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WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Patrice Persico&#8217;s parents, Dr. Tom and Joyce Rittenhouse, celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary by witnessing their daughter receive the 2016 ATHENA Award.The award, given at Tuesday night&#8217;s &#8220;Extraordinary People Inspiring Community Celebration&#8221; at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, honors an individual for professional excellence, community service and assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.Sponsored by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, the international award is sponsored locally by Riggs Asset Management.Persico, of Shavertown, director of alumni relations and annual giving at King&#8217;s College, was &#8220;humbled&#8221; by the honor.&#8220;To join such an outstanding group of previous recipients who dedicated themselves to our community is very humbling,&#8221; Persico said.On Wednesday, Persico reflected on the award, talking about her family and how supportive her husband and children have been. She and her husband, Attorney Joseph Persico, have three children: Timothy, 32; Elise, 31; and Jay, 28.&#8220;We have a very close family,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I rely on them for their support and counsel.&#8221;Persico has learned a lot from her community service and from her work at King&#8217;s College.&#8220;I truly feel I get as much out of it as I give,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Like that time-honored quote from Luke: &#8216;to whom much is given, much will be required.&#8217; I feel part of my duty has always been to be a good citizen.When the Chamber announced Persico as the ATHENA Award winner, Mary Erwine, president of Erwine Home Health &amp; Hospice and chamber vice chair and nominator, said in a press release: &#8220;Patrice &#8217;s active participation in both professional and volunteer endeavors exhibits her keen sense of pride for the region and her desire to advance Northeastern Pennsylvania as a place for all to live and prosper.&#8221;Chamber CEO Wico van Genderen said Persico&#8217;s business accomplishments reflect three decades of leadership in three of the community&#8217;s key sectors &#8212; academia, business and community.&#8220;Her contributions to the community are indeed epic,&#8221; he said.Also honored at the chamber event were:&#8226; Terry Ooms, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development, as winner of the initial Innovator of the Year Award.&#8226; Kathy Bankes, private dinner manager at Ruth&#8217;s Chris Steak House, Wolfgang Puck and Elixir Bistro and an emp0loyee of Metz Culinary Management, received the Volunteer of the Year Award. Bankes serves on several area charities.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Persico </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_Patrice-Persico-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Persico </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Bill O&#8217;Boyleboboyle@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>ATHENA Award Recipients1985 - Anne Vernon1986 - Sue Kluger1987 - Mary Ann Keirans1988 - Evelyn Gurbst1989 - Phyllis Belk1990 - Ruth Borland1991 - Anna Cervenak1992 - Joan Evans1993 - Susan Shoval1994 - Rosemary Sigmond1995 - Rose Tucker1997 - Ina Lubin1998 - Elly Miller1999 - Christine McLaughlin2000 - Phyllis Mundy2001 - Ellen Smith2002 - Mary Erwine2003 - Denise Cesare2004 - Judith Ellis2005 - Maureen Bufalino2006 - Dr. Patricia Donohue2007 - Jill Schwartz2008 - Lisa Baker2009 &#8211; Elizabeth Graham and Marilyn Millington2010 &#8211; Donna Sedor2011 &#8211; Catherine Shafer2012 &#8211; Lissa Bryan-Smith2013 - Jackie Brozena2014 - Katie Lambert2015 &#8211; Lori Nocito2016 - Patrice Persico</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</shirttailMeta></div>

Patrice Persico ‘humbled’ by ATHENA Award