September 19, 2022

Athena Alliance, the executive development and networking community for senior-level women, is proud to announce the formation of its Advisory Board.

Athena’s Advisory Board works with the CEO and leadership team to deeply understand the business’s mission and strategy to support the evolution of offerings that enable Athena’s executive learning community. The members of Athena’s Advisory Board are leaders in the Athena community who bring a wide range of backgrounds, leadership experiences, and life experiences to this rich community of the top women leaders in business.

Members of the advisory board include:

• Andrea Bonime-Blanc, one of the world’s leading authorities on ESG, risk, ethics, and cyber. Andrea is the Founder & CEO of GEC Risk Advisory, a board director, global strategist and book author including Gloom to Boom (2020). She is an Athena Coach who also oversees Athena’s Global Megatrends, Risks & Opportunities Learning Circle.
• Carol Coughlin, an independent board director and audit committee chair serving on the boards of Hopebridge, GoodCap Pharmaceuticals, University of MD Medical Center, and Trusty.care, among others. She stewards Athena’s content and learning related to Finance Acumen and has been a long-time leader within the Athena community.
• Erin Essenmacher, the former President and Chief Strategy Officer of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and board director at Docs in Progress, Corporate Accountability Lab, and Sustainable Innovations Inc. She serves as Athena’s Senior Partnerships Advisor and works closely with Athena to evolve its offerings and engagement in the ecosystem of businesses serving modern leadership and board evolution.
• Purvee Kondal, the VP of Strategic Sourcing for SEPHORA and advisory board member of the Sourcing Industry Group and RampRate. She is part of the Athena Rising Foundation Nominating Committee for our scholarships in partnership with the Athena Rising Foundation. She also leads Athena Salons on DEI, supply chains, and sustainable sourcing.
• Tama Smith, the Head of the Women Living a Richer Life division of Brighton Jones and board advisor at Syndio. She stewards learning and content related to wealth creation and management for Athena.
• Tahjar Roamartinez, a cybersecurity trailblazer, the Founder & CEO of Cyber Warfighters Group,  board director and chair with over 30 years of experience in IT, digital transformation, cybersecurity, supply chain, risk management, and governance. She is part of the Athena Rising Foundation Nominating Committee for our scholarships in partnership with the Athena Rising Foundation. She is also a partner to Athena with respect to community engagement and belonging.

“These amazing leaders form the foundation for our Advisory Board, which will most certainly grow as we ask other Athena community leaders to also participate in the shaping of the strategy and the future of our model and our community,” Athena Founder & CEO Coco Brown said. “For me, the Advisory Board is the Athena ‘Think Tank’, with a diverse (in all ways) set of great minds coming together with shared ownership over Athena’s success and future in service of our members. At Athena, it takes a village. We are a community at all levels, and I am humbled and honored to be surrounded by amazing architects of modern leadership and stewards of the evolution of the modern world.”

Athena Alliance is the premier executive development platform for senior-level women. Our powerful networking community, resources, executive education, and coaching help women leaders advance and excel in their careers.  Learn more about membership here.

We also support forward-thinking companies as they recruit, develop, and retain their top women leaders. Learn more here.