ATHENA operates with a virtual team so as to ensure our global reach and our ability to function as leanly as possible without the financial and administrative burden of office space and other costs associated with a physical organization. Moreover, it is a political choice for all of our team members to be deeply rooted in our local communities and for us to be able to function and deliver high impact and high caliber work in the context of our lives where we wear “many hats”.

Our core team, funded only on a project basis at present, includes:

Tyler Crone, USA, a human rights lawyer and public health researcher with expertise in gender and HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights, providing overall management, guidance, and strategic direction as ATHENA’s cofounder and Coordinating Director
Luisa Orza, UK, an expert in participatory M&E on HIV, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and violence against women living with HIV, Trustee of STOPAIDS, and a writer in her own life, providing leadership and substance to ATHENA’s many streams of work as our Program Director
Ebony Johnson, USA, a sexual and reproductive health and rights champion and expert in HIV research, strengthening our work with young women living with and affected by HIV
Calorine Kenkem, Cameroon, an expert in addressing gender-based violence and overcoming stigma and discrimination who is expanding our work and alliances in West and Central Africa
Hereni Melesse, Ethiopia, a gender and development expert who is strengthening our work with young women in all their diversity and advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights and HIV integration
Jacqui Stevenson, UK, gender and human rights expert who is strengthening our work with young women in all their diversity and advancing SRHR and HIV integration
MariJo Vazquez, Spain, former Chair of ICW and founding chair of ATHENA whose expertise in addressing violence against women living with HIV and her Spanish and French translation and technical know-how makes our work accessible and our processes more inclusive
Alice Welbourn, UK, Founder of Salamander Trust and Stepping Stones who serves as an advisor to and trainer within most ATHENA projects
Rachel Yassky, USA, Co-Founder of ATHENA and a lawyer and business school graduate by training, whose expertise is in gender and development with a specific emphasis on organizational capacity-strengthening. Her knowledge, know-how and financial management has been fundamental to ATHENA’s success

ATHENA is governed by our Steering Committee, members are: E. Tyler Crone (Coordinating Director), Johanna Kehler, Eugenia López Uribe, Shari Margolese, Lydia Mungherera, Lauren Suchman, Ida Susser, Alice Welbourn, Rachel Yassky

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