Pioneering Anchorwoman Mary Jo West Headlines Prescott-Area ATHENA Awards

 Encouraging, entertaining and motivating the audience will be Keynote Speaker Mary Jo West, the first woman ever hired to sit in the Phoenix primetime news anchor seat. Her presentation, “SUCCESS: Getting It, Keeping It, Enjoying It,” will include tips and anecdotes from her extraordinary life.

 “I look forward to getting to know the ‘Sheroes’ of the historic Prescott area and powerful women of Yavapai County!” she said.

 West’s television news career took her from reporting news, sports and weather in the dual market of Tallahassee, Florida/Thomasville, Georgia, to the national network anchor chair at CBS in New York. She came to Phoenix in 1975 as a producer-host at the Public Broadcasting Station KAET-TV in Tempe. A year later, she was invited to share the anchor desk with legendary Phoenix newsman Bill Close at the CBS affiliate KOOL-TV.

 “When she started in news, it was tough,” said retired Fox 10 weatherman Dave Munsey, who worked with West in the ‘70s and ‘80s. “She paved the way for all of these women in Phoenix anchor chairs. Every one of them owes her something.”

 “Mary Jo West was, and is, my idol to this day,” said recently retired Fox 10 anchorwoman Linda Williams, following West’s 2018 induction into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame. “She was the heart and soul of KOOL News for several years and she opened the door for all women journalists to follow. I could go on and on about her strength and character as a journalist, but it is her strength and character as a woman that guides me still.”

 West continues to inspire women through her volunteer work in Africa, helping remote villages have clean water. She also has a college scholarship in her name, promoting excellence in communication and participates in workshops to help professionals improve their on-camera skills and increase their visibility. 

“We are thrilled and honored to have Mary Jo West headline this year’s Prescott-Area ATHENA Awards,” said Troy Bix, publisher of Quad Cities Business News, which hosts the event. “She is a true champion for women and, really, for all of us. She shows us what hard work, kindness and excellence looks like, which shines through in everything she does.” 

 Nominations are being accepted now for three categories: ATHENA Leadership, ATHENA Young Professional Leadership and ATHENA Organizational Leadership. For nomination forms, table sponsorships and tickets, visit www.PrescottATHENA.com. FBN

By Bonnie Stevens, FBN

Photo by Bonnie Stevens: Mary Jo West, shown here with Peacefull Living founder Roberta Hughes at a February SHINE workshop in Sedona, has been inspiring and encouraging women in communications and in life since television news brought her into our homes, starting in the 1970s.