Woman of the Year
The Athena Woman of the Year Awards are given annually to individuals who have demonstrated clear and sustained dedication to women’s professional enhancement at the University of Idaho. Woman of the Year recipients are those who truly represent the mission of Athena and fearlessly engage both professionally and personally in making changes that support and forward the mission of Athena. These are people who have truly gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide mentorship to women, advocate for an inclusive and supportive climate, volunteering and engaging across the University in ways that carry out in word and deed the mission of Athena. Nominees may also be engaged in other efforts beyond our campus.
The Woman of the Year Awards nomination period is currently closed and will reopen in Spring 2024.
2023 Recipients
Woman of the Year, Staff
Emily Tuschhoff, MS, CHES
Associate Director of Programs and Wellbeing Initiatives, Vandal Health Education
Although her associate director responsibilities and Vandal Health Education as a whole have a primary focus on undergraduate and graduate student health and well-being, Emily is just as passionate about staff and faculty well-being, health and overall morale. She believes in helping everyone thrive in all aspects of life including family and personal relationships, work and career endeavors and those aspects of our lives that bring us joy, a sense of play, peace and wonder. She is an has been a leader on campus not only in the "usual" health and wellness initiatives that might be of interest to college students (e.g., nutrition, exercise and physical activity, sleep hygiene, stress management, healthy relationships, etc.), she stepped up when we were all faced with the unknown of a global pandemic. Emily took a leading role on the Healthy Vandals Campaign that allowed our university to safely return to campus. She has contributed to numerous committees and initiatives across campus to help improve the work climate of both staff and faculty. Emily took on the role of chairing Staff Council during a time in which the group was struggling to find its footing and morale seemed low. With a lot of empathetic listening, compassion, organization and networking, she helped raise awareness of staff experiences, concerns and needs around issues such as compensation, benefits, shared governance and recognition/appreciation.
Woman of the Year, Faculty
Linda Chen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Accounting, College of Business and Economics
Dr. Chen has actively addressed issues affecting women on University of Idaho campus for years. The business world and academia have seen a steady increase in women entering management positions; however, women in male-dominated careers face challenges such as lack of support, feeling incompetent, mistreatment and lack of a voice. Dr. Chen has been vocal about those issues and worked on publicly supporting female colleagues in many different settings. She has hosted gatherings to help with equity and justice matters, and in her research, she has analyzed the effect of board gender diversity on a firm's risk strategies. Her work advocates for more female executives in the industry, and her insights encourage more career women seeking managerial positions. Moreover, she extends her activism internationally by serving on the Steering Committee for an international women's scholar organization, Daughters of Themis, collaborating with like-minded women scholars around the globe in strengthening the community and supporting justice.
