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SPRINGFIELD, PA – The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the 2021 ATHENA® Leadership Award recipient, the passionate and intelligent Reverend Zuline Gray Wilkinson, M.Div., MSW. The award will be presented to Rev. Wilkinson during the 2021 ATHENA® Leadership Luncheon that will place on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at Anthony’s at Paxon. A committee comprised of business leaders from the community selected Rev. Wilkinson based on her high level of professional excellence, eager and action to improve the quality of life for others in the community and willingness to actively assist others, particularly women, in realizing their full leadership potential. About Reverend Zuline Gray Wilkinson: Professional or Industry Leadership: Rev. Zuline Wilkinson – or Rev. Z as she is called – has been running one of the most reputable non-profits in the City of Chester, Chester Eastside Inc. (CEI) for over five years, bringing her mature and experienced leadership to not only helping the organization survive but thrive through the pandemic with innovative programming and administrative excellence. Founded in 1985 as a ministry of the Philadelphia Presbytery, CEI has faced a number of crises in its 35-year history. The agency successfully navigated a required move from its aging facility at Third Presbyterian Church to St. Paul's Episcopal Church and converted to an independent 501(c)3 to help diversify their sources of support in order to broaden their reach in the community. Despite the physical and organizational upheaval, their programs have expanded and flourished with Executive Director Rev. Z at the helm. Rev. Z epitomizes the value of education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Temple University, Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania, Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and is currently completing her doctorate at Drew University School of Theology. Her dissertation will explore how the race and class of fundraisers or non-profit leaders impacts fundraising success and donors’ perception of non-profit organizations. In 2015, Rev. Z received the Urban Ministry Award from the Princeton Theological Seminar; she is also a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and is designated as a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW). Under her leadership, CEI added seventh and eighth grade to its afterschool activities and launched the Technology Training Program to prepare motivated high school students for future careers. She also adopted an evidence-based focus for the out-of-school time programs with formal outcome measures to strengthen their effectiveness and impact. When the pandemic hit, Rev. Z pivoted immediately, making CEI the first in the area to do a virtual out-of-school time program and a virtual camp last summer. She raised funds to purchase and distribute 40 Chrome Books that kept 40 children and their parents connected with each other and with Chester Eastside throughout the school year and summer. Rev. Z also combined CEI’s two outreaches, education and food insecurity, for Food Matters! Kids, an age- and developmentally appropriate program that provides nutrition education and encourages healthy eating in children. It was developed in response to the rise in obesity and high blood pressure among urban youth. A similar program has been created targeting adults with cardiac conditions and diabetes, and is a collaboration between Chester Eastside, Shiloh Baptist Church, Keystone First, Immaculata University, Crozer Health, and Philabundance. This family-based approach to healthy eating was selected for a poster demo at the largest gathering of clinical dietitians in the country, the Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo at the Annual Conference of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Chester Eastside’s out-of-school programs have changed the landscape of youth development programs using evidence-based programming that gives them better information to help young people succeed. For example, one piece of data is to track the participating children’s literacy enabling them to show that more children are approaching, and in some cases even performing beyond grade level in reading and math. Recruiting and retaining caring adults, adopting an established curriculum, and using the iReady data management program, have all been accomplished with Rev Z’s leadership. Her emphasis on nutrition, health and wellness is exemplified also in her introduction of an award-winning garden, which will be featured soon in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) magazine “GROW”. And, her community leadership was recognized by Swarthmore College in 2020, just before the pandemic, when Rev Z was one of just two community leaders invited to participate in a trip to the Univ of Hawaii to learn more about social entrepreneurship. Community Leadership: In addition to her work as ED at CEI, Rev Z is currently on the Mayor’s Re-entry Committee for the City of Chester,and has been working closely with the City of Chester Health Dept on vaccine access – a critical priority in that community. With her leadership and advocacy, the church building and parking lot has been a site for vaccine provision and health fairs. They are currently collaborating with a local fraternity to conduct a blood drive and create awareness about sickle cell anemia. In her private life, she is an associate pastor and on the Leadership Council at the Bethesda Christian Fellowship Church of God in Philadelphia, where she is responsible for ministerial education, conducting training and leading an affinity group of aspiring ministers. She is also part of the counseling ministry of the congregation, addressing personal issues and marriage counseling, and serves as the Secretary of her denomination’s regional ministerial, as well as serving on the board of directors of her denomination’s regional association of churches. She presents locally, regionally, and nationally on issues like HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, LGBTQ issues, and helps congregants understand grief and loss related to COVID-19. For several years, Rev Z and her husband, Rev. John Wilkinson, developed a curriculum called “Life Skills Training for Ex-Offenders: Life Skills Curriculum Development” and counseled returning offenders for the Metro Brownfield Training Program of the NJ Institute for Social Justice. And, they developed an anti-bullying curriculum called “Bullying Awareness: Stop Bullying Now”, which was delivered for the children, parents, administrators, and teachers at elementary schools in Philadelphia. Personal Leadership/Mentorship: With kindness and exemplary listening skills, Rev. Z is constantly mentoring students from Swarthmore College, Penn State and Widener University who serve as interns at CEI year-round. The majority of the students have been women. While there, they learn non-profit administration skills but also how to lead in under-resourced communities where balancing budgets, implementing effective programs, and addressing entrenched challenges must be addressed daily. As an experienced, mature nonprofit leader, Rev. Z also serves as a mentor for the younger women who are, for the first time, leading some of the newer nonprofits in Delaware County, particularly in the City of Chester. She has a reputation for being encouraging and supportive and has served on several inaugural boards to provide mentoring to the organizations’ founders. Additional Information: Rev Z is proudest that her two sons defied the odds that many young Black men experience growing up in the City of Philadelphia. Not only did they survive, but they earned post-graduate degrees, and are successful professionals in their own communities. Rev. Z brings her commitment to young people to her work every day at Chester Eastside and has successfully brought the organization into this new (we hope) post-pandemic period. About the ATHENA Award The ATHENA Leadership Award was inspired by the goddess of Greek mythology known for her strength, courage, wisdom and enlightenment - qualities embodied in the ATHENA Leadership Model. The Award is unique in both scope---local, national and international---and the ATHENA mission upon which it is based. The ATHENA Leadership Award is presented to a woman ---or man--- who is honored for professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills. Since the program’s inception in 1982, more than 7,000 exemplary leaders in over 500 communities have received the prestigious ATHENA Award in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, China, Greece, India, Russia, Unite Arab Emirates and United Kingdom. By honoring exceptional leaders, the ATHENA Leadership Award Program seeks to inspire others to achieve excellence in their professional and personal lives. For more information and to register for the 2021 ATHENA® Leadership Luncheon visit www.delcochamber.org/athena. Driving Business Forward. # # #