Athenique's founder Vernell Sutherland already had successful careers in education, high-tech, and the law when she discovered her true passion: clinical skincare.

Like most successful entrepreneurs, Vernell founded athenique on a simple brand promise: affordable, clinical, skincare. She opened her first athenique agelessSkin clinic in April 2004 in Carmel, California after two years of planning and market research. The athenique agelessSkin clinic on Bainbridge Island, Washington opened in December 2008.

Vernell is a licensed esthecian and licensed esthetics instructor in the State of Washington, a certified medical esthetician, and a certified laser technician having received over 120 hours of didactic and hands-on training on laser, IPL, RF, and other esthetics technologies at the National Laser Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona. Vernell holds a BS in education from Pacific Lutheran University, a MS in education from the University of Hawaii, a doctorate in education from Boston University, an MBA from the College of William and Mary, and a JD from Capital University and the College of William and Mary.