Through the years
Previous Athena Leadership Award winners: 2024 — Jill Guth 2023 — Shayla Maatuka 2022 — No award 2021 — Hope Wheeler 2020 — Sharon Allen 2019 — Christy Devocelle 2018 — Deb Feinen 2017 — Deb Reardanz 2016 — Denise Martin 2015 — Amy Randolph 2014 — Sandi Jones 2013 — Bianca Green 2012 — Cindy Somers 2011 — Lori Gold Patterson 2010 — Lynne Barnes 2009 — Kathleen Holden 2008 — Jane Hays 2007 — Donna Greene 2006 — Jayne DeLuce 2005 — Sue Grey 2004 — Beth Katsinas 2003 — Diane Friedman 2002 — Traci Nally 2001 — Lyn Jones 2000 — Linda Hamilton 1999 — Anita Broeren 1998 — Theresa Grentz 1997 — Zelema Harris 1996 — Shirley Anderson 1995 — Mary McGrath 1994 — Linda Mills 1993 — Jan Kiley 1992 — Nanette Fisher 1991 — Gloria Dauten 1990 — Elizabeth Curzon 1989 — Ruth Jones
It would take Becca Guyette a long time to name every woman who has impacted her life.
The list includes outgoing United Way of Champaign County President and CEO Sue Grey, Guyette’s boss for the last 12 years, and ClarkLindsey President and CEO Deb Reardanz, who will be Guyette’s new boss in a couple of weeks.
“Sue hiring me here and believing in me has been a big part of my development, professionally,” Guyette said, adding that Reardanz “seeing something in me gives me a lot of faith for what I might be able to do in the future.”
Guyette, for her part, feels compelled to pay it forward to others — including Caitlyn Floyd, development officer for Cunningham Children’s Home.
When Floyd made a career change to the field of nonprofit advancement, United Way was a partner to the organization she worked for, and Guyette reached out during Floyd’s first week on the job to set up a meeting.
Floyd was nervous, as she saw Guyette as “the face of philanthropy in Champaign County.”
“But when we met, instead of grilling me with questions, she congratulated me, encouraged me and said something along the lines of, ‘You’re perfect for this role,’” Floyd said. “That moment meant more to me than she’ll ever know. She also asked me a simple question: ‘How can I help?’ And I literally knew she meant it.”
Guyette’s mentorship, which has continued to this day, inspired Floyd to nominate her for the Athena Leadership Award. The award, bestowed by the Executive Club of Champaign County, recognizes professional achievement, community service and those who blaze a trail for other women. Reardanz and Grey are among the previous honorees.
Guyette, who recently accepted a job as ClarkLindsey’s vice president of mission advancement, will be honored at a Thursday evening awards reception at The Venue CU.
“She is a visionary leader whose career in philanthropy has reshaped the nonprofit landscape in our region,” wrote Paula Santiago, associate director of advancement for the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois, in her letter of nomination.
However, Guyette’s initial career plan had been to enter the field of academia and teach.
Things changed during her senior year at Bowling Green State University. Guyette, vice president of student government at the time, was tasked with speaking to donors and traveling with the university’s vice president of development.
She later interned for that office and was soon hooked on the joy of “seeing how much donors loved to see their gifts in action.”
The 47-year-old Savoy resident is originally from Paulding, a village in northwest Ohio. She came to Champaign-Urbana in 2001 as a graduate student. After earning her master’s in communication at the UI, she began working at the University YMCA as program director in 2003.
Guyette later took on the role of director of development in 2006 before leaving in 2013 to join the United Way of Champaign County — first as director of leadership giving, then as chief development officer starting in 2019.
Prior to joining the organization’s staff, she had volunteered with United Way’s basic-needs council.
During her time at United Way, Guyette launched the local Women United group. According to United Way, this network has over 700 members and has given over $700,000 to causes such as Parkland College scholarships and the emergency shelter for families.
“What began as a grassroots effort has grown into a powerful philanthropic force focused on solving complex community issues — most recently, the literacy crisis affecting children across Champaign County,” said Santiago, who formerly served as United Way’s director of engagement.
Guyette was also one of the founders of the annual Power of the Purse fundraiser, which supports women and children.
However, Guyette’s most impressive accomplishment during her time at United Way of Champaign County would likely be leading the organization’s 100th anniversary endowment and current-funds campaign. According to Guyette, this effort was initially projected to raise $4 million.
It closed at $6.8 million.
When asked what the key to fundraising is, Guyette replied, “authentic relationships.”
“The best fundraisers are just incredibly authentic in their work, and it really is about the supporters and the mission. And I would say that’s absolutely been my case,” she said. “The other thing for me is, I am who I am. I’m no different as a fundraiser as I am as a person.”
Floyd said that Guyette’s best quality is her authenticity.
“Becca is real,” she said. “She embodies everything she promotes — collaboration, generosity, kindnes, and integrity. She shows up as her authentic self, invites others to do the same, and creates spaces where genuine conversations and real growth can happen. That authenticity is what makes her leadership so magnetic and effective.”
Additionally, Grey said that one of the things she admires most about Guyette is how much she cares for others.
“When someone is having a bad day, it is not unusual for her to take time to find a way to cheer them up,” Grey said. “You might find a note, a small gift, your favorite treat — she makes a point to know what is important to you, and then when you need a little TLC, she knows just what you need to feel better. She has a big heart.”
Guyette takes time to see people in a way that not all leaders do, Santiago said.
“She has this unique ability to see you, who you truly are, your journey so far, honoring that,” she said. “And, at certain times, even her seeing things in me that I don’t see in myself. … I feel like (she’s) somebody that I know will support me and help me do my best work and more.”
Oct. 10 marked Guyette’s final day at United Way; her first day at ClarkLindsey is Nov. 2.
“Becca will lead ClarkLindsey’s philanthropic strategy, partnerships and community-engagement efforts, ensuring our mission continues to thrive and expand,” the senior-living community said in a recent announcement.
“I knew I was ready for something new,” Guyette said. In exploring the options before her, she settled on ClarkLindsey as an opportunity to continue serving the community, especially “a population near and dear to my heart.”
Guyette has served on ClarkLindsey’s board for the last three-and-a-half years, though she stepped down to accept her new job. She added that she’s excited about the team she’s joining and the work ahead of her.
When asked if United Way has found Guyette’s replacement yet, Grey said it has not and is “currently assessing our staffing needs and putting a plan together for the future.”
“If I’m being honest, there is only one Becca,” she said.
Guyette also serves as an adjunct instructor for UI’s “Leading Nonprofits” course and a trustee at the University YMCA, where she continues to volunteer at the annual Dump & Run.
Guyette said that she did more community service when her two children — now 14 and 17 — were younger.
“I recognize how fleeting this time is,” she said. “And work has been incredibly fulfilling but also very demanding in the last five years here. We’ve had a lot of staff changing. We had the big anniversary campaign. And so while I would say, prior to the pandemic, my life was really a mix of service and work, I’d say since then, my work has been my service.”
Grey said that she will miss working with Guyette, who has “taught me so much.”
“She was so driven to achieve excellence, it was contagious,” Grey said. “You wanted to succeed at the level she was, and she truly wanted what was best for United Way and her team. She believes in the power of community, and the responsibility we all have to take care of each other.”
Guyette said receiving the Athena Leadership Award means a great deal to her because “it represents how I’ve worked and connected with women in our community.”
For Santiago, Guyette was the first person to come to mind when she read through the criteria.
Floyd likewise said that Guyette “embodies” the award through her mentorship, empowerment of others and how she leads with “integrity, grit and grace.”
She noted that Guyette “has continued to show up” for her since that fateful meeting.
“She didn’t have to — she’s one of the busiest people I know — but she did, and she did it with sincere intention,” Floyd said. “And what’s truly remarkable is that I’m not unique in this. Becca has this incredible ability to make everyone she encounters feel like a priority. She pours into others with no expectation of anything in return, and that is a rare and beautiful gift.”
