Jennifer Leonard, president and executive director of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, was honored today by the Women's Council of the Rochester Business Alliance as the recipient of its 2010 ATHENA Award.

"Jennifer's enthusiasm, business savvy and warm personal touch have helped raise the level and profile of community philanthropy," said Nancy E. Catarisano, partner at Insero & Company CPAs, in support of Leonard's nomination for the ATHENA Award. "Keeping our community vital and viable is a stance that Jennifer embraces both personally and professionally."

Leonard has served in her current role since 1993, building RACF from $32 million to $200 million, making it the largest philanthropic foundation in Rochester. It now ranks in the top 8 percent for asset size, contributions and grants paid among more than 700 U.S. community foundations. Under her leadership, grants have grown from $3 million to $22 million a year.

During her tenure, the foundation has awarded more than $250 million in grants, compared with a total $15 million in the previous 21 years. She has also demonstrated strong organizational leadership, raising the foundation's investment performance to above national benchmarks, building meaningful collaborations among local and national philanthropies, agencies and community leaders.

Prior to her work at RACF, she was vice president of the California Community Foundation in Los Angeles and from 1988 to 1993, she served as a national consultant on marketing and development to some of the nation's fastest growing community foundations, including New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

Among her community work, she is a member of the Mayor's Education and Literacy Commission for the city of Rochester, a trustee for the Center for Governmental Research, a former vice president and board member of the Rochester Downtown Development Corp, a former vice president, secretary and board member for the Grantmakers Forum of New York and a former board member of the YMCA of Greater Rochester.

Leonard has been a graduate professor of fundraising and frequently lectures on philanthropy. She has written articles on that subject that have appeared in the Columbia Journalism Review, Los Angeles Times, the Ford Foundation Letter and other industry publications.

The ATHENA Award is given annually by the Women's Council to a local professional woman who has demonstrated significant achievements in business, community service and the professional advancement of women. The 19 finalists were chosen from nominations made by the community, which were independently reviewed and evaluated by a selection committee in accordance with the award criteria and the key areas of accomplishment it seeks to recognize: professional achievement, community service and support/mentoring of other women. Individual evaluations were tabulated and summarized, and the results were presented to the committee for selection of the recipient.