FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2010   

Contact: Ross Woodstock
Kolt Communications, Inc.
517-706-0001/517-410-7636
Ross@Koltpr.com

(Lansing, MI) - The Lansing Regional Chamber (LRCC) has named Nell Kuhnmuench this year’s ATHENA award winner.  Kuhnmuench will receive her award at the First Annual Athena Award Presentation which will take place on December 1, 2010 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Lansing Center.

“It is both humbling and exhilarating to be recognized as deserving a place among the outstanding women who have received this award from the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce since its inception,” said Kuhnmuench.  “It is a path many others have charted, through hard work, ethical and fair treatment of all and integrity that has allowed me to arrive at this point.  It is with great hope that I can mentor and share that which I have learned from them to help those embarking on their own professional undertakings.  Our community is richer for the contributions of all who have gone before, and I can only hope to contribute in the same manner.”

Kuhnmuench is an owner/director of Governmental Consultants Services, Inc. (GCSI), a government relations consulting firm in Lansing.  During Nell’s career she has been a leader in advancing opportunities for and mentoring women.    She was the first female chief of staff in the Michigan House of Representatives, as well as the first woman principle in a major Michigan multi-client lobbying firm.  Kuhnmuench has also been deeply involved in community organizations during here career. She currently serves on the East Lansing School Board, and  has also served on the host committee for Sparrow’s Cancer Center as well as the Empty Plate Committee for the Greater Lansing Food Bank. She was also a founding member of Michigan’s White House Project, whose goal is to promote young women to run for elective office.  Nell has done community volunteer work in assisting young people develop their reading skills.

“Nell’s role in breaking glass ceiling barriers has opened doors to women who will never know her,” said Nancy Moody of DTE, who nominated Kuhnmuench for the ATHENA award. “Her role in actively educating, embracing, and encouraging women to achieve is quiet and unassuming, yet clearly forcefully effective. Her legacy will include myriad young leaders who try to emulate Nell’s success.”

The ATHENA award recognizes individuals who excel in professional accomplishments, community contributions and open paths for other women to follow. The ATHENA award was created by former Lansing Chamber President Martha Mertz in 1982 and has since spread around the world. There are now more than 6,000 awards being presented in over 500 communities in the United States, Canada, China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

The First Annual Athena Award Presentation is sponsored by Two Men and A Truck. For reservations and more information, visit www.lansingchamber.org

The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in the tri-county region, serving a business population of more than 14,000 companies.  LRCC is dedicated to making business in the region more profitable by providing programs that create new customers, enhance member visibility and create a prosperous economic environment.  LRCC members rely on four key areas to help them succeed: Business Advocacy, Business Expansion, Business Savings & Business Exposure.