The Salt Lake Chamber has announced that Amanda Covington, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of The Larry H. Miller Company, will receive the 2023 ATHENA Leadership Award. The organization’s highest recognition for women in business, the national ATHENA Leadership Award, is presented annually to an active member of the Salt Lake Chamber who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in business. Each recipient must also provide valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community and assist women in reaching their full leadership potential.
“I am excited to announce Amanda Covington as the ATHENA Leadership Award recipient,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Her commitment to the community through her professional life and volunteer work is emblematic of what this award stands for, leadership in action. Amanda has been a stalwart ally and wise counselor for many years and possesses the character other leaders can aspire to and model for years to come. The business community and our capital city are better for her service, and we are excited to honor her at this year’s awards ceremony!”
In addition to the ATHENA Leadership Award, five women will receive Pathfinder Awards at the conference. The Pathfinder Awards are presented annually to community leaders who create new paths promoting the development and recognition of women in business. The five Pathfinder recipients this year include:
- Lucy Cardenas, President & Owner, The Red Iguana Restaurants
- Natalie El-Deiry, Director of Immigration & New American Integration, Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity
- Kaitlin Eskelson, President & CEO, Visit Salt Lake
- Deneiva Knight, External Affairs Director, Comcast
- Pauline Ploquin, President & Partner, Struck
The ATHENA Leadership Award will officially be presented to Amanda Covington at the 47th Annual Women & Business Conference and ATHENA Awards Luncheon on November 2, 2023, at the Grand America Hotel. This year’s conference is sponsored by Dominion Energy and WCF Insurance. Wells Fargo is hosting the ATHENA Awards Luncheon. Mountain America Credit Union, SelectHealth and Target River are breakout sponsors, and the exhibit hall sponsor is CHG Healthcare. Gift sponsor is Holland & Hart, and the supporting sponsors are CBRE, Deseret Digital Media, Deseret Management Corporation, Intermountain Health, The Larry H. Miller Company, PCF Insurance Services, Rio Tinto Kennecott, Rocky Mountain Power, University of Utah and Zions Bank. Sponsorship opportunities are still available and added weekly until sold out.
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ATHENA Leadership Awardee bio:
Amanda Covington, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
Amanda Covington is chief corporate affairs officer for the Larry H. Miller Company. She previously served as senior vice president of communications and government relations for Vista Outdoor Inc. Amanda has more than 20 years of experience leading corporate communications and government relations strategies impacting financial communications, crisis communications, domestic and international media/public relations, corporate branding and advertising, digital media, employee relations, public policy and legislation, industry associations, and community relations.
Prior to Vista Outdoor, Amanda served as vice president of corporate communications for ATK, an aerospace, defense and commercial products company. Before joining ATK, she was the assistant commissioner for public affairs at the Utah System of Higher Education. While there, she led communications and legislative relations strategies for the State Board of Regents. She also served as the deputy for communications and spokesperson for Utah Governor Olene S. Walker and the director of communications for the Utah Department of Transportation. She has a background in broadcast journalism, working for Utah’s NBC and ABC affiliates.
Amanda serves on the Utah Board of Higher Education, is an executive board member for the Utah Women’s Leadership Institute, is on the advisory boards for First Lady Abby Cox’s ShowUp Utah! initiative and The Policy Project, and serves on the board of directors for the Salt Lake Chamber. Amanda also served as a trustee for Weber State University and Davis Technical College.She is a graduate of the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the Honors College and a Master of Public Administration. Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.
Pathfinder Awardee bios below:
Lucy Cardenas, President & Owner, The Red Iguana Restaurants
Lucy Cardenas, owner of The Red Iguana Restaurants, grew up in her family’s restaurant, The Casa Grande, in downtown SLC. Her parents, Ramon and Maria Cardenas, moved the family from San Francisco in 1965, when Lucy was six and Ramon Jr was four, hoping to give their children a better life. From a very early age, Lucy apprenticed with her parents in every aspect of their family restaurant business. Her early start made it possible for Lucy to go on in her twenties to professionally manage and train staff in nationally recognized restaurants in several metropolitan cities, including San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Houston, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Portland.
In 2002, Lucy’s beloved mother passed away. Then in 2004, her gifted brother, Ramon Jr, the legendary chef of Red Iguana, suddenly passed away. Lucy and her husband, Bill Coker, returned to Salt Lake City to preserve the family legacy, purchasing the Red Iguana, established in 1985, from her father, Ramon Cardenas Sr.
Lucy’s goal has been to become a better business owner and contribute to the community she serves. Since purchasing Red Iguana in 2005, Lucy has appeared in national TV shows such as Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri, local television cooking segments, and served on the mayor’s business advisory board, the Governor’s multicultural board and the Tribune board. In 2022, Red Iguana was named Utah SBA Small Business of the Year, and Lucy and Bill were named Utah SBA Small Business Persons of the Year.
Lucy has traveled the world, from London to India, Indonesia, Australia, Tahiti, Mexico, and Africa. She brings a deep understanding and respect for the value of one’s culture. Lucy’s parents, Maria and Ramon Cardenas, had a passion for their culture and its Mexican cuisine. They relished introducing it to their adopted country. Lucy and company proudly continue that legacy.
Natalie El-Deiry, Director of Immigration & New American Integration, Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity
Natalie El-Deiry is a leader in the humanitarian, non-profit, and government sectors working to foster collaborative relationships between organizations, businesses, and communities. She is currently the director of immigration and integration for the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. She promotes opportunities to grow a global workforce while advancing refugees’ and immigrants’ economic mobility and social inclusion.
Before she joined the Economic Opportunity office, she served as the executive director for the International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake and Missoula offices, serving over 2,500 refugees and immigrants annually. El-Deiry’s passion for advancing opportunities for New Americans is rooted in her lived experience as the daughter of immigrants from Mexico.
Kaitlin Eskelson, President & CEO, Visit Salt Lake
An ardent champion of Utah’s visitor economy, Kaitlin Eskelson, President & CEO of Visit Salt Lake has a long and accomplished career in travel and tourism and continues to make profound contributions for the betterment of the industry. Kaitlin is a visionary leader and tireless project organizer, building the right teams to succeed by focusing on major projects to drive both growth of the organization and Salt Lake’s overall visitor economy.
From her most recent wins of bringing the Outdoor Retailer bi-annual shows back to Utah, the creation of the partnership for the Cottonwood Connect ski shuttle program, to her skillful navigation of the industry’s recovery from COVID-19, she has passionately created programs and strategies to secure a strong future for tourism in Utah.
As Visit Salt Lake’s youngest CEO to date, Kaitlin took the helm at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and has successfully navigated the recovery of Salt Lake’s meeting and convention business through a wide variety of robust strategic initiatives. In fact, Visit Salt Lake just recorded their best booking year ever and has big plans for the future.
Managing multi-million-dollar strategies with Utah tourism marketing promoters through the years, Kaitlin has worked hard to put Utah on the international map. Kaitlin served the state as Executive Director of the Utah Tourism Industry Association (UTIA), was the Director of Partner Relations and International Strategy for the Utah Office of Tourism Film & Global Branding and worked at Visit Salt Lake as Director of Sales and Marketing from 2006 to 2013.
Deneiva Knight, External Affairs Director, Comcast
Deneiva Knight is a dynamic professional and visionary leader, currently holding two prominent roles as the External Affairs Director for Comcast Mountain West Region and the owner of Deneiva Trinidad LLC. With a wealth of experience and a passion for strategic storytelling, social and community impact, and government relations, Deneiva has made significant contributions to the business and telecommunications landscape.
As the External Affairs Director for Comcast Mountain West Region, Deneiva has played a pivotal role in fostering strong relationships between Comcast and the communities it serves. Her exceptional communication skills and strategic vision have driven positive perceptions toward Comcast’s mission of providing cutting-edge technology and superior customer service to residents and businesses across the region. Deneiva’s ability to navigate complex regulatory environments and build collaborative partnerships has contributed to Comcast’s continued success and growth.
In addition to her corporate role, Deneiva is a respected entrepreneur, serving as the owner of Deneiva Trinidad LLC. Through her business, she has successfully launched and managed ventures that positively impact the local community. Her business acumen and her passion for innovation and community development have resulted in the creation of sustainable and profitable enterprises.
Deneiva’s commitment to community service and advocacy is evident through her involvement in various philanthropic initiatives. She actively serves on several non-profit and community boards and working committees and works to empower underrepresented communities, bridge the digital divide, and promote educational opportunities. Deneiva’s dedication to social responsibility is a testament to her belief in the transformative power of business to effect positive change.
With her varied background, strategic mindset, and unwavering commitment to excellence, Deneiva Knight is a formidable force in external affairs, strategic communications, and entrepreneurship. Her ability to drive innovation, forge meaningful partnerships, and make a difference in the lives of individuals and communities has positioned her as a respected leader and a catalyst for positive change.
Pauline Ploquin, President, Struck
Pauline Ploquin is a pivotal figure in Struck’s story and success as an agency. She doesn’t just understand what makes the agency unique — she’s one of the key individuals who has made it so. Pauline leads Struck’s strategic planning process, operations, finance, culture and growth. She puts every element of her background to work, fusing communications with creativity and forging connections between people and ideas.
One of her superpowers is empowering others. Focusing on human outcomes as well as business outcomes, she’s pioneered Struck’s initiatives to measure client satisfaction, prioritize mental health and wellness, and expand equity, diversity, and inclusion. Her resume spans decades of transformative work for clients ranging from the Olympic games to Dreamworks, the Utah Office of Tourism, Biltmore, Sony, McDonald’s, Universal Studios, ICON Fitness, and Altabank. She enjoys sharing her time and talents with organizations ranging from community nonprofits to national industry and advocacy groups, and has spoken at TEDx and EVComm London.
She finds peace and inspiration in the outdoors, exploring the farthest wilds of Utah’s desert with her husband, carving ski turns with friends, and enjoying good reads on the porch with her cat.
ABOUT THE SALT LAKE CHAMBER
The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest and longest-standing business association. A statewide chamber of commerce with members in all 29 Utah counties, the Chamber represents the broad interests of the state’s 63,000-plus employers, which employ more than 1.4 million Utahns. This includes thousands of Chamber members and their employees. With roots that date back to 1887, the Chamber stands as the voice of business, supports its members’ success and champion’s community prosperity.
ABOUT THE ATHENA LEADERSHIP AWARD
The ATHENA Leadership Award is a prestigious national award presented annually to an active member of the Salt Lake Chamber who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in business, provides valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community, and assists women in reaching their full leadership potential.
Established in 1982 in Lansing, Michigan, the ATHENA Award ®Program is now administered from its Chicago, Illinois headquarters and boasts over 300 active communities in the United States, Canada, China, Russia and the United Kingdom. More than 5,000 individuals representing a wide variety of professions and businesses have received the ATHENA Award. Presented by local host organizations in partnership with ATHENA’s national underwriters, local businesses and individual sponsors the award practically demonstrates the quote from Plato, “What is honored in a country will be cultivated there.” The award takes the form of a hand-cast bronze sculpture symbolizing the strength, courage and wisdom of the recipient
