June spotlight on: Unleashing your impact

Rethinking retirement: embracing longevity and lifelong impact

To fully consider the term retirement, you have to go back to the Social Security Act institutionalized in 1935. At the time, the average life expectancy was 60 for men and 64 for women, and the concept of retirement was that you’d reached your golden era. It was an expected, planned phase of life that indicated a sort of stepping back. In fact, the term "retire" itself carries connotations of withdrawal and retreat from its dictionary definition: "to withdraw from action or danger; to retreat; to withdraw especially for privacy." And historically, previous generations viewed withdrawing and disengaging from work as a reward, a well-earned rest after decades of labor. For many, particularly in the Silent generation, retirement was the ultimate goal—a time to finally relax after a lifetime of effort.

However, I’ve discovered through thousands of conversations with women senior leaders, that this vision of "sailing into the sunset" after years of hard work has lost its allure. In a world where our life expectancy has increased and consequently our potential for active contribution has expanded, I find myself wondering why we limit ourselves to defining life as a period of work followed by a period of rest?

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Athena Academy's new program: Architect Your Second Half

Figuring out what’s next is a lot like the creative process...the end product is a masterpiece but getting there can feel messy. The key is peeling back the layers of who and what you’ve been so far to make space for what’s next, waiting in the wings for you.

In our new program, Architect Your Second Half, explore how your transition can transform in the generative space we will create together:

• Where your capacity to evolve will be set in motion
• Where you will elevate the purpose and meaning of your life—past, present, and future—and weave it all together into a clear and impactful whole
• Where you will redefine your connection to the heart and soul of your power
• Where you will forge new ground as a woman of impact and influence

In this program, we walk you through the process. Together we’ll identify and un-learn messages and old paradigms that may be holding you back. You’ll learn how to tap the well of your own personal mission, vision, values, find new pathways that hold inspiration, joy, and meaning. You’ll come away empowered, clearer, and with a new set of competencies and tools, including your own personal, bespoke wheel of impact to guide you forward into your next chapter.

To be the first to hear details about this offering (and two more coming soon!), fill out the waitlist form on our website.

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REMINDER: Registration is open for the September cohorts of Board Readiness beginning September 10, and Unleash Your Impact beginning September 18.

MEMBER VOICES

Brenda Bernal on InfoSec's show "Pros on the Road"

Brenda Bernal discusses the state of AI governance within organizations, the challenges faced in integrating AI into existing control frameworks, the essential components of an effective AI governance model, and even shouts out the Athena Alliance AI Governance Playbook . Check out the full conversation here .

Zibby Owens on New Hampshire Public Radio's show "Check This Out"

On NHPR, Zibby Owens talks about her debut novel Blank , which explores themes of family, friendship, success, and rediscovery, and shares how she’s creating change and making an impact in the publishing industry. She also shares how her family of entrepreneurs has influenced her to journey to being CEO of Zibby Books publishing house, owner of Zibby’s Bookshop in Santa Monica, CA, and founder of Zibby Media. Listen to the interview here and find your next book from her “Ultimate List of Reads” on the Skimm here .

Shelly Lombard featured in Canvas Rebel

Shelly Lombard shares why focusing on relationships can help address the lack of diversity in top management; how her experience as the only senior person of color (out of 300 bank vice presidents) taught her a lesson about relationships; how shared experiences are a proven way to build business relationships; and how all of that led her to found Schmooze . Read the interview here , then read on to learn about Athena and Schmooze’s partnership.

VIRTUAL SALONS

Navigating Career Transitions

Wed, July 10 at 12:00pm PT

Transitions might shake your confidence, cloud your vision, and make it hard to see the best path forward. But every transition is also an opportunity to open a new chapter. Join Ashley Rudolph – Founder and Performance Coach specializing in guiding individuals through career transitions – for an insightful Salon designed to help you embrace change, create actionable plans, leverage your network, and discover the resources you need to thrive.

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CEO Perspectives with Dr. Tom Leighton, CEO of Akamai

Tue, July 16 at 9:30am PT

Join us for the next Salon in our CEO Perspectives Series featuring Dr. Tom Leighton, Co-Founder and CEO of Akamai Technologies. Akamai is a leader in protecting against cyber threats, ensuring the safety and reliability of internet transactions for businesses and consumers alike. Dr. Leighton’s journey to CEO is unique and unexpected, spanning from academia to global tech.

In conversation with Coco Brown and Suja Chandrasekaran, learn how his love of problem-solving and his background in mathematics and computer science led him to groundbreaking research that revolutionized internet content delivery; discover the fascinating story behind the founding of Akamai Technologies; and hear how he stepped into the role of CEO 14 years after founding the company.

RSVP

FROM OUR PARTNERS

New partnership with Schmooze

In business, relationships close gaps.

For smart, ambitious women, the right network of business relationships can close the gap between where you are in your career and where you want to be - whether that’s a board role, the C-suite, or a career pivot.

Schmooze helps women build their network of business relationships. We do that with mini masterclasses specifically about business relationships, for example:

• "How to Create the Network You Need for the Role That You Want"
• “How to Identify and Leverage the Weak Ties in Your Network"
• “Curiosity: A Hack for Relationship Building”
• "How to Promote Yourself Without Being Obnoxious!”

Schmooze is partnering with Athena Alliance to offer a free Schmooze membership to all Athena members. Athena members will also get a discounted rate on all Schmooze events. Bring a client, a colleague, or contact you want to schmooze with.

Learn more about Schmooze here and more about Athena membership here .

MEMBER NEWS & CELEBRATIONS

Congratulations to our members on their recent achievements

• Andrea James was appointed CFO of Oncocyte
• Anita Allen was appointed Independent Director at RENN Fund
• Anne Kubek was appointed Senior Director at Evolve Ventures and Foundation
• Carina Kaiser was appointed Senior Director of Global Commercial Partnership Launch at Chiesi Group
• Chandra McCormack was named to the 50 Women to Watch For Boards list by 50/50 Women on Boards
• Deborah Kerr was appointed Executive Chair of Certified
• Delida Costin was appointed to the Board of First Star Inc
• Ebonie Jackson was named to 2024's Most Powerful Women in Accounting list by ICPA & CPA Practice Advisor
• Kathryn Quigley was appointed VP of Portfolio Marketing at BMC Software
• Lizbeth Zepeda was appointed Founder and Fractional Sr. Talent Acquisition Consultant at LKE Fractional HR, Consulting and Coaching Services
• Marietta Colston-Davis was named to the 2024 Directors to Watch list by Directors and Boards
• Michelle Tinsley was appointed CEO of Sciata
• Tama Smith was named to Seattle Magazine's list of Trailblazing Women
• Tanja Powers was appointed to the Board of Gateway Mountain Center
• Uma Jayaram was inducted into the Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence
• Wendy Nunnelley was appointed President & GM, Plant Based BU at Danone
• Yvonne Wassenaar was appointed to the Board of Braze

Welcome new members

We are thrilled to welcome this month’s new members to the Athena community. They include Chief Officers, VPs, and Founders in human resources, finance, and information technology. They come to us from leading organizations such as Salesforce, Visa, and AbbVie.

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