Frances Richardson Announced As 2019 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award Recipient

It is with great pleasure, the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce announces the selection of Frances Richardson, as its 2019 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award recipient.  The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award is dedicated to recognizing the next generation of women leaders in San Joaquin County. The award honors an individual who has demonstrated excellence, creativity, and initiative in their business or profession; provides valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in her community; and clearly serves as a role model for young women personally and professionally. To be eligible the honoree must be younger than 40 years old on October 1, 2019.

The Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce is home to one of the longest running ATHENA programs in the nation, now in its 33rd year. The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award was introduced nationally and locally in November 2009.

The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award will be presented along with the ATHENA Leadership Award at the annual ATHENA Awards Luncheon on November 14th, 11:30am, at the Stockton Golf and Country Club.  Tickets for this high-profile event at $40 are available by calling the Greater Stockton Chamber of Chamber at (209) 547-2770 or by visiting http://stocktonchamber.org/athena-awards.

Frances was born and raised in Stockton to a loving Catholic family, learning the values of education, hard work, compassion and service from her parents. These values shaped & fueled her drive to build a life that gives back to others.

Frances’ innovation, persistence, and adaptability are core values that she has been able to develop along her career path that illustrates her value to the community and always aspires to share her gained wealth of knowledge with the next generation of leaders. She plays an important role in the community representing organizations that cares about the training, education and well-being of its youth to grow into productive citizens in their community. With the Cortopassi Family Foundation, Frances works tirelessly to foster education, career goals and mentoring the underserved population.

The JobRedi Foundation (JRF) was started by the Cortopassi Family Foundation in 2014 via a partnership with the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. Grants are awarded to students who fit the eligibility requirements, with emphasis on those with demonstrated perseverance, overcoming adversity (grit), and personal responsibility. As the Executive Director of JRF, Frances implements the mission to help Grantees climb the economic ladder to a better future through 9 month paid internships with top ranking companies in San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties, skill-based education, and monthly “life-skills” workshops.

Going beyond her day job to volunteer in the community, Frances is transforming what it means to live, work, play and serve her community of San Joaquin County. After graduating from UOP, Frances was recruited by the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce to coordinate the Business Education Alliance Program for her extensive research on charter schools. This opened a plethora of doors to become an avid volunteer for approximately 30 different local events, charities, and small businesses.

Past ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award recipients are: Brenna Butler-Garcia, Kristen Dyke, Erin Guy Castillo, Nikki Lowery, Shelby Moran(Riley), Angela Rosenquist, Monica Streeter and Jennifer Torres Siders.