About me
Dr. Athena Stanley, a Marquette native and proud Yooper, holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning from the University at Buffalo (2018), as well as an M.A.E. in Instruction (2013) and a B.A. in Elementary Education (2010) from Northern Michigan University (NMU).
She is the Founder and CEO of Athena Global Learning (AGL) and a former Assistant Professor in Applied Workplace Leadership at NMU. Now in her 16th year in education, Dr. Stanley draws on 14 years of international teaching, curriculum development, and educational leadership experience in Ecuador, Turkey, and China. During that time, she taught all elementary grades, K–6, and served in leadership roles including English Curriculum Manager, Primary Curriculum Lead, and Head of Grades 3 and 5.
Since 2023, she has also served as a private English tutor, working with learners from grade 2 through adulthood across more than 25 countries through teaching, mentorship, and educational programming.
During her time at NMU, she worked with pre-service teachers and professionals through the Michigan Talent Together and national Grow Your Own programs (2023–2024), initiatives designed to address the teacher shortage. She also taught workplace leadership courses to students representing 46 different academic majors (2024–2025).
Dr. Stanley holds a Michigan Teaching Certificate as well as Harvard’s School Leadership and Management Certificate.
