M. Susan Hardwick to Keynote 2023 ATHENA Awards Banquet

Huntingburg- The Rotary Club of Dubois County recently announced that the 2023 ATHENA Awards Banquet keynote speaker will be M. Susan Hardwick, President and Chief Executive Officer of American Water Works Company, Inc., the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. 

The 2023 ATHENA Awards Banquet will be Wednesday, September 13th at the Huntingburg Event Center.

“Hearing Susan Hardwick speak is worth the price of admission to the ATHENA Awards Banquet alone,” said Rotary Club of Dubois County and ATHENA Committee Member, Tonya Heim. “Her resume speaks for itself, but Susan is incredibly inspiring and driven. She is a wonderful role model for all.”

Ms. Hardwick leads a team of 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide service to 14 million people in 24 states. In February 2022, she was named President and CEO and was elected to serve on the Board of Directors at American Water. She joined American Water in June 2019 and became CFO in July of that same year. In this role, she was responsible for all aspects of financial management and strategy, including treasury, financial planning, accounting, investor relations, internal audit, risk management, supply chain, regulatory services, and control functions.

Prior to joining American Water, Ms. Hardwick served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Vectren Corporation. In this role, she was a member of the executive leadership team responsible for the development and execution of business and financial strategy for both the regulated utility businesses, as well as the market-based subsidiaries. She also led the development and execution of the company’s regulatory strategy and investor relations and was responsible for numerous financing transactions.

Appointed by the Governor, Ms. Hardwick served two terms as an Arts Commissioner for the state of Indiana. She was also the recipient of the ATHENA Award in 2009 by the Chamber of Commerce of Southwestern Indiana, the Sara B. Davies Leadership Award in 2016 presented by Leadership Evansville, and the Torchbearer Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 presented by the Indiana Commission on Women. Also, in 2016, she was named CFO of the Year Honoree by the Indianapolis Business Journal and by the Philadelphia Business Journal in 2020. Ms. Hardwick was recognized as a 2021 Top 50 Financial Leader by the National Diversity Council and was inducted into the Evansville Regional Business Hall of Fame in December 2021.

She has also held numerous leadership and committee roles with the American Gas Association and the Edison Electric Institute, is a CPA, and holds an accounting degree from Indiana University.

“I am proud to be part of this celebration of strong female leaders in our workplace and community,” said M. Susan Hardwick, president and CEO of American Water. “The 2023 class of Dubois County ATHENA Award Finalists are inspiring and I look forward to discussing how leaders can truly help the next generation throughout their career journey.”

This year’s ATHENA Award Finalists from Dubois County are Annette Altmeyer, Dana Kunz, Dr. Kristi Nord, Erin Rauscher, and Sr. Rose Mary Rexing. All finalists will be celebrated at the September 13th event, with one being named the 2023 ATHENA Award Recipient. 

For more information on the ATHENA Awards Banquet, visit the Rotary Club of Dubois County’s website: www.duboiscountyrotary.com and navigate to the ATHENA link under the “About Our Club” tab. Sponsorships, table purchases, and individual tickets are all on sale now. Pre-registration is required for this event.