Athena Alliance

Athena Academy

2027 Course Catalogue. Athena Academy courses help you build your Portfolio of Impact™ across governance, AI fluency, and career design. Each course runs four weeks, one live session per week, offered twice a year.

Program Calendar

The Year at a Glance

Noon PT / 3:00pm ET 2:30pm PT / 5:30pm ET 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET (open slot)
January
Board Essentials
Erin Essenmacher
Wednesdays
Run 1 starts Jan 6
Noon PT
February
Architect Your Portfolio
Coco Brown
Thursdays
Run 1 starts Feb 4
2:30pm PT
March
Board Fit & Positioning
Erin Essenmacher
Wednesdays
Run 1 starts Mar 3
Noon PT
April
Venture Fluency
Lilia Shirman
Tuesdays
Run 1 starts Apr 6
Noon PT
May
Leading AI Transformation
Jocelyn King
Tuesdays
Run 1 starts May 4
2:30pm PT
June
Building Your AI Agent
Run 1 starts Jun 1
Noon PT
July
Board Essentials
Erin Essenmacher
Wednesdays
Run 2 starts Jul 7
2:30pm PT
August
Architect Your Portfolio
Coco Brown
Thursdays
Run 2 starts Aug 5
2:30pm PT
September
Board Fit & Positioning
Erin Essenmacher
Wednesdays
Run 2 starts Sep 1
2:30pm PT
October
Venture Fluency
Lilia Shirman
Tuesdays
Run 2 starts Oct 5
2:30pm PT
Building Your AI Agent
Thursdays
Run 2 starts Oct 7
2:30pm PT
November
Leading AI Transformation
Jocelyn King
Tuesdays
Run 2 starts Nov 2
Noon PT
Course Catalogue

Courses & Descriptions

Each course runs for four weeks, with one live session per week, plus an optional 30-minute office hours after each session. All courses are offered twice a year.

Governance

Board Essentials

A foundational deep-dive into how boards actually operate: fiduciary duty, committee structure across audit, compensation, and nom/gov, board dynamics, and the unwritten rules of the room. Built around the core fundamentals, with guest speakers who have sat in the seats. For leaders preparing for a first board role or sharpening existing governance fluency.

Lead Faculty: Erin Essenmacher

Each session includes an optional 30-minute office hours / group coaching block right after, same day and same link.

Length4 weeks · 2 hrs/session
Run 1
DatesJan 6 – Jan 27, 2027
Time12:00–2:00pm PT3:00–5:00pm ET
Run 2
DatesJul 7 – Jul 28, 2027
Time2:30–4:30pm PT5:30–7:30pm ET
Career

Architect Your Portfolio

A guided framework for designing a portfolio career: blending board seats, advisory work, consulting, investing, and passion projects into a coherent next chapter. For leaders ready to move beyond a single full-time role and compose something broader, with more optionality and more agency.

Lead Faculty: Coco Brown

Each session includes an optional 30-minute office hours / group coaching block right after, same day and same link.

Length4 weeks · 2 hrs/session
Run 1
DatesFeb 2 – Feb 23, 2027
Time2:30–4:30pm PT5:30–7:30pm ET
Run 2
DatesAug 3 – Aug 24, 2027
Time2:30–4:30pm PT5:30–7:30pm ET
Governance

Board Fit & Positioning

Sharpen your board narrative and learn to identify the seats where your experience is the strongest match. Covers personal brand, board bios, and how nominating committees actually evaluate candidates, with practical positioning work. For leaders ready to move from board-ready to board-sought.

Lead Faculty: Erin Essenmacher

Each session includes an optional 30-minute office hours / group coaching block right after, same day and same link.

Length4 weeks · 2 hrs/session
Run 1
DatesMar 3 – Mar 24, 2027
Time12:00–2:00pm PT3:00–5:00pm ET
Run 2
DatesSep 1 – Sep 22, 2027
Time2:30–4:30pm PT5:30–7:30pm ET
Venture

Venture Fluency

Build fluency in how venture-backed companies are built, funded, and governed: cap tables, term sheets, and board dynamics in a startup context. Essential for executives engaging with venture-stage companies, whether you are advising, investing, or joining a private-company board.

Lead Faculty: Lilia Shirman

Each session includes an optional 30-minute office hours / group coaching block right after, same day and same link.

Length4 weeks · 2 hrs/session
Run 1
DatesApr 6 – Apr 27, 2027
Time12:00–1:30pm PT3:00–4:30pm ET
Run 2
DatesOct 5 – Oct 26, 2027
Time2:30–4:30pm PT5:30–7:30pm ET
AI · Strategy

Leading AI Transformation

A strategic look at leading AI adoption at the organizational and board level: governance questions, risk, and how to ask the right questions as a leader, not a technologist. For executives who need to guide AI decisions with confidence, without writing a line of code.

Lead Faculty: Jocelyn King

Each session includes an optional 30-minute office hours / group coaching block right after, same day and same link.

Length4 weeks · 1.5 hrs/session
Run 1
DatesMay 4 – May 25, 2027
Time2:30–4:30pm PT5:30–7:30pm ET
Run 2
DatesNov 2 – Nov 23, 2027
Time12:00–1:30pm PT3:00–4:30pm ET
New · AI

Building Your AI Agent

A hands-on, brand-new course where you build a working AI agent from scratch. No engineering background required. Think of it as building your own AI chief of staff: a working assistant that handles real tasks for you. Walk away with practical AI fluency and a live project you can point to.

Lead Faculty: Announcing soon

Each session includes an optional 30-minute office hours / group coaching block right after, same day and same link.

Length4 weeks · 1.5 hrs/session
Run 1
DatesJun 1 – Jun 22, 2027
Time12:00–1:30pm PT3:00–4:30pm ET
Run 2
DatesOct 7 – Oct 28, 2027
Time2:30–4:00pm PT5:30–7:00pm ET