Athena Mihas

Chief Financial Officer

Inspiration: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

What working in this community means to me: “I am blessed to have meaningful work that makes a difference every day in the lives of my fellow human beings. I believe we are all interconnected, and the community is my extended family. It brings me joy to be of service to others.”

Athena joined United Way in September 2015. She oversees United Way’s teams responsible for the delivery of finance, information services, facility management and support services to our donors, volunteers, partner agencies and employees.

Prior to United Way, Athena served as vice president of finance for Volunteers of America of Minnesota and Wisconsin. She has also served in leadership roles for several other nonprofit organizations, including Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota; Washburn Center for Children; Hearthstone of Minnesota; Church of St. Stephen; VISTAR Youth Horizons; and Amicus. Athena holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota.

Athena is a longtime and passionate supporter of the nonprofit sector and has served in senior leadership roles for over 25 years. Her nonprofit leadership experience includes finance, fundraising, information services, human resources, marketing, facilities management, direct service and board service.