Coco Brown is the Founder and CEO of Athena Alliance, a leadership platform helping executives build a Portfolio of Impact across leadership, governance, investing, entrepreneurship, and legacy.
Her work began more than 20 years ago with a small dinner group of women seeking access, perspective, and power in rooms they were often excluded from. That early convening evolved into Athena Alliance.
Athena has helped thousands of leaders rise and has placed nearly 600 women on corporate boards, spanning high-growth private companies to well-known public enterprises. Under Coco’s leadership, the organization has become a trusted force in modern governance and executive advancement.
Coco’s influence extends beyond the platform itself. With nearly 30,000 followers and a long-standing presence in the leadership ecosystem, she has directly advised hundreds of CEOs, board directors, and executive teams — and has reached many thousands more through conventions, summits, and speaking engagements across two decades.
Looking ahead, Coco is guiding Athena toward a broader vision through the development of Pantheon — an AI-enabled Career Care infrastructure designed to support all individuals across career stages and communities in an economy being reshaped by AI. Athena remains the foundation; Pantheon signals the long-term ambition.
A five-time entrepreneur, Coco previously served as President & COO of Taos, where she helped scale the company beyond $50M in revenue and positioned it for private equity investment and its eventual acquisition by IBM. She has served on three corporate boards (including as Audit Chair), multiple advisory boards, and nonprofit boards.
Coco is a member of Nasdaq’s Governance Insights Council and a sought-after speaker on the evolving demands of modern board leadership. She was named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Silicon Valley. She is also a 2025 Transform 10 honoree, recognized globally for leading transformation in the future of work.
