Dr. Rhea Seddon - surgeon, astronaut, author and public speaker - is the recipient of RUTHERFORD Cable's 2016 ATHENA Award. The ATHENA Award ceremony, celebrating 12 exemplary women leaders from Rutherford County, was held Thursday (4/28/2016)night at the Stones River Country Club.
The crowd rose to its feet when St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital President and CEO Gordon Ferguson made the announcement.
Dr. Rhea Seddon, MD
Nominated for the award by Charity Circle of Murfreesboro, Dr. Rhea Seddon trained as a surgeon and then became one of the first six women admitted to the U.S. Astronaut Corps. After three successful Space Shuttle flights, she left NASA to become the Assistant Chief Medical Officer at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She later co-founded LifeWings Partners, which teaches teamwork to healthcare organizations. Her recent book, Go for Orbit, is a memoir of her life.
Dr. Seddon is active in Charity Circle of Murfreesboro and currently serves as its President-Elect and Chairman of the Special Projects Committee, which determines how to disburse the approximately $350,000 the organization raises annually. She serves on the Board of Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital and supports many of that organization's fund-raising and community outreach events.
"Dr. Seddon personifies the attributes of the ATHENA Leadership Model," said 2016 Rutherford ATHENA Chair Meagan Flippin. "These attributes include authentic self, relationships, giving back, collaboration, courageous acts, learning, fierce advocacy and, of course, celebration and joy."
She is a native of Murfreesboro and a graduate Central High School's class of 1965. Dr. Seddon's bachelor's degree was awarded in 1970 from the University of California, Berkley. In 1973 she received a doctorate in medicine from the University of Tennessee.
Dr. Seddon was selected from a group of 12 women leaders from Rutherford County. All 12 nominees were recognized for their accomplishments in supporting, honoring and developing women leaders.
ATHENA Entries
In her remarks at the event, Flippin noted that the 2016 ATHENA Nominees come from all walks of life. "We have women whose work has taken place in venues as varied as the classroom, the manufacturing plant and even outer space," she said. "All are role models who have made a difference in the lives of others."
The other 11 nominees for the 2016 ATHENA Award and their nominating organizations are: Dr. Gloria L. Bonner (Noon, Rotary Club of Murfreesboro), Anne Courtenay Davis (Junior League of Murfreesboro), Nancy James (American Association of University Women of Murfreesboro), Kathy Jones (RUTHERFORD Cable), Pamela Little (local DoubleTree by Hilton), Joyce McGee-Gardner (General Mills, Murfreesboro Plant), Laura Messick (Portico), Ruth E. Nolte (Nissan Smyrna Women's Business Synergy Team), Dr. Patricia Marie Patterson (MTSU June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students), Hanna R. Witherspoon (United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties) and Susan Hanson Young (Murfreesboro Chi Omega Alumnae Chapter).
In addition to founding sponsor RUTHERFORD Cable and presenting sponsor Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, the 2016 Rutherford ATHENA Award Program is supported by community sponsor Pinnacle Financial Partners and sponsors Deloitte, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Farrar|Wright PLLC, Parks Realty, NHC Healthcare and State Farm.
