Athena, born and raised in the New York - New Jersey metropolitan area, graduated from Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, with a BA degree in Fine Arts, Studio and a double minor of Psychology and English. She worked for the Edison, Township, New Jersey, Police Department as a Crime Analyst/Identification and Photography Unit Technician until she gained employment as a Special Agent with the FBI in 1980.

In her first office of assignment, Newark, New Jersey, Athena worked on white collar crime investigations, and undertook a unique assignment when she and three other female Special Agents worked undercover as nuns in connection with an organized crime investigation.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, upon transfer to Alexandria, Virginia and subsequently Washington, D.C., Athena was assigned to general criminal and reactive matters which included fugitive investigations, property crimes, bank robbery investigations, crimes on government reservations, drug distribution networks, kidnappings and extortions. As liaison to the United States Secret Service, Supreme Court Police and Capitol Hill Police, Athena was responsible for investigations concerning threats and assaults against the President, Cabinet, Congress, and the Supreme Court. Additionally, Athena was the first FBI liaison to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

In 1984, Athena rescued a prominent kidnap victim in front of the White House. In 1986 and again in 1988, she became one of the first FBI Agents sent overseas to investigate terrorism attacks against American citizens. She was also a member of the Washington Field Office SWAT team that responded to the federal prison riot in Atlanta, Georgia in 1987. In the early 1990s, Athena earned certification as an FBI Technically Trained Agent and used her technical training in wire tapping to facilitate sensitive interceptions that lead to the arrest of CIA employee Aldrich Ames.

Athena's experiences in these and other assignments brought her to the attention of Thomas Harris, author of Silence of the Lambs, and formed the basis for the character of Clarice Starling.

In 1996, Athena was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent in the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility where she was tasked with investigating allegations of criminal and serious misconduct on the part of FBI employees. In 1998, Athena was promoted to Unit Chief of the Special Photographic Unit. There she directed photographic operations for the FBI, to include all forensic and crime scene photography. Appointed Unit Chief of the FBI's Defensive Programs Unit in 2001, Athena concluded her career in charge of classified technical security equipment and policies, technical threat assessments, and the technical and physical security of all FBI personnel and facilities.

Since her retirement in December, 2004, Athena has given presentations to numerous groups and colleges on a variety of topics pertaining to the FBI and is currently an adjunct professor at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Athena also obtained her Private Detective license and is certified to conduct investigations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Always having had an interest in the unexplained, Athena turned her investigative talents to paranormal phenomena in 2007 when she teamed with Deborah M. Heinecker to explore haunted locations in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The results of their work can be found in the recently published, "Franklin County Ghosts."