Vicki Varela named 2022 Athena Award winner by Salt Lake Chamber

The Salt Lake Chamber has announced that Vicki Varela will receive the 2022 Athean Leadership Award at its 46th Annual Women & Business Conference and Athena Awards Luncheon at the Grand America Hotel on Nov. 14.

The national Athena Leadership Award is presented annually to an active member of the Salt Lake Chamber who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in business, the organization said in a release. Each recipient must also provide valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community and assist women in reaching their full leadership potential, the chamber said.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

“Vicki Varela has been a mainstay in public service in Utah for decades and one of the chief champions of all our state has to offer,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Her leadership spans from serving in former Gov. [Michael] Leavitt’s office, higher education, and her most recent work with former Gov. [Gary] Herbert and Gov. [Spencer] Cox in leading the Utah Office of Tourism at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. Vicki truly embodies the Utah brand of ‘Life Elevated’ and does her best to lift others and showcase what Utah has to offer. We look forward to honoring and adding her among the prior Athenas to inspire generations to come.”

Varela is the managing director of the Office of Tourism in the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. She leads Utah’s national and international strategy to create a prosperous and responsible visitor economy. She has been recognized as the U.S. Tourism Director of the Year by the National Council of State Tourism Directors and one of America’s 25 Great Minds by Hospitality, Sales and Marketing International. Her Utah community service includes the Salt Lake Chamber board, the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute advisory board and the Utah Clean Energy Steering Committee. Nationally, she serves on the U.S. Travel Board. Before leading the state tourism office, Varela’s career spanned many roles in the public and private sectors.

As vice president of Kennecott Land, Varela was a key driver in establishing the Daybreak master-planned community and its vision for the West Bench of Salt Lake Valley. As deputy chief of staff and spokesperson for Leavitt, she organized the communications strategy that helped establish his reputation as a bold public policy entrepreneur. As assistant commissioner of higher education, she led a communications campaign to educate Utahns on the role community colleges play in providing career pathways for all students. She has led statewide issue campaigns, including securing citizen support that laid the groundwork for the 2002 Winter Olympics. She started her career as a journalist with the Associated Press and later the Deseret News.

In addition to the Athena award, six Utah women will receive Pathfinder Awards at the conference. Pathfinder Awards are presented annually to community leaders who create new paths promoting the development and recognition of women in business, the chamber said.

Receiving Pathfinder Awards are Heather Doggett, chief operating officer at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium; Marlise Fisher, regional president of WaFd Bank; Natalie Kaddas, president and CEO of Kaddas Enterprises; Kacie Malouf, co-founder of Malouf Cos. and board chair of the Malouf Foundation; Sui Lang Panoke, senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Zions Bank; and Astrid Tuminez, president of Utah Valley University.{/mprestriction}