Greater Phoenix Chamber Announces 2025 ATHENA Award Recipients

The Greater Phoenix Chamber celebrated a new class of trailblazers at its 38th annual ATHENA Awards, honoring three businesswomen whose work is shaping the future of Arizona. The 2025 ATHENA private sector award was presented to Grenee Martacho, CEO of Concord General Contracting; the public sector award was earned by Elvy Barton, water and forest sustainability senior manager at Salt River Project; and the ATHENA Young Professional Award went to Brandie Reiner, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers, Arizona Chapter.

“The Greater Phoenix Chamber’s ATHENA Awards celebrates the most inspiring women leaders in the Valley,” said Todd Sanders, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber. “These influential women are dedicated to building a brighter future and ensuring our community remains strong. They embody the best of the Arizona business community, and we look forward to seeing how they will carry the legacy of ATHENA through their work.”

That legacy, established through ATHENA International, highlights women whose professional achievements, leadership, and mentoring uplift the next generation. It is a standard not just of excellence, but of service. For Grenee Martacho, the award is a validation of the journey she has taken in a traditionally male-dominated field.

“This award demonstrates everything I’ve worked hard for, including all the failures I’ve had, but also the successes,” she said. “I think we get down on ourselves as leaders, and we ask, ‘Am I doing enough?’ You question yourself a lot as a leader. The entire ATHENA experience has allowed me to self-reflect on the type of leader I am and to know that even though days are hard, I am still being successful!”

With two decades in the A/E/C industry, Martacho is known for balancing vision with compassion, opening doors for women in construction and investing heavily in mentorship. Her leadership is rooted in believing that building projects and building people go hand in hand.

In the public sector, Elvy Barton has devoted her career to stewarding natural resources and shaping sustainable policy. Before joining SRP, she served as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Arizona Legislature, tackling issues in water, natural resources, and environmental regulation; work that prepared her for larger roles in the state’s long-term sustainability efforts. Barton holds advanced degrees from Arizona State University, is a Duke Water Innovation Leadership Development graduate, and is active in several national policy coalitions and committees.

“Winning the ATHENA Award is bigger than me,” she said. “It is about who I represent. Women are incredibly powerful changemakers at any point in their careers and organizations. We should celebrate and support women throughout their entire careers. I am so grateful to share this honor with so many people!”

As the 2025 ATHENA Young Professional honoree, Brandie Reiner represents the power of lived experience to drive systemic change. In leading the National Association of Social Workers’ Arizona Chapter, she champions policies that expand behavioral health access, reinforce the social work profession, and recognize communities historically left without adequate support. She is celebrated for coalition-building and for cultivating leadership among younger professionals in policy and advocacy. Recognized as a 2024 Leader in Public Policy by the Arizona Capitol Times and named to Phoenix Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” Reiner has transformed personal challenges into fuel for change.

“Fewer than 8 percent of youth who grew up like I did get to stand in moments like this,” she said. “So, this ATHENA Young Professional Award isn’t just about me; it’s for every kid who was told they didn’t belong in the room, and a reminder that courage rooted in compassion can rewrite the story.”

This year’s honorees were selected from a group of 11 finalists representing some of the most accomplished women in Arizona’s business and civic communities. From entrepreneurs and educators to nonprofit leaders and public policy experts, each finalist stands at the intersection of leadership and service.

Together, the ATHENA Award winners and finalists illustrate how transformative leadership begins with the willingness to invest in people, challenge barriers, and build a more equitable future for all. Learn more behind this Frontdoor by visiting phoenixchamber.com.