Dawna Kinnunen

The ATHENA Award, sponsored by Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology, was awarded to Dawna Kinnunen.

The ATHENA Award is an internationally recognized award, presented to an individual who is recognized for their professional excellence, for providing valuable service to their community and for actively assisting women in attainment of their professional goals and leadership skills.

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******************* We salute Dawna Kinnunen, this year’s recipient of the ATHENA Award.

We recognize Dawna for professional excellence, for providing valuable service to her community and for actively assisting women in attainment of their professional goals and leadership skills.

In 2002, Dawna left her provincial government job of 17 years to follow a passion and be a leader in her own life.

She founded Yes You Can Employment Consulting, a company that empowers vulnerable people to build themselves from the inside-out and follow their passions to find and keep employment.

In 2008, she founded a second small business, Accessibility North.

This company teaches and trains business and organizations how to be accessible and welcoming to people with disabilities.

In addition to overseeing two businesses, Dawna still finds time to remain active in community service.

She has been a member of Rotary since 2006 and is currently chairperson of the vocational committee for Downtown Rotary.

She sits on the Board of Directors for Pauline’s Place and has been an active member of the local SuccessBiz Women’s Network and a committee member of the Elevate Success Women’s Leadership Conference.

As part of her business, Dawna offers pro bono service to one woman at a time, who would not be eligible for Yes You can Employment’s program or who would not be able to afford the service on her own.

Congratulations to Dawna Kinnunen, on being named recipient of the 2011 ATHENA Award and for being an active leader and an example for women and for business people throughout our community.

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