A place where women who’ve served find belonging, support, and peace.

About Athena Grace Foundation

Karen Herrigan, founder of Athena Grace Foundation standing on a beach facing the ocean, with a surfboard on the sand in front of them. The sky is cloudy and there are cliffs in the distance.

Creating Space for Women Warriors to Heal and Thrive.

Athena Grace Foundation was created for women who have spent their lives serving others.

Whether in the military, law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical services, or other demanding professions, women often carry the weight of service differently. They lead with courage, adapt through adversity, and continue showing up long after the mission is complete. Yet too often, there are few spaces designed specifically for their experiences.

Athena Grace exists to change that.

We are more than a nonprofit. We are a community rooted in connection, healing, and belonging. A place where women can gather without explanation, build lifelong friendships, discover new paths to wellness, and find the support they deserve.

Our belief is simple.

When women heal together, they thrive together.

Building Community Through Shared Experiences

Athena Grace believes healing happens through experience, not simply conversation.

Our members connect through retreats, wellness workshops, adventure travel, music, sports, mindfulness, peer support, educational programs, community gatherings, and opportunities to simply enjoy life with others.

Coming Soon Our Offerings + Workshops
  • Athena Grace Foundation Mission Emblem, Brown and white compass rose with cardinal directions N, E, S, W.

    OUR MISSION

    Creating Space for Women Warriors to Heal and Thrive

    Athena Grace exists to create a supportive and empowering community where women who have served can reconnect with themselves and with one another.

    We honor both strength and vulnerability, recognizing that courage is found not only in service, but also in asking for support, embracing rest, and allowing space for healing.

    Through meaningful relationships, wellness experiences, retreats, education, and shared adventures, we help women rediscover joy, purpose, and connection beyond their years of service.

    Our mission is built around one simple promise.

    Serve. Heal. Thrive. Together.

  • Athena Grace Foundation Mission Emblem, Line drawing of a feather inside a circular border.

    OUR PHILOSOPHY

    Strength and Softness Belong Together

    For many women in service, resilience has become second nature. They've learned to lead, protect, solve problems, and keep moving forward, often placing the needs of others before their own.

    Athena Grace offers something different.

    We believe strength and softness are not opposites. They are partners.

    Healing isn't about forgetting the past or removing the armor that service required. It's about understanding how women carry that armor and creating opportunities to set it down, even for a little while.

    We reject the idea that resilience requires silence. Instead, we believe resilience grows through community, shared experiences, reflection, laughter, adventure, wellness, and authentic human connection.

    Within Athena Grace, nothing needs to be proven. You are welcomed exactly as you are.

  • Athena Grace Foundation Mission Emblem, Shield with a heart in the center, enclosed in a circular border, in brown and white colors.

    WHO WE SERVE

    Created for Women in Action

    Athena Grace proudly welcomes women from every stage of service and every chapter that follows.

    Our community includes:

    Women Veterans

    Active-Duty, National Guard, and Reserve Service Members

    First Responders, including Law Enforcement, Firefighters, Nurses, and EMS Professionals

    Military Spouses and Caregivers

    Women transitioning from military or first responder service

    Whether you're newly retired, still serving, or simply looking for a community that understands your experiences, you'll find a place here.

MEET THE FOUNDER

Karen Hennigan

Karen Herrigan, founder of Athena Grace Foundation in military camouflage uniform standing on a boat with a city skyline in the background, smiling at the camera during sunset.
Karen Herrigan, founder of Athena Grace Foundation wearing winter clothing standing on snowy landscape with northern lights visible in the night sky.
Karen Herrigan, founder of Athena Grace Foundation smiling in a white winter hat holding a curly-haired dog in a blue coat outdoors on a snowy day with trees and a bridge in the background.

From Warrior to Founder

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Karen Hennigan comes from a long line of veterans and community servants. After graduating from law school, she joined the Air Force in 2001, just one week before the September 11th attacks. Over the next 23 years, she served as an Air Force officer and Judge Advocate General in both active duty and reserve capacities, while also building a distinguished civilian legal career.

The idea for Athena Grace took shape in Missoula, Montana, during a music festival, when someone asked what had brought Karen and fellow Air Force veteran Kristin McGeorge all the way from Brooklyn and Pittsburgh. Without thinking, Karen replied, "I guess you could say we're working on healing through music."

Following the loss of her parents, Karen spent two years using her vacation time to seek peace through yoga, meditation, adventure travel, and plenty of live music, much of it featuring her favorite artist, Hozier. She often invited a veteran friend, or someone navigating grief, illness, or life's challenges, covering travel costs whenever she could. Those shared adventures became moments of laughter, friendship, healing, and joy, and ultimately inspired the vision for Athena Grace.

Throughout her military career, Karen held leadership positions across the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Republic of Korea. She specialized in complex criminal litigation, served as one of the Air Force's expert prosecutors, and participated in the first all-female combat mission aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.

Outside the military, Karen served as a federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, where she was named Federal Prosecutor of the Year three times. She has dedicated much of her career to improving the lives of veterans, helping establish Veteran Treatment Courts across New York and the nation, founding the country's first Military Legal Practice Clinic at Brooklyn Law School, serving on the board of Swords to Ploughshares, and advising Wellness Empowered, a technology company focused on veteran and first responder suicide prevention.

Karen lives in Long Beach, New York, with her delightful pup, Frankie Sinatra. Through Athena Grace, she hopes to create a community where women who have served can find healing, friendship, and the lasting support they deserve.

More Than a Community

Discover experiences that inspire connection, promote wellness, and create space for healing, growth, and joy after service.

Coming Soon!