(The following press release is from Sarah Palya of the Joliet Chamber of Commerce.)

JOLIET – The Joliet Area Chamber of Commerce and its Council for Working Women announced Wednesday that Kelly Rohder-Tonelli will be the 2024 recipient of the ATHENA Award.

Kelly will be honored at the 37th ATHENA Luncheon on Wednesday, September 18, at 11:30 a.m. in the Victorian Ballroom of the Jacob Henry Mansion Estate.

Kelly Rohder-Tonelli was informed of the 2024 ATHENA Award during a surprise meeting with the President of the Joliet Area Chamber of Commerce, Jen Howard, on Wednesday.

The ATHENA Awards program was established in 1982 to honor exceptional female or male leaders who demonstrate the highest level of professional excellence, invest time and energy to improve the quality of life of others in the community, and actively support others, especially women, in achieving their full leadership potential.

Kelly Rohder-Tonelli has invested 17 years in higher education, including the last eight years in executive leadership. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Strategic Engagement for Joliet Junior College (JJC). In this role, Rohder-Tonelli and her team promote JJC’s brand image, enrollment numbers, and other institutional initiatives through global and targeted integrated marketing plans. Rohder-Tonelli leads the development of key institutional publications and implements strategies to promote the college’s image at the local, regional, and national levels through a tactical traditional and new media agenda. Her department also oversees the college’s legislative relations activities at the state and federal levels.

Rohder-Tonelli is incredibly passionate about investing in the community in which she lives and works. For nearly 20 years, Kelly has been dedicated to creating leadership and advancement opportunities, especially for women—a core value that has continually guided her personal and professional path.

A fundamental goal of Kelly’s has always been to help others identify and maximize their own natural talents. Rohder-Tonelli believes that by focusing on strengths rather than a deficit model, we can unlock our true leadership potential and contribute to the betterment of our community.

Kelly currently serves as Board Chair of the Boys and Girls Club of Joliet, Chair of the Higher Education Committee of the Will County Center for Economic Development, Co-Chair of the Rialto Theater Marquee Advisory Committee, Trustee of the Joliet Public Library, and Membership Chair of the Board of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Rohder-Tonelli has been actively involved in the Will County community for over two decades. She is a founding board member of the Community Foundation of Will County Women’s Leadership Fund and a founding board member of the Women’s History Month Luncheon Series. Kelly has been a keynote speaker for the National Society of Leadership and Success and a mentor for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Mentor 2.0 program.

Kelly’s other awards, recognitions and community involvement include:

• Reverend James E. Allen Award for Service to the Community from Project Acclaim, 2021.
• Recognition by the Senate of the Illinois General Assembly by Senator John Connor, 2021.
• The State of Illinois recognizes service and community involvement through the presentation of the Allen Award.
• Co-author of a chapter in the book “Narratives and Strategies of Effective Leadership in Community Colleges”: “How Joliet Junior College Leaders Use Design Thinking to Create and Implement Important Initiatives,” published June 2024.
• Executive Committee, Illinois Community College Presidents Council Marketing Collaborative, 2020-present.
• Appointed as parliamentary liaison for more than 30 colleges across Illinois in support of a statewide strategic marketing plan for Illinois community colleges.
• Speaker, American Association of Community Colleges National Conference, New York, NY. Presentation: Assessing and Addressing: Marketing from an Equity Perspective, 2022.\t
• Speaker, National Council for Marketing and Public Relations National Conference, Orlando, Florida, 2023. Evaluate and address: Marketing from an equity perspective.
• Award of Merit and Recognition, Joliet Junior College for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, 2023.

Kelly’s involvement in the Chamber includes:

• Executive Committee, 2022 to present.
• Chair of the Membership Committee, 2022 to present.
• Supported development and communication strategy of the new membership structure in 2022.
• Member of the Committee on Legislative Affairs, 2018-present.
• Community Leadership School Special Appropriations Committee to Revise CLS Programming, 2018
• Volunteer Event Staff for New Orleans North, 2018, 2019, 2024.
• Community Leadership School graduate, 2017.
• Scheduled speaker on productive partnerships for Chamber Leadership 2.0 in 2023

Please join members of the Joliet Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry in honoring Kelly Rohder-Tonelli on Wednesday, September 18th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Victorian Ballroom of the Jacob Henry Mansion. Join us in celebrating her many accomplishments and recognizing the path Kelly paved for many to follow.

For reservations, contact the Joliet Area Chamber of Commerce at (815) 727-5371 or online at www.jolietchamber.com.