 2018 ATHENA Award recipient was Lisa Scales, who is a tireless advocate for the elimination of hunger and food insecurity and a catalyst for change inside and outside the food bank. Through the Feeding America national network of food banks she lends her expertise and creativity to the delivery of fresh produce where it’s needed most; innovative partnerships with the medical community to address health and wellness issues; and maximizes the use of technology to measure performance.

She previously served as vice president of Hunger-Free Pennsylvania and is a board member of Adagio Health. Scales is a mentor for students at the University of Pittsburgh’s Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership, as well as fellow nonprofit leaders, via advisory board positions at the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership and Robert Morris University’s Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management. Her mantra to mentees is “examine your hearts and minds and bring your best selves to leadership positions.”

The other ATHENA Award finalists are:
– Lisa Allen, CEO, Ziegenfelder
– Tacy Byham, Chief Executive Officer, DDI
– Tracy DeCock, Senior Relationship Manager/Managing Director, PNC Financial Services Group
– Casey Ryan, Global Head of Legal Personnel, Senior Management Team Member and Partner, Reed Smith LLP

Additionally, Aleya Jennings was recognized as the 2018-2019 recipient of the Barbara McNees Spirit of ATHENA Scholarship. Jennings is AVP, group account director at the Gatesman Agency. Named for the ATHENA program’s founder and retired president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce – an Allegheny Conference affiliate – the scholarship covers the tuition for the Carnegie Mellon Leadership and Negotiation Academy for Women.

The Greater Pittsburgh ATHENA Awards luncheon has drawn as many as 900 attendees, making it one of the largest stand-alone events among some 500 annual gatherings around the world affiliated with ATHENA International.