(Rockville, MD – July 17, 2009) The Executive Director of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Arlene Pietranton, PhD, CAE, has been honored with a Washington SmartCEO 2009 BRAVA! Women Business Achievement Award from SmartCEO, a regional publication read by more than 34,000 business owners in the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas.
Annually, the award recognizes 25 female CEOs who not only grow successful companies, but are also actively involved in giving back to the community through philanthropic acts. This year’s 25 winners were honored at a July 16 SmartCEO’s BRAVA! Awards event at The Tower Companies in Rockville.
“I am sincerely thankful to SmartCEO for this recognition,” ASHA’s Pietranton says. “It’s a privilege doing work that is so thoroughly aligned with my personal and professional beliefs. The opportunity to help assure that effective communication, a human right, truly is accessible and achievable by all, is a passionate commitment for me. I am so proud of all of the audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language and hearing scientists who do their utmost to make it so.”
This year’s winners, who support more than 100 nonprofit organizations and charities across the Greater Washington region, are profiled in the print and digital July issue of SmartCEO. The winners were selected by an independent panel of business leaders.
“Rockville is filled with outstanding women business leaders, all of whom are at the top of the list,” according to Rockville Economic Development, Inc. Executive Director Sally Sternbach. “Nevertheless, Arlene stands out. She leads a nationally recognized non-profit, has built an exquisitely attractive and efficient green headquarters building, and contributes to the community at every opportunity. We are proud to have her here, and to have nominated her for this award.”
Jamie Park, publisher of SmartCEO explains that, “BRAVA! Women Business Achievement award recipients are not only selected and recognized for their success in growing a company, but for demonstrating leadership throughout the Greater Washington, DC community. This is a unique combination of attributes that any CEO should be inspired by. We are honored to recognize Arlene as one of Washington’s leaders.”
About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 135,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems including swallowing disorders.