Athena Yannitsas

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In her position at HERITΛGE, Athena Yannitsas channels her efforts on fundraising, cultivating collaborations, training facilitation, and conducting research and mapping to bolster program alignment with the cultural contexts of African and African-American communities, as well as Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous Peoples and other ethnic and diverse communities. Raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Athena holds an M.A. in Heritage Management from the University of Kent (UK) and a B.A. in Economics from Boston University. Her professional journey has been characterized by dual career paths; initially immersed in the world of wine and gastronomy, Athena transitioned into the realm of nonprofit cultural and educational organizations. Over the course of her career, she engaged in strategic planning, marketing, fundraising, capacity building, program development, and training facilitation. Prior to joining HERITΛGE, Athena held leadership roles at the Hotel de Paris (Monaco), Wines from Spain (Florida), Biltmore Hotel & Resort (Florida), The American Center for Wine, Food & Arts-COPIA (California), Mystic Museum of Art (Connecticut), Society of the Four Arts (Florida), SDPBC (Florida), and Palm Beach State College (Florida). Fluent in English, Spanish, Greek, and French, Athena is also a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and former wine professor at Florida International University. In 2014 she published "Vino, Vida y Alegría," a wine education book for Spanish-speaking audiences.