The Salt Lake Chamber has announced that Dr. Donna Milavetz, Chief Medical Officer at Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah will receive the 2024 ATHENA Leadership Award. This award is the organization’s highest recognition for women in business, and 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’m honored to announce that Dr. Donna Milavetz will receive this year’s ATHENA Leadership Award,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Dr. Milavetz is a true testament to what the ATHENA award stands for, going above and beyond to provide valuable service to those with whom she interacts, and improving the quality of life for so many. Her dedication to making a positive impact on our community inspires us all to strive for greater excellence, and we look forward to honoring her at this year’s awards ceremony.”
In addition to the ATHENA Leadership Award, six 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 Pathfinder recipients this year include:
- Senator Ann Millner, Utah Senate – District 5Â
- Kerry Norman, Executive Vice President of Operations, CHG Healthcare
- Liz Owens, CEO, YWCA Utah
- Noella Sudbury, Founder & CEO, Rasa Public Benefit Corporation
- Diana Young, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, PrincePerelson & Associates
- Jessica Yurgaitis, CEO, Industrial Supply Company
The ATHENA Leadership Award will officially be presented to Dr. Donna Milavetz at the 48th Annual Women & Business Conference and ATHENA Awards Luncheon on November 15, 2024, at the Grand America Hotel. This year’s conference is sponsored by Enbridge and WCF Insurance. Wells Fargo is the sponsor of the ATHENA Awards Luncheon and the event sponsor is BW Productions. J.P. Morgan Chase, Mountain America Credit Union and Select Health are breakout sponsors. Supporting sponsors are America First Credit Union, CBRE, Deseret Digital Media, Intermountain Health, Rio Tinto Kennecott, Rocky Mountain Power, Salt Lake City Corp., Salt Lake County, Staker Parson Materials & Construction, The Larry H. Miller Company, University of Utah, Utah Transit Authority, Visit Salt Lake – The Convention and Visitors Bureau, Western Governors University and Zions Bank.
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Honoree Bios Below:
ATHENA Leadership Award:
Dr. Donna Milavetz, Chief Medical Officer, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah
As Chief Medical Officer for Regence across its four-state footprint, Dr. Donna Milavetz leads clinical strategy, program design and clinical policy. She has extensive clinical and business leadership experience in value-based care, preventive medicine and quality improvement.
Previously, Dr. Milavetz served as executive medical director at Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and in vice president roles at Steward Health Care. Before that, she founded and led Onsite Care, Inc., which operates primary care clinics at employer workplaces to improve employees’ access to health care.
Dr. Milavetz is a distinguished community leader who currently sits on the board of directors for Jewish Family Service and the board of governors for the Salt Lake Chamber. She achieved her Doctor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and Master of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. She completed internal medicine residencies at the University of Minnesota and Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard University in Massachusetts.
Pathfinder Awards:
Senator Ann Millner, Utah Senate – District 5
Senator F. Ann Millner represents Senate District 5, which includes parts of Davis, Morgan and Weber counties. In 2015, Sen. Millner was elected to the Senate, where she now serves as the majority whip and the chair of the Senate Ethics Committee. Additionally, Sen. Millner is a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures Foundation Board of Directors as well as various other legislative working groups with legislative leaders nationwide.
Sen. Millner was born in Middlesboro, Kentucky, and raised in Clarksville, Tennessee. She received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Tennessee, a master’s from Southwest Texas State University and a doctorate from Brigham Young University. She is a regents professor of health administration and was the president of Weber State University from 2002-2012.
Sen. Millner is passionate about improving Utah’s education system and has sponsored legislation focused on economic development specifically related to the state’s workforce preparation, public and higher education and improving affordable health care.
Kerry Norman, Executive Vice President of Operations, CHG Healthcare
Kerry Norman is the Executive Vice President of Operations at CHG Healthcare in Salt Lake City. In this role, she leads a variety of business operations areas and oversees its enterprise portfolio of strategic initiatives. Norman is known as a talent developer and plays a large role in executive development and DEI efforts.
Prior to joining CHG in April 2017, Norman spent 17 years at Capital Group Companies in Los Angeles in a variety of HR leadership roles. Previously, she was a talent acquisition leader at FedEx, where she focused on hiring for all operations in their western region. Norman started her career at Prudential Financial in their accelerated leadership development program.
Norman holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Boston College and has participated in the executive leadership program at the Kellogg School of Management.
Liz Owens, CEO, YWCA Utah
Liz Owens has been serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA Utah, since April 2020. She previously served as the Executive Director of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA) and has dedicated her career to gender and racial justice. Owens has expertise in domestic violence and the effects of trauma on individuals and families and approaches her work through the lens of understanding the intersecting issues and dimensions of identity.
Owens has taught sociology, social inequality and program planning courses at Utah Valley University, Salt Lake Community College and Westminster College. In addition, she previously worked at Women in Prison (London, UK), the Utah Pride Center, the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and has served on many boards and in volunteer positions in the community.
A native of Provo, Utah, Owens earned her Bachelor of Science at Utah Valley University and her Master of Arts in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. She was a visiting research fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science and is a sought-after presenter and instructor.
Noella Sudbury, Founder & CEO, Rasa Public Benefit Corporation
Noella Sudbury graduated from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2009 and has already had a full and diverse career.
Following a clerkship for the Honorable Ronald Nehring of the Utah Supreme Court, Sudbury began her legal practice as a public defender, where she quickly developed a passion for criminal justice reform.
In 2016, Sudbury was appointed by the Salt Lake County Council as the Director of the Criminal Justice Advisory Council for the County, and in that role, led the successful bipartisan legislative campaign to pass Utah’s Clean Slate law – a new law that automates the criminal record expungement process for more than 450,000 Utahns. She went on to found Clean Slate Utah, a non-profit to raise awareness of the automatic clearance law, and is the current CEO and Founder of Rasa Public Benefit Corporation, a new legal tech company that provides low-cost legal expungement services to people not eligible for automatic record clearance.
Sudbury has received several honors and awards for her public service, including being recognized as a Young Alumna of the Year by the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, the 2019 Woman of the Year by Utah Business Magazine and as a Pioneer of the National Clean Slate Movement from the National Clean Slate Initiative. In 2022, she was selected to receive the Distinguished Service Award by the Utah State Bar. In 2023, she was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the Top 200 most dynamic female founders in America.
Diana Young, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, PrincePerelson & Associates
Diana Young has years of Human Resources and administrative experience and harbors a passion for building lasting relationships. Over her 27-year tenure at PrincePerelson and Associates, Young has served in various capacities, including Director of Business Development, Recruiter, VP of Perelson Temporary Staffing and currently Vice President of Strategic Partnerships.
Throughout her tenure, Young has played a pivotal role in acquiring and managing key clients and accounts while also spearheading the growth of the Temporary Division to achieve record earnings. With her outgoing nature and extensive networks, Young fosters robust business relationships, many of which evolve into enduring friendships, a testament to the loyalty she garners from both clients and candidates.
Young actively engages in multiple business associations and committees, including the Salt Lake Chamber’s President’s Ambassadors and Business Women’s Forum Steering Committee, MountainWest Capital Network, Economic Development Corporation of Utah and ACG Utah Women’s Professional Network.
Jessica Yurgaitis, CEO, Industrial Supply Company
Jessica Yurgaitis is the CEO of 108-year-old Industrial Supply Company, a family-owned business in the Intermountain West founded by her great-grandfather in 1916. As the first woman to lead the company, Yurgaitis has brought a fresh perspective and innovative approach to an already storied legacy.
With a deep-rooted passion for the family business, Yurgaitis has dedicated herself to continuing its tradition of excellence while steering it towards modern advancements. Under her leadership, the company has not only maintained its reputation for reliability and integrity but has also embraced new technologies and strategies to stay ahead in the competitive industrial distribution market.
Her tenure is characterized by her focus on sustainable growth, employee development and customer satisfaction. Yurgaitis believes in fostering a work environment that values innovation, teamwork and continuous improvement. Her vision has led to the implementation of several successful initiatives that have strengthened the company’s market position and operational efficiency.
Yurgaitis’s journey to the helm of the company is marked by her commitment to both her professional and personal life. She is happily married and the proud mother of four grown children, always working to balance her roles as a business leader and a devoted parent and wife. She enjoys yoga, hiking with friends and family, skiing in her hometown of Park City, Utah, and travel. She serves on both the Affiliated Distributors (AD) Industrial Safety Division board and the Industrial Supply Association (ISA) board of directors, giving her time back to the industry.
Yurgaitis’s leadership is a blend of respect for the company’s rich heritage and a forward-thinking mindset that embraces the challenges and opportunities of the future. Her story is one of breaking barriers, honoring tradition and paving the way for future generations.
