Athena on Boards is a 5-month experiential journey that equips women to step into the boardroom with confidence and clarity. At the heart of the program is mentorship—each participant joins a small cohort of 4–6 peers, guided by an accomplished female executive mentor.
Together, these cohorts become both a learning lab and a support system, where women:
Craft a Board Bio that positions their unique governance value with precision.
Refine Their Boardroom Pitch through role-playing and feedback that sharpens your value proposition.
Activate Your Network with a strategic plan to knock down doors and access board opportunities.
More than preparation, Athena on Boards builds a community of women ready to lead with agency, direction, and impact.
AoB Curriculum
Workshop 1 | Board Readiness
A legal overview of board roles and responsibilities, plus insights into today's corporate landscape and boardroom compliance.
Workshop 2 | How to Join the Winner's Circle
Proven strategies for landing a board seat, along with candid stories and lessons from Athena on Board alumni who've successfully joined boards.
Workshop 3 | Women With a Seat & Voice in the Boardroom
Learn firsthand from experienced female directors how governance decisions unfold behind closed doors—and how to bring your voice to the table.
Athena ensures graduates are seen and connected. Each alumna is featured on our website, in The Athena Effect newsletter, across social media, and on partner platforms like AboveBoard—maximizing visibility and opening pathways to board opportunities.
Athena on Boards boasts a 35% success rate in placing leaders on boards, a testament to the power of mentorship, education, and community support.
To secure your spot on the next cohort waitlist, Click Here and launch your boardroom journey among Athena's pioneers.
All sessions will be held virtually via Zoom.
Gayani Weerasinghe
Law Office of Gayani R. Weerasinghe, APC
Principal
BOARD APPOINTMENT
March 2024
Gary Sinise Foundation, San Diego Chapter Board of Directors
January 2025
San Diego County Bar Association
Manasi Gandhi
Qualcomm
Director, Business Development, Strategic Partnerships
BOARD APPOINTMENT
January 2023
Qualcomm Women Employee Network
Tiffany Valentine
Bristol Myers Squibb
Global Development Operations Excellence, Associate Director
BOARD APPOINTMENT
August 2023
Advisory Board, Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) San Diego
Advisory Board, BeyondCeliac Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Carrie Craig
Bose Corporation
Sr Director of Global Applications Delivery
BOARD APPOINTMENT
July 2023
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego
Amara Siva, Ph.D.
Epic Sciences
VP, Laboratory Operations
BOARD APPOINTMENT
June 2022
Alimentiv
Karen Davies
Sherlock Biosciences
Chief Development Officer
BOARD APPOINTMENT
January 2022
The Bright App
Jaye Connolly-LaBelle
RippleNami, Inc.
Chairman & CEO
BOARD APPOINTMENT
November 2021
Caelum Resources
October 2020
RippleNami Uganda
February 2020
Complete Patient Care Group
April 2015
RippleNami, Inc.
Shannon Wesley
BD
Assoc. Director, Master Data & Analytics
BOARD APPOINTMENT
May 2021
USD Shiley - Marcos Engineering
Executive Advisory Board
Ida Khodami
Two Bear Capital
Partner
BOARD APPOINTMENT
January 2021
Athena
Trisha Millican
Metacrine
CFO
BOARD APPOINTMENT
December 2020
Amunix Pharmecuticals
Audit Committee Chair
December 2022
ReCode
November 2021
Life Science Cares San Diego
Olena Gligorich
SomaLogic
Director Program Management Office
BOARD APPOINTMENT
March 2024
Continuous Manufacturing Knowledge Center (CMKC) with US Pharmacopeia
Stacey Lund
TGR Management Consulting, LLC
Operations and Customer Success Executive
BOARD APPOINTMENT
January 2024
Produce Good
Margie Holmes
Mirati Therapeutics, Inc.
Executive Director Regulatory Affairs
BOARD APPOINTMENT
August 2023
Partners in College Success (PiCS)
Rayna Herman
EVERSANA
CCO
BOARD APPOINTMENT
May 2023
Almaden Genomics
Shirley Yager
Qualcomm
Director, Product Management
BOARD APPOINTMENT
February 2022
Greater Teach
October 2019
Qwomen
Christine Jorgensen
Qualcomm
Director, Product Managment
BOARD APPOINTMENT
PET Nutrition Center
January 2020
My Legacy Inc
Vanessa Small
Cue Health, Inc.
Senior Director, Biologics
BOARD APPOINTMENT
July 2021
Digital Dx Ventures
October 2020
Together Estranged
2020
EDNA.LIFE
Susan Miller
Oracle
Sr. Director, Global Product Security
BOARD APPOINTMENT
April 2021
BrightApp Inc.
August 2021
Gary Sinise Foundation
January 2022
Palomar College Foundation
April 2024
Continuous Manufacturing Knowledge Center (CMKC)
Susan Poser
Oracle
VP, Customer & Employee Experience
BOARD APPOINTMENT
January 2021
Athena
June 2021
The Bright App
Lori Westin
Wilson, Sonsini, Godrich & Rosati
Of Counsel
BOARD APPOINTMENT
September 2020
Women of Color in Law
July 2020
transcenDANCE | Board Treasurer
Martha Weckel
TwinStrand Biosciences
Vice President, Commercial
BOARD APPOINTMENT
January 2024
Athena STEM Women
Catherine Lee
TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Chief Legal Officer/General Counse
BOARD APPOINTMENT
December 2023
TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Samantha Bishop
Bionano Genomics, Inc.
Director of Quality
BOARD APPOINTMENT
July 2023
Sun Never Sets
June 2023
Board Director, Marketing, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA)
January 2023
Advisory Board, UC Riverside Transformative Leadership
Rachel Ford Hutman
Ford Hutman Media
Founder and CEO
BOARD APPOINTMENT
June 2022
dbaPlatform
January 2024
Palomar College Foundation
January 2025
Thinking of Oscar
Vanessa Hartigan
MUSE
Co-Founder, President
BOARD APPOINTMENT
January 2022
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Carmen Rene
EnergySource, LLC
CFO
BOARD APPOINTMENT
December 2021
CSUSM Corporation Board
Dr. Sara Zaknoen
Zed Strategic Consulting
Principle
BOARD APPOINTMENT
May 2021
aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ: LIFE)
Shirin Alipanah
Avasant
Principal
BOARD APPOINTMENT
January 2021
Oakstone Homeowners
Association | Treasurer
September 2022
Project Management Institute - SD Chapter VP Outreach & Marketing Committee
Sharon Schwab
BD
Global Senior Portfolio Manager
BOARD APPOINTMENT
December 2020
Project Management Institute (PMI)
San Diego | VP, Outreach
Julie Kilpatrick
UC San Diego
Director, Real Estate
BOARD APPOINTMENT
September 2020
CREW San Diego
Significant market forces continue to generate strong demand for leaders on boards:
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STATE STREET | Effective 2021, State Street notified its investment companies to provide “specific communications” to shareholders regarding (1) the role of diversity in the company’s human capital management practices and strategy, (2) the company’s goals regarding diversity, (3) measures of the diversity of the company’s board and global employee base, (4) goals for racial and ethnic representation at the board level, including how the board reflects the diversity of the company’s key stakeholders beyond investors, and (5) the board’s role in oversight of diversity and inclusion.
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SB 826 | By the end of 2021, California-based companies must install at least two female directors on five-member boards, and at least three female directors on boards with six or more members
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NASDAQ | In December 2020, Nasdaq issues its own diversity mandate that will require listed companies to have at least two diverse board members, including one person who self-identifies as female and one person who self-identifies as an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+. An underrepresented minority, Nasdaq clarifies, is anyone who self-identifies as Black or African American; Hispanic or Latinx; Native American or Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; or Asian.
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CA Secretary of State | In March 2020 | California released its compliance report of those companies subject to SB 826. They found that 330 of the 653 impacted companies filed a statement and 282 self-reported compliance with the law.
To secure your spot on the next cohort waitlist, contact Athena CEO, Holly Smithson
and launch your boardroom journey among Athena's pioneers.