About
Athena Executive Services pairs part-time, virtual, Executive Assistants with entrepreneurs, executives, and leadership teams throughout the United States.
Benefits clients report:
- They are happy that they are spending more time on what they are needed for most in their company and wasting less time on things that can be delegated.
- They have a new-found peace of mind and life balance (they are getting to the gym; ending the workday at a reasonable time; attending more family events; having time to do critical thinking on their business; etc.)
- They find it convenient and economical to only pay for the hours their assistant works (not paying for benefits, office space, equipment, payroll tax, etc.)
- They feel that they have a partner who has their back.
What people get from having an Athena Virtual Executive Assistant:
- Our Executive Assistants are experienced being on virtual/ remote teams and how to perform well in that environment.
- We work with our clients to establish effective communication structures so that you are clear about what work is being done and what has been accomplished.
- Executive Assistance is available anywhere from 10 to 40 hours/week. It’s amazing the difference that just 10 hours/week of support can make in the life of a business executive. Our clients don’t pay for more hours than they really need.
- Athena provides coaching at no additional charge for clients who may have never had an assistant before or want support on how to work most effectively with their assistant.
- The Executive Assistants are independent contractors who work from home, with their own equipment. Our clients save money, not providing office space, equipment, benefits, etc.
Pricing:
We charge $50/hour. Minimum of 10 hours/ week. To learn more schedule a call.
Software Used by Our Executive Assistants:
Calendar Programs
Outlook
iCalendar
Calendly
Schedulicity
Acuity
Project Management Software
Trello
Asana
Basecamp
Clickup
ToDoist
Wrike
Client Relationship Management (Crm)
Salesforce
Redtail
Pipedrive
Zoho
Wealthbox
Insightly
Hubspot
Freshsales
Social Media
Hootsuite
Accounting Software
Quickbooks
17hats
Freshbooks
Paypal
Website Platforms
WordPress
Squarespace
wix
Design
illustrator
Photoshop
Canva
indesign
page maker
basic video editing
filesharing
Dropbox
box
evernote
sharefile
onedrive
other
todoist
Evernote
Things
Slack
What Clients are Saying:
Ten years of pent up delegation. I had been running my solo practice by myself for 10 years when I added my first VA to handle my back office. A year later I discovered Athena and brought on Christina to handle the front office.
Christina has been an absolute Rockstar in handling all things administrative, freeing me up to focus doing what I do best. I highly recommend Athena Executive Services to anyone who is looking for a true partner to help them get the have-to’s off their plate and focus on the want-to’s.
I just want to say, “Wow!,” Teresa is amazing! She’s had a really significant impact on our business: implementing a new appointment-scheduling system, helping design a new quarterly service routine, and jumping in right-and-left to help with day-to-day tasks. And she does it all with such grace! She’s quickly become an inseparable part of our team.
Good for you for seeing Teresa’s potential and adding her to your team. I’m so grateful!
I have been working with Athena for over a year now. The process from the beginning has been easy and customized to fit the needs of myself and my company. The person that has come to work with us has been a pleasure to work with and highly capable. The fit couldn’t have been better. I recommend working with Athena to help you with all of your business operational needs to ensure you can scale and run fast to meet client demands.
Athena Executive Services is different. My assistant is like a magical organization and operations angel. She makes my life work.
I think a large part of what sets Athena apart is Athena trains the executive and the assistant to delegate via fulfilling on intentions. There is a big difference between having to tell someone all of the details of what I need to be completed versus explaining the overall intention of what I am looking to accomplish and working with my assistant to fulfill my intention. Gina’s coaching ensures the intentions are fulfilled.
Additionally, I never have to worry about my assistant getting demotivated because I’ve given them one of the most not fun tasks ever, like organizing all of our legal documents for the past 10 years. Gina ensures that each assistant is connected to what difference those tasks makes for the executive, so the tasks are done with care.
My Virtual EA has helped me be measurably more efficient. Sam (Virtual EA) has reduced the amount of time and mental space (key) that I was using with emails and loose ends (meetings, follow up calls, travel arrangements, document signing, etc).
With his help I have been able to concentrate more on the vision, culture, team, and resource allocation of our business in a way that has eluded me previously.
Here at Pretrial Justice Institute we were interested in exploring how EAs could support our leadership team. We had a team of three EAs working with our five leadership team members. Debra quickly became an essential member of my team supporting us with all requests- from managing my calendar to the project management of several small projects. Debra was well organized, dependable, committed to accuracy and efficiency, and a team player. And even more importantly, Debra held me accountable to the personal and professional goals I wanted to achieve by having an executive assistant. I enjoyed having her as a part of my team and was very pleased with her work ethic and commitment.
I’ve never done time at a corporate gig, my work experience is 100% business owner, so what I know about running a business is learned from hard-knocks, books, and great coaches. When my business starts expanding, my go-to reaction is to hunker down, handle the extra work and get it done… which is stupid, and enjoyable for no one, including my family. During this year’s busy season, I worked with Gina to bring on a VA. Guys, hiring a VA is seriously boss-level but on training wheels. Alison was able to get onboard quickly and identify the tasks that I hated doing and did them for me. I am certain that hiring an employee would have been a disaster, this is the best way to scale my time, and I recommend Athena to everyone now. They are awesome.
His presence and agility in contributing to our organization quickly became our new normal and helped with my ability to deepen connection to our customers, vendors, and colleagues in a fast-paced startup world critically dependent on professionalism and communication.

The Parliament
What is a Parliament, you ask? In Greek mythology, the owl is the symbol for Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Owls are generally solitary, but when seen together the group is called a “parliament” as they have long been considered to be of a wise disposition.
The Executive Assistants who are selected for our team go through an extensive 5-phase screening process, including an audition that usually takes two to four days to complete. This audition allows them to demonstrate their prowess and ability to do the kind of work we most often do for clients.
GINA COTNER - CEO
Fun facts:
- Serious Dog Lover
- I love word games and card games
- Big time Pickleball enthusiast
- I’m a fighting warrior for people living lives that they love
JENNIFER TRACY - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & CLIENT CARE MANAGER
Fun facts:
- I obsess over my dog Tes
- I love traveling anywhere with my husband, but especially Cabo
- I love to cook!
- My favorite music is Frank Sinatra, ABBA and Air Supply and I own it!
Dorian Zarbakhsh - OPERATIONS & PERFORMANCE MANAGER
Fun facts:
- Love the outdoors with my husband and Daughter
- Enjoy my Reformer Pilates sessions
- My happy place is near any body of water
- Empowering and elevating people is my passion
Diann Spicer
Fun facts:
- I am an opera singer
- I compete in karaoke competitions!
- I love to travel internationally
Corene Caley
Fun facts:
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I studied English Literature and Creative Writing in college
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Julia Child is a hero of mine!
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I truly enjoy being of service to others
-
I live in the beautiful Pacific NW
Hope Beach
Fun facts:
- Originally from Pittsburgh, PA
- My favorite thing is traveling the world with friends!
- AND following Phish!
- I love sharing my life with friends and family
Violet Koncz
Fun facts:
- I enjoy designing, photography and creating art
- I love supporting people in fulfilling their dreams!
- My family and I live in a magical little beach town near the Redwoods
- I enjoy yoga, dancing, hiking and exploring new places
AMANDA STADEL
Fun Facts:
- I'm originally from South Dakota but now live in Los Angeles and love it!
- My greatest passion is nonprofit work; I am committed that all women get to live powerful, free, and sovereign lives
- I love to work out, lift weights, practice yoga, and go to the beach
Nathan Hatton
Fun facts:
-
I love to cook
-
Midwest boy at heart living in Los Angeles
- I've driven across the United States 3 times
- Hiking the trails around Los Angeles is my favorite thing to do
Lindsay Hensley
Fun Facts:
- I love the water and can be found in the rivers and lakes of Montana during summer
- In the winter you can find me snowshoeing and skiing
- I am masterful at overcoming the odds
- I love supporting people in having their dreams fulfilled
- I’m a really good cook!
Caitlyn Cox
Fun Facts:
- I am an avid softball player
- Love being a vegan athlete
- Can't get enough of my two dogs: Max & JJ
- Serving others is a passion
Debra Greywolf
Fun Facts:
- I've lived in seven states and three countries
- Frequently found camping on the Oregon coast
- Studied to be a theatrical stage manager
- I geek out about spreadsheets and project planning software
- I love assisting others that are out to change the world
Rachel Brown
Fun Facts:
- I love to cook but baking is my passion
- I buy way more plants than a normal human being should
- I spend as many weekends that I can going to the beach
Lisa Lee
Fun Facts:
- I love being outside, especially in the water
- I was born in the UK and visit as often as possible
- I love to cook and bake
- I spend most of my free time being a hockey and Boy Scout mom
Jeneva Hall
Fun Facts:
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I love building lego sets
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I am born and raised in Harlem, NY
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I enjoy bike riding - I completed a 50 mile bike ride on my own in the rain
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I am an IPEC certified coach (working on my ICF PCC certification)
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I enjoy solo traveling around the world
Megha Kanwar
Fun Facts:
- I have lived in New Jersey my entire life
- I love playing video games with my partner
- Cooking soothes me and I love creating a meal without a recipe
- I LOVE movies and quoting lines from Ocean's Thirteen with my partner!
Margaret Ziviski
Fun Facts:
- I am an avid container gardener
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Silversmith
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I'm a fan of Red Dwarf
-
Tea drinker, everyday, hot or iced
Rebecca Nachmann
Fun Facts:
- I love to read, and usually read at least two books a week
- I enjoy volunteering for my children's high school band program
- I am a certified dog trainer and I have trained dogs for Guide Dog School
I am so grateful to have been connected with Athena Executive Services. The level of care they put into making sure their contractors have everything they need to be successful is extraordinary. I have an endless amount of support and resources available to me, and I love having a team that I can turn to with anything that comes my way. It feels great to be able to provide that kind of exceptional service to my clients, and a huge part of that is because of the ‘package deal’ that comes with being a contractor with Athena — the client gets a high-caliber professional backed by a small (but mighty) army.
It really stands out how much they not only value their clients, but their contractors too. I have been paired with the most amazing clients, and couldn’t be happier.
Gina does an amazing job of generating value and connection with a virtual team. Though I worked as an individual and ran my own business, I also knew I had a team of amazing resources if ever I needed anything. Being part of the Athena team had me grow professionally and personally. We were always looking for where we could take the company vision, not just to clients, but to ourselves. Gina cares about the well-being of everyone she works with, clients as well as contractors. Athena truly takes on the definition of partnership and having your back. You absolutely know you’re going to get the results that make a difference when you work with Athena.