Chamber Names Milliken 2008 ATHENA Award Recipient

Warren County Attorney Receives Award, Sponsored by Martin Cadillac

BOWLING GREEN, KY-The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, along with Martin Cadillac, continued the longstanding tradition of ATHENA Awards by announcing at a news conference yesterday that Amy Milliken, Warren County attorney, is the 2008 ATHENA recipient. While the announcement was made yesterday, Milliken will be formally honored at the ATHENA Luncheon, to be held Thursday, November 13, at Indian Hills Country Club.

"The Chamber is very honored to present Amy Milliken with the ATHENA Award this year," said Chamber Board Chairman Doug Gorman. "Amy makes a great contribution to our community not just through her work as Warren County attorney, but also through her efforts to support local non-profits and to make our county a safer place for all. On behalf of the Chamber, I'd like to say 'congratulations' to Amy for winning this award!"

For the past 23 years, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, with the generous support of Martin Cadillac, has honored local businesspeople for contributing to the advancement of women in the workplace by presenting a well-deserving business leader with the ATHENA Award.  The prestigious ATHENA Award celebrates positive role models in the business world-more than 3,000 women and men to date-on local, state, national and international levels. The ATHENA Foundation is dedicated to recognizing individual leaders that have opened doors of opportunity for women in the workplace and beyond, and this year's recipient, Amy Milliken embodies everything that this award represents.

"Martin Cadillac has sponsored the ATHENA Awards since the Chamber first introduced this program in 1986. We're committed to honoring those who have dedicated their lives to helping women achieve success in the workplace and in society. Amy is a wonderful example of what the ATHENA Award stands for, and we're proud to present her with the award this year," said Amber Martin.

A Warren County native, Milliken began her career with the Warren County Attorney's office in May 1996 shortly after receiving her law degree from Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 1995. Having first served as assistant Warren County attorney, she became the first female to be elected to the office of Warren County attorney in 2004 and uses her position to fight as an advocate on the behalf of children and families in crisis.

Since taking her position in 2004, Milliken has helped raise Warren County's Child Support Division state ranking, thereby increasing the amount of child support orders for the children of the county, and has implemented the Good Attendance Pays program, in which children are awarded for good attendance within the County and City School Districts. In 2004, Milliken joined the Warren County Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Council. The next year, the Kentucky County Attorney's Association nominated her to the State Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, to which she was then appointed by Governor Ernie Fletcher.

Milliken also partnered with Family Court judges, WBKO and school officials to create public service announcements (PSAs) about truancy and educational neglect, and she has worked with Hughes & Coleman to develop PSAs on school bus safety. In addition to these efforts, Milliken appointed the first Warren County Attorney Detective, Cliff Meeks, to help businesses prevent bad checks. Their work has resulted in thousands of dollars of savings for businesses.

Throughout her law career, Milliken has received numerous accolades for her work in the community.  In 2000, Milliken was awarded the Pro Bono Publico Award for her generous and continuous donations of legal services for the disadvantaged citizens in the community.  In 2003, she received the Business Professional of the Year Award from the Hilltops '76 Chapter of the American Business Women's Association. Also that year, she was presented with the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award by the Kentucky Bar Association.  The Bowling Green Human Rights Commission named her recipient of the "Women First" Award in 2005. In 2006 she earned the Award for the Outstanding Improvement by the Commonwealth's Cabinet for Health and Family Services.   She also received a certificate from Vocational Rehabilitation in 2005 for her work with persons with disabilities.

Currently Milliken is active in and serves on many non-profit boards in the community.  She joined the board of the American Red Cross in 2007, and she also serves as president of the board for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). A 2000 graduate of Leadership Bowling Green, Milliken joined the Leadership Bowling Green Alumni Association immediately after graduation and served as president of that board in 2007. Amy was a member of the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center from 2001 to 2004, during which time she served on the programs committee, first as co-chair and then as chair, and on the public relations committee. She has also assisted the Green River Union Cemetery Improvement Association with property improvement issues.

Milliken has been married to Wesley Milliken for more than 11 years. They have two daughters, Abby (9) and Chloe (5). Milliken is a lifelong resident of Warren County and is a graduate of Bristow Elementary, Warren East High School (1989), Western Kentucky University (1993) and Salmon P. Chase College of Law (1995).

According to those who nominated her, Milliken is always mindful of those in need of her assistance and uses her positions as a platform to achieve her mission of better and fair treatment, for women, children and those with disabilities in the Warren County community. Her service to the community that she was raised in and loves can be seen through her position as Warren County attorney, her presence on and association with numerous charitable organizations, and with her volunteer efforts to help mentor and the reassurance of those in need. 

Registration is currently open for the 2008 ATHENA Award Luncheon, which will be held on Thursday, November 13, at 11 a.m. at Indian Hills Country Club. Register online at www.bgchamber.com/events.

Incorporated in 1935, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce is the driving force for economic development in South Central Kentucky. As one of only 336 chambers nationwide to be accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the fourth largest chamber in Kentucky, the Chamber serves as a premier business advocate for its more than 1,300 partners. Its primary goals are to promote growth and success in the business community, reaching its small business partners and those in large industries alike. With leadership programs, governmental relations projects, educational initiatives and involvement opportunities, the Chamber aims to support the community and its neighbors in order to enhance the business climate and continue to grow the region.