Women of Northwest Arkansas: Cathy Foraker
By: Neile Jones
Updated: October 2, 2012
Every year at the Northwest Arkansas Business Women's Conference a local woman is honored with the Athena Award for efforts in the community. In this Women Of Northwest Arkansas report Neile Jones introduces us to Cathy Foraker. She is a community leader making a difference in the lives of others.
Krista Khone with the Bentonville Bella Vista Chamber says she had no problem helping to select this year's Athena Award recipient. "A lot of people know her by name they may never have seen her face but they are going to recognize her name."
It's a sentiment shared by Lori Walker of John Brown University, who also helped with the selection process for the prestigious award. "She's had success both professionally and in community service and so she is a great example for other women to see that you can have a career and a personal life and still be involved in your community," Walker says
Cathy Foraker is a successful business woman serving as the Director of External Affairs for AT&T. Cathy says she's always lived by a certain philosophy, "Take the situation you're in and try to gleam what you can from the experience and apply yourself in what you know. Learn and try to be what I always call the subject matter expert."
She has worked with or volunteered for several groups including the local Chambers of Commerce, The Beaver Water District And The Single Parent Scholarship Fund. For Cathy, giving back to the community can be anything from a phone call to several hours helping someone get back on their feet. "If I can take that four hours and really help a family or help a single parent get their education where now they can become self-sufficient; now they can open doors for them and their kids. It's worth the time."
Krista Khone with the Bentonville Bella Vista Chamber says she had no problem helping to select this year's Athena Award recipient. "A lot of people know her by name they may never have seen her face but they are going to recognize her name."
It's a sentiment shared by Lori Walker of John Brown University, who also helped with the selection process for the prestigious award. "She's had success both professionally and in community service and so she is a great example for other women to see that you can have a career and a personal life and still be involved in your community," Walker says
Cathy Foraker is a successful business woman serving as the Director of External Affairs for AT&T. Cathy says she's always lived by a certain philosophy, "Take the situation you're in and try to gleam what you can from the experience and apply yourself in what you know. Learn and try to be what I always call the subject matter expert."
She has worked with or volunteered for several groups including the local Chambers of Commerce, The Beaver Water District And The Single Parent Scholarship Fund. For Cathy, giving back to the community can be anything from a phone call to several hours helping someone get back on their feet. "If I can take that four hours and really help a family or help a single parent get their education where now they can become self-sufficient; now they can open doors for them and their kids. It's worth the time."
