Gilbert Wins Athena Award
“In my family, you had to be funny to steal five minutes at the dinner table. Performance is my favorite medium for advocacy because everyone is compelled by stories.” — Joanne Gilbert
Joanne Gilbert was taught from childhood to leave the system better than you found it and to put more back into a community than you take out.
The “system,” in turn, has recognized her efforts. The Gratiot Area Chamber of Commerce recently gave the professor of communication the Athena award to recognize her contribution to the community.
Joanne Gilbert with the Athena Award
The Athena award, named for the Greek goddess of courage and wisdom, is an international award given to leaders and role models in the community. Martha Mertz created the award in 1982 after being asked to serve on the board of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Realizing that she was the only woman on the board and that the Chamber had only ever recognized one woman, Mertz looked for a way to recognize female leaders in the community. The award has been presented to more than 5,000 people in the United States and internationally.
“I am absolutely thrilled and honored to receive this award,” Gilbert says. “Athena is a favorite of mine — according to the myth, she sprung from her father’s head fully formed. In reality, none of us is fully formed at birth and can only reach our full potential in the context of our families and communities.”
Gilbert came to Alma College in 1994 after earning her master’s degree from the University of North Carolina and her doctorate from the University of Texas. Between her graduate degrees, she performed as a stand-up comedian in New York City.
“In my family, you had to be funny to steal five minutes at the dinner table,” she says. “Performance is my favorite medium for advocacy because everyone is compelled by stories.”
During her time at Alma she has advocated for a variety of causes through performance. She brought The Vagina Monologues to campus in 2002, raising more than $4,000 for the Women’s Aid shelter. Her performance “Up from the Ashes” allowed area residents to hear the voices of Michigan Holocaust survivors, and she is currently working on a similar project about Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota.
Gilbert also teaches one service-learning course a semester, working with organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters, the Masonic Home and the Women’s Aid shelter.
— Amanda VanLente-Hatter
Posted: Thu, April 30th, 2009 at 10:02AM
