United Way of Metropolitan Chicago is pleased to announce Laura Thrall, President and CEO of United Way received The ATHENA Award on November 4 at the Hilton Hotel Chicago, for her leadership and excellence in both her personal and professional life. The award is presented by chambers of commerce, women’s organizations and universities.
Award recipients are honored for contributing time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community and for actively assisting women in realizing their full leadership potential. Since the program’s inception in 1982, more than 5,000 awards have been presented in more than 500 communities in the United States, Canada, Russia, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
“I feel incredibly honored to receive this award. As executives, we help other women through career mentoring and coaching. I have been the beneficiary of such mentoring by amazing business leaders. And now, I am in the position to help other women, because of the women who have helped me in a very personal way,” said Thrall.
At United Way Thrall works with corporate, government and nonprofit leaders to strengthen the health and human service sector. United Way funds more than 700 programs at nonprofits across Chicagoland that focus on issues related to income stability, health and education. Under her leadership, United Way pulls together money, expertise and voices to have a meaningful impact on improving lives in communities.
“Laura truly embodies the spirit of the ATHENA Award. Her work as a community leader and health and human services advocate promotes an environment where women’s accomplishments and contributions are valued. Her peers, colleagues and community will continue to benefit from her commitment to the empowerment of women and vulnerable populations,” said Dianne Dinkel, President and CEO, ATHENA.
Before joining United Way, Thrall served as Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, which serves over 130,000 people annually through economic empowerment programs, early childhood services and rape crisis services. At the YWCA, she led its transformation, developing the concept for the “Model YWCA,” opening the first of four planned new centers, launching its first capital campaign in 40 years and creating an infrastructure for sustained legislative advocacy.
Thrall has also served in leadership roles at a number of nonprofit organizations, including as immediate past board chair for the Chicago Alliance for Collaborative Effort (CACE) and currently as a founding board member of its Back Office Cooperative. She was a founding member of Illinois Partners for the Common Good, a legislative coalition comprised of the largest health and human service providers in Illinois. She chairs the Donors Forum Public/Nonprofit Partnership Initiative Policy Forum and is an appointed member of the Visiting Committee for the Biological Sciences Division and Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.
Thrall holds a Master’s degree with distinction in Public Service Management from DePaul University in Chicago. A 26-year resident of Chicago, she has two adult children now residing in New York.
About United Way of Metropolitan Chicago: United Way improves lives by mobilizing caring people to invest in the community where it’s needed most. People engage with United Way to give, advocate and volunteer in their community to advance the common good. Spanning 238 communities across six counties, United Way is the largest non-governmental funder of health and human service programs in the region. By promoting education, income and health, United Way creates opportunities for people to live stable, healthy and independent lives.
