Our Team & Board of Directors

Costa is a bold and values-driven leader in the global movement to advance women’s leadership. As President and CEO of ATHENA International since 2021, Traci leads with clarity, compassion, and a deep commitment to igniting the potential of all individuals to lead authentically and purposefully.

Traci first joined the ATHENA community as a passionate advocate for women and girls, earning the prestigious ATHENA Leadership Award in 2018. Her unwavering dedication led her to serve on the ATHENA International Board of Directors, where she helped guide the organization’s strategic growth before being appointed to the helm.

Prior to ATHENA, Traci served as the founding director of a women’s leadership institute, where she created and launched a range of transformative leadership programs. In less than three years, her efforts impacted the lives of over 1,500 women and girls, planting seeds of confidence, purpose, and empowerment across communities.

She also brings extensive experience in philanthropy and nonprofit development. As a regional manager for the Arizona Community Foundation, Traci led major fundraising initiatives and community engagement strategies. During her tenure, she was elected to the Northern Arizona Association of Fundraising Professionals Board and honored as the 2009 Northern Arizona New Fundraising Professional of the Year.

Traci’s leadership journey began on the court—as a former NCAA Division I volleyball athlete at California State University, Fresno, where she earned a full athletic scholarship. She later became the founding head volleyball coach at a Division I university in Nashville, Tennessee, where she built a collegiate athletics program from the ground up and cultivated leadership in young women both on and off the court.

Traci’s wide-ranging experiences—spanning athletics, education, fundraising, and executive leadership—inform her powerful vision for ATHENA: to inspire a more balanced, inclusive, and conscious model of leadership worldwide. A native Californian with a global heart, Traci is deeply passionate about helping individuals awaken their unique leadership strengths and lead lives of impact, integrity, and purpose.