Team Member Bios

Michelle Icard
Founder and Program Director
Michelle brings to Athena’s Path experience in both business and education. Perhaps as important is her ability to see multiple perspectives, and communicate and facilitate discussion between various groups. Michelle graduated from Wittenberg University in Ohio with degrees in English and Education. She worked in development for the American Arbitration Association and did global corporate training and business consulting with Arthur Andersen. Michelle enjoyed success in the corporate world, but realized teaching is her passion. She moved to education to run a private tutoring practice. She also created and conducted learning strategies clinics for schools and families. During these experiences, she continually heard, “Everything was great with my daughter until middle school.” While tutoring, she noticed most of the problems with middle school girls were social, not academic. To help address these issues, she started Athena's Path. Please read her “Founder’s Letter” for more information. When she’s not caring for teenage girls, she’s busy with her husband, Travis, children Ella and Declan, and her new dog, Rocket.

Amanda Roncevich
Chief Executive Officer
After 15 years working in corporate finance and business development, Amanda worried about shifting to “the Mommy Track.” She wanted to spend quality time raising her three daughters, but also wanted to stay connected to the business world. This concern was overshadowed by another as she saw her daughters chasing values set by the media and peer-pressure. She also saw mothers grappling to keep their daughters strong, individual and authentic. She believes good leaders should be bold and true to themselves, and this should be taught early. Athena's Path gives Amanda an opportunity to create a business to teach young leaders and to stay in touch with the realities of her daughters' lives. Amanda is passionate about building an enterprise that will teach personal leadership and touch the lives of middle school girls across America. Amanda has an MBA from Stanford and a BA from Harvard.

Catherine Whitten
Graphic Design and Production
Catherine graduated from East Carolina University School of Art with a BFA degree in Communication Art and a minor in Psychology. As a website designer who specializes in search engine optimization and website usability design she is able to combine both her love of design with her interest in what drives people to do what they do. She first assisted Athena's Path in 2006 with a web site redesign. Since she had suceeded in the struggle to help her own two daughters navigate middle school, she immediately recognized the need for a program like Athena's Path. Her work with Athena's Path is her way of telling other road weary parents, "I understand" and to help their young daughters stay respectful while still addressing how unfair adolescence can be. When she’s not sitting in front of a computer, she likes to hang with her home crew: her husband, Chip and her "young adults" Caitlyn, Charlie and Carlyn.

Quinn Davidson
Summer Camps/Project Administrator
Quinn is a Charlotte native and a South Carolina Gamecock. After graduating with a degree in political science, she headed to - where else? - Washington, D.C. After nine years in government and politics, she returned to Charlotte to join the "real world." She had fun jobs in public relations and communications, working with great organizations such as the amusement park association (IAAPA) and the plastics recycling association (NAPCOR). She loved working on important issues such as recycling and year-round schools, and even a little politics. She left her paid career when she became a Mom to Jack. She lives with her husband, her son and her dog, Rocket. She loves working with Athena's Path because all of the people - and even the dog - in her house are MEN. She enjoys working with smart, motivated women who really care about young girls and making their lives the BEST they can be.

Kim Cobb
Lead Instructor
Athena's Path is fortunate to have the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System High School Teacher of the Year (2006-07) as an instructor. Her success in education also includes a Masters of Education for Reading Specialist, National Board certification and a degree in Communication with a minor in Psychology - two helpful specialties in dealing with young girls! She loves how Athena’s Path gives girls the tools necessary to manage their lives throughout their schooling and beyond so that they develop into healthy, strong women. She is amazed to witness when that light bulb goes off for a girl as it dawns on her how she will be able to transfer the knowledge she has gained from a particular lesson to the reality of her life. In addition to being a strong educator with a business background, Kim is one of the funniest people you’ll meet. Her skills and humor make Kim a popular and successful instructor.

Alison Johnson
Lead Instructor
Alison is a 10th - grade English teacher at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte and a graduate of North Carolina State University. She joined Athena’s Path for the same reasons she became an educator: it’s a great opportunity to make a difference. She is troubled by how often she sees young girls ignore, hide, or deflect their talents. Middle school and high school are such critical time periods for girls. She believes Athena’s Path is a wonderful tool that empowers girls and enables them to take pride in themselves, their talents, and their ideas. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, meeting new people and playing soccer.

Paige Skilton
Lead Intern
Paige is a senior at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte. She enjoys including singing in a youth band and holds a high rank on her school’s tennis team. She will attend college next year - hopefully Clemson! - and major in graphic arts design. During middle school, Paige had to deal with bullies and promised herself that she would help other girls dealing with the same experience. Now, Paige is a small group leader for sixth-grade girls at her church and is a popular intern with Athena’s Path. She enjoys leading the Athena's Path girls because she knows she can help them survive middle school, but also because she gets to have fun, make friends and act like a kid herself!

Alyssa Pressman
Lead Intern
Alyssa is a junior at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte. She is a hard-working student involved in many school clubs and activities such as DECA, the Culinary Club, Key Club and the Math Honor Society. Outside of school, Alyssa dances competitively, volunteers at a horse shelter, and is an intern for Athena's Path. Alyssa's favorite subject is English...and she loves to read, naturally. After high school, Alyssa hopes to attend a college in North or South Carolina to study Psychology and English. After a rough middle school experience, Alyssa is thankful that she has the opportunity to help other girls navigate the world of adolescence.