Iris Anderson receives ATHENA Leadership Award

Iris Anderson, from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been recognized with the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce's annual ATHENA leadership award. Anderson is the manager of financial operations for the Laboratory.

The ATHENA award honors women for professional excellence, community service, and leadership skills; and for actively assisting other women in attaining professional excellence. Anderson was selected based on her leadership and business acumen, community service as a member of the board of directors for Gesa Federal Credit Union, and her professional activities including mentoring PNNL staff and helping to develop a pipeline of next-generation business leaders.

"My leadership team and I recognize and depend tremendously on Iris' integrity, expertise and oversight in successfully managing the entire spectrum of the Lab's financial processes and systems," said Laboratory Director Mike Kluse. "Through expert management of PNNL's financial arena, Iris and her team help enable the research of our world-class scientists." 

Anderson joined PNNL in 1992 and has served as a business analyst, financial specialist, business manager for the fundamental sciences research arm and for EMSL, DOE's user facility located at PNNL and manager of business development and analysis for the laboratory. Since 2010, she has served as the manager of financial operations, overseeing functions including PNNL's accounting systems and services, payroll, travel services, accounts payable and receivable, property accounting, tax functions and others. She earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance from the University of Washington.

Anderson was presented with the award at the Chamber's Tri-Cities Women in Business conference in January.