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Athena Announces its New Board Chair and Four New Directors

Updated: Jan 19, 2021

SAN DIEGO – January 14, 2021 Athena - California’s premier advocate for professional women in STEM - announces the appointment of its new board chair, its four new directors and the slate of officers and directors for 2021.

As we enter the new year, I’m delighted to leverage this added horsepower under the

distinguished leadership of our new board chair, Bridget Kimball, vice president and chief architect for Intuit's Consumer Group. Following the global BLM protests and increased awareness of these pervasive social inequities, we’re seeing renewed focus on disparities in pay, opportunity and success,” said Holly Smithson, Athena CEO. “As the voice of women in STEM, we remain committed to advance these inclusive values and principles in the workforce through our advocacy efforts and corporate alliances.”


Effective January 1, 2021, these four newly elected directors include:


Bree Hillman, Partner | Deloitte




Ida Khodami, Partner | Two Bear Capital




Susan Poser, Vice President, Customer & Employee Experience | Oracle




Dr. Chadia Robertson, Scientist & Program Lead, GI Drug Discovery | Takeda




"Athena’s new directors add critical expertise and commitment towards driving diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our STEM economy. These leaders understand the critical intersection of diversity and innovation,” said Bridget Kimball, Athena Board Chair. “We welcome their strategic insights and shared vision to advocate for greater representation of women leaders in STEM.”



Athena’s 2021 Board of Directors include:

Board Officers

Chair: Bridget Kimball, Vice President & Chief Architect, Consumer Group | Intuit

Vice Chair: Liz Gasser, EVP Strategy & Corporate Development | Tandem Diabetes Care

Treasurer: Grace Chui-Miller, Chief Financial Officer | Correlation Ventures

Secretary: Holly Smithson, CEO | Athena

Athena’s At-Large Directors

Dr. Kara Bortone, Senior Director, Sourcing & Portfolio Management | Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS

Jennifer Brown, Managing Director | EY

Jaye Connolly-LaBelle, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer | RippleNami Inc.

Shaye Exner, Senior Director of Conferences & Corporate Sponsorship | Biocom

Bree Hillman, Partner | Deloitte

Ida Khodami, Partner | Two Bear Capital

Susan Poser, Vice President, Customer & Employee Experience | Oracle

Dr. Chadia Robertson, Scientist & Program Lead, GI Drug Discovery | Takeda

Dr. Cathy Schnabel, Chief Scientific Officer | Biotheranostics

Jean Stadwiser, Partner | KPMG

Revathi Subramanian, Managing Director, Global Data Science Executive | Accenture

Dr. Claire Weston, CEO | Reveal Biosciences

Charity Williams, Partner | Cooley

Dr. Sara Zaknoen, Founder | Zed Strategic Consulting


ABOUT ATHENA

Athena is a premier women's advocacy organization that fast tracks women in STEM through leadership development. By transforming scientists and technologists into corporate leaders, the goal is to widen the bridge and advance 1 million women in STEM, by 2030. Its 20+ year history of advancing women in a global STEM hub marks Athena as a premier women’s empowerment advocate. For more information visit athenasd.org and follow @athenasandiego.

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