Pinnacle Awards
Athena San Diego Pinnacle Awards are presented annually
to individuals and an organization/company that, through
the development and promotion of skilled and talented women,
have had a significant impact within the San Diego technology,
life science, healthcare, defense, energy, clean-tech and
services sectors.
There are five award categories: 1) Individual in Technology;
2) Individual in life science; 3) Individual in Services;
4) Individual in Education; and 5) Corporation/Organization/Institute.
Athena San Diego membership is not required for either the nominator or the nominee. Nominations will be accepted until February 24th, 2012, through our online form only.
2011 Pinnacle Award Winners
Individual in Life Science
June Komar
Corporate Executive Vice President of Strategy and Administration
Scripps Health
As an executive vice president at Scripps, a $2.3 billion, 13,000- employee company, June Komar is responsible for strategic planning that has yielded unprecedented recognition and results for the organization, including Thomson Reuters Top 10 Health Systems and 100 Best Employers by Fortune and Working Mother.
With a strong track record for promoting leadership opportunities for women, she was instrumental in forming a new management structure designed to reduce costs and improve patient care, which promoted nine leaders to vice president positions — six were women.
In the area of career development, 77 percent of Scripps' workforce are women and largely benefit from leadership programs, such as Leadership Academy and Fellowships. Both programs are overseen by Komar and the executive office. She supports nearly $1 million in annual scholarships and tuition reimbursement, including sitting on review panels.
As a boss and leader, Komar is greatly respected and admired. Manager Annette Blatt said: "In past years, June's work as a role model for women in management has been recognized by the YWCA TWIN Award, which honors women for their contributions to business."
Individual in Education
Barbara Sawrey
Associate Vice-Chancellor of Undergraduate Education, Academic Affairs
University of California, San Diego
During 27 years as a faculty member in the UCSD Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Barbara Sawrey has embodied the successful scientist and leader whom young people, particularly women in science, wish to emulate.
She has mentored hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, many of them women, who now teach at nearly every two and four-year college in San Diego County, as well as dozens of other California colleges. She has encouraged the participation by women in the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad since 1985, and served as coach of the high school team in international competitions from 1985-87. She has since served on the selection committee for the U.S. coaches and was the Chair of the Scientific Board for the 1992 International Chemistry Olympiad when it was held in the U.S. For these and numerous other accomplishments, Sawrey was recognized by the American Chemical Society with the 2002 ACS National Award for Encouraging Women in the Chemical Sciences.
As a founding faculty member of the joint Ph.D. program between UCSD and SDSU in Mathematics and Science Education, she helped launch the California Teach program at UCSD to respond to the critical need for K-12 mathematics and science teachers (many of whom are women) in California schools. Currently she serves on the Board of Governors for The San Diego Foundation and is chair of their Science and Technology Working Group. Sawrey inspires others to be better scientists, administrators and community leaders.
Individual in Technology
Aurelia Flores
Senior Counsel
SAIC
Aurelia Flores is senior counsel at SAIC, specializing in intellectual property. She has been practicing corporate
law for over 12 years.
As a teen mother, Flores had no role models for the kind of high-performing, college-educated woman that she has become. However, encouraged by a school counselor to apply for college, she received her B.A. in sociology, her law degree from Stanford Law School and a post-graduate Fulbright Fellowship to study in Mexico City.
Determined to create the mentorship community that she found lacking, Flores founded PowerfulLatinas.com in 2007. Through interviews, blogs, resource centers and social media, Powerful Latinas has developed a community for Latina women to network and grow. Today, the team behind Powerful Latinas comes from diverse backgrounds, industries and locations, including San Diego. Flores also volunteers for various nonprofit organizations and sits on the Board of the San Diego Museum of Art. Her dedication to professional responsibilities and her high level of accomplishment also inspire colleagues across SAIC.
In 2010, Flores was accepted into the prestigious Executive Leadership Program of the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI), the top executive leadership organization devoted to preparing Latinas for positions of influence and public policy impact. Each participant in the program is selected for professional and personal accomplishments and a passion to make a difference in her community.
Individual in Services
Trindl Reeves
Chief Sales Officer/Principal
Barney & Barney LLC
Trindl Reeves has achieved continued success in the insurance industry, which historically has been predominantly led by men. Having more than 20 years of experience, she was the first woman to become managing director of her former company Marsh San Diego, and the youngest managing director of the United States operation. She paved the way for other women in her current firm, Barney & Barney, where she is the only female owner for the Commercial Department. She was recently was named Chief Sales Officer and has also been appointed to Barney & Barney's Board of Directors.
Reeves is passionate about succeeding in her own career, but understands the importance of mentoring and leading others. She created and launched the G.R.O.W. (Growth in Relationships and Opportunities for Women) initiative within Barney & Barney in April of 2010, which is starting its second year. Women were underrepresented at the leadership level within the organization as well as within the industry, and the goal of G.R.O.W. is to open more doors for qualified women leaders. Reeves has been successful in bringing a handful of qualified women into Barney & Barney as well as identifying several with the potential to be future leaders within the organization. She has mentored more than a dozen women assisting with networking, giving advice and recommendations. Reese is on the following boards: San Diego County YMCA, CONNECT, BIOCOM, San Diego EDC and San Diego Venture Group. She is also involved with FEI,CDF, Athena and Vistage.
Company/Organization
Sony Electronics, Inc.
In Japan, women sit in the back of the boardroom and often senior level females serve lunch in meetings. Sony Electronics (SEL), with its U.S. headquarters in San Diego, has implemented many successful initiatives to transform our culture into one where females are inspired, mentored and celebrated for their contributions in the workplace. Currently females comprise 25 percent of senior management, which includes directors and above. Our Management Committee is comprised of 20 percent women. Females represented 30 percent of new hires in 2010, an increase of 15 percent over the past two years. The Women of Action, Vision, Empowerment (WAVE) group is 240 members strong and focuses on professional development. The programs have been so well-received that men also attend consistently. Sony Team of Enterprising Parents (STEP) has 130 participants, with the main objective to help maintain work-life balance, the No. 1 driver of turnover for women at SEL. Our Rotation and Educational Development Program was designed to attract diverse employees. Since its inception, 58 percent of hires are women, with 100 percent ethnic diversity. Thus far, SEL has retained 100 percent of associates during and post-program.
We invest in professional development of females through Women Unlimited, an organization that provides leadership training for high potential women. To date, we have sent 110 female managers, many of whom have progressed to senior level positions. These programs are positively affecting employment, retention and advancement for women at SEL. More importantly, we have a committed group of female employees and executives that continue to create a culture for women to succeed.