Entrepreneurs and international women's rights advocates Martha Mertz and Mary Schnack will be honored on November 10 by The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) with their inaugural World of Difference 100 Award which honors 100 women from around the world who have contributed to the economic empowerment of women.
Both members of the Sedona-Verde Valley chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Schnack was awarded in the Entrepreneurial category and Mertz in non-profit.
"We received tremendous nominations from every continent in the world, " said Stephanie MacKendrick, President of the Board, TIAW. "We have been inspired and humbled by the stories of these women; leaders of their communities, organizations, regions or countries who, often without fanfare, have taken action to support women's advancement in society and business."
Mertz is the Founder of ATHENA International, a non-profit organization that seeks to support, develop and honor women leaders, inspire women to reach their full potential, and create balance in leadership worldwide. Mertz is also a real estate developer and is President and Owner of Mayhood/Mertz Investment, Inc.
A specialist in communications for almost 30 years, Schnack owns a variety of businesses focusing on communications. These include her roles as president of Sedona, Arizona based public relations firm, Mary Schnack Media Services, Inc., and founder of Up from the Dust, a business that imports products and is dedicated to the global growth of women microenterprises.
In this inaugural year, TIAW is naming, 50 exceptional women from 15 different countries and all continents around the world to the 2008 World of Difference 100 list. Countries represented include Canada, Dominican Republic, India, Kenya, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sudan, United Kingdom and USA.
To learn more about Mertz or Schnack visit www.athenafoundation.org, www.prworks.ms or www.UpfromtheDust.com. For more information on the awards, visit www.tiaw.org.
About TIAW
The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) is an international umbrella organization of women's networks representing more than 50,000 women world wide whose mission is the economic empowerment of women, whether it is women in microenterprise in the developing world or women seeking board governance roles in the world's business capitals. The motto of TIAW is 'Connecting to Make All the Difference in the World'.
About Mary Schnack
Mary Schnack is the Past Chair of the International Forum for the National Association of Women Business Owners, a national founding partner of Women Impacting Public Policy and one of her many awards include the women's business advocate award from the Small Business Administration. She also is the Arizona representative for the Women's Leadership Exchange, co-producer of 2008 Women's Festivals in California and Arizona, and was head coach for the girl's basketball team at Sedona Red Rock High School. She continues to be a strong mentor to girls and other young professionals in the community.
About Martha Mertz
As Founder of ATHENA International, Mertz served as President of ATHENA International from its inception in 1982 to May 1999. In 2000 she worked as a project designer and facilitator of Global Links to instruct college students at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates on the ATHENA Leadership Model. In May 2004, Mertz led a group representing ATHENA to China to participate in an unprecedented women's conference developing collaborative opportunities and connections on issues of importance to women. Prior to moving to Arizona, she served her local community of Lansing, MI as president of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and in leadership positions for many other organizations.
