Leading Ladies

Pickerington Area Chamber recognizes three outstanding women

By Tyler Kirkendall

Though their efforts are very different, the through-line connecting the winners of this year’s ATHENA Leadership Awards is their commitment to helping women, minorities and other community members succeed in their goals.

The Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce has been recognizing outstanding woman leaders for 25 years. In October, the chamber named its 2022 ATHENA awardees: K. Zulene Adams, Ella Williams and Himadri “Disha” Hoque.

The chamber gives out the awards in partnership with ATHENA International, an organization dedicated to uplifting and empowering women who create inclusive opportunities and strengthen their communities. Pickerington is one of 13 participating chambers in Ohio.

K. Zulene Adams (center) accepts her award from PACC President Kim Barlag and Cheryl Ricketts, CEO of Competitive Edge HR.

Adams with one of her many charity ventures, volunteering for Meals on Wheels.

K. Zulene Adams

Adams, CEO of branding company Z Promotions, was caught off guard when she was announced as the winner of the ATHENA Leadership Award.

“I was in terrific company, but I most definitely didn’t expect to win,” says Adams.

Adams co-founded Z Promotions with Andrew Gehring to uphold a set of values, she says: to be kind and transparent, and to listen, learn and be involved. She also works to uphold those values in the community by volunteering for such organizations as the Pickerington Food Pantry and HeroBox. In addition, Adams is a member of the Diversity Chamber of Central Ohio and National Minority Supply Development Council; and is vice president of the

Asian American Commerce Group and the local chapers of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Adams is dedicated to helping women secure their futures, saying that her main priority is hitting areas most important to serve future generations and those with

critical needs. She is committed to breaking through social barriers and believes in a business’s ability to make a difference.

“Our business community are the ones who help run the economy,” she says, “because we’re the ones who are hiring our residents who live here.”

Adams, who moved here following the birth of her son, has lived in central Ohio for 12 years – longer than the former military brat has lived anywhere else.

“I just saw that it was a phenomenal place to raise a family,” she says, “and I saw that there was a lot of potential in terms of growth. … At the end of the day, I call it home because I’m invested. I want to make sure and continue the trajectory that we’re on.”

Ella Williams

Emerging ATHENA Award Winner Williams is another facilitator of growth for women in Pickerington. She owns Posh Teatime Co., which curates a variety of luxury teatime experiences for people and events around Columbus.

Posh Teatime Co. partners with Huckleberry House to offer etiquette and life skill training for at-risk youth – a priority for Williams, who grew up in foster care herself.

Williams believes that it is imperative to help Pickerington women make the most of their opportunities. She partners with local female entrepreneurs to help minority women build leadership skills and make it through the difficult landscape of entrepreneurship.

Williams is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Pickerington Chamber’s Women’s Leadership Coalition and the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce Women in Business group. She has also spent five years as a volunteer with Besa, which connects people and businesses with local community service groups and charity drives.

Himadri “Disha” Hoque

Youth ATHENA Award winner Hoque is a student at Pickerington High School Central, where she is involved with multiple organizations and clubs working to make the world a better place.

Hoque is co-president of the Bring Change to Mind Club, in which students commit their time to open conversations about mental health issues and how to take care of themselves and their peers. She joined the club her sophomore year, during a period of remote learning, because she felt anxious, as though she wasn’t having opportunities to do enough. To her, the club looked like a great way to share perspectives with others who were experiencing the same feelings, and she relished in the opportunity to help.

“My end goal is to help people and to accomplish as much as possible,” Hoque says.

She is also in Letters for Rose, through which she writes and delivers letters to older adults to prevent loneliness, and vice president of the National Honor Society at Central.

Hoque’s parents are Bengali immigrants, which led her to the BengaliAmerican Liberal Arts Foundation when she was in third grade. Though initially forced to go by her parents, she soon grew attached to the organization, meeting some of her best friends and connecting with many people who share Bengali heritage. She loves helping kids learn the Bengali language and culture, just as she had done.

Hoque was excited to speak with the other ATHENA winners after the event, and finally put faces to the names of the accomplished Pickerington women she had heard about.

“Seeing that that’s a woman figure that has been accomplishing so much was really cool,” she says.

Hoque says meeting Adams and Williams was empowering and inspiring.

“Not only were they such accomplished people,” she says, “they just seem so likable at the same time.”

Ella Wiliams (right) accepts her award from Barlag and Sarah Jackson (center) of Combustion Brewery and Taproom.

Disha Hoque (center) accepts her award from Barlag and Traci Bakenhaster of Adulting 101.

Tyler Kirkendall is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at tkirkendall@cityscenemediagroup.com.