Arizona Foundation for Women Graduates Inaugural SHE Leads!™ Class of 2021

Arizona Foundation for Women (AFW), a not-for-profit agency that advocates for women’s causes in Arizona, graduated 29 Arizona women from SHE Leads!™, a women’s-centric leadership program dedicated to advancing women in the workplace.

Throughout the past six months, SHE Leads!™ participants raised over $68,000 for non-profits focused on helping Arizona women. The cohort is proud to fund the following organizations as grantees: Alice’s Place, Coalition of Blacks Against Breast Cancer, Impact One Breast Cancer Foundation, Live & Learn and Women’s Health Coalition of Arizona. Additionally, a portion of the funds raised will support the SHE Leads!™ program moving forward.

“We are delighted to usher in 29 new graduates of the SHE Leads! women’s leadership program. During a pandemic, these women demonstrated resiliency and fortitude to attend class and work with their mentors to learn and grow,” said Barbara Schifano, Senior Director, Learning and Development, University of Phoenix, AFW board of directors member and SHE Leads!™ program chair. “While learning, they also worked tirelessly to fundraise on behalf of five incredible non-profit organizations. Many women do not have access to formal leadership development and this program was made possible through the generous donations from our corporate sponsors.”

The program included a curriculum with topics covering growth mindset, diversity & inclusion, building strategic partnerships and more. Graduates worked one-on-one with personal mentors, completed personal strength assessments, built strong relationships through after- hours networking and workshop sessions and developed a toolkit to advance themselves personally and professionally.

“We are proud to recognize the accomplishments of these leaders and to welcome them to the AFW family,” said Mesha Davis, AFW CEO. “We hope that the skills learned through SHE Leads!™ propel these women into roles where they carry forward our mission of safety, health and economic empowerment for all women in our state.”

The following women, representing a diverse body of work and community experience, make up the SHE Leads! Class of 2021 Graduates:

• Alexa Diaz, Dietitian Manager, Mountain Park Health Center
• Allie Laureanti, Licensing Manager, Carvana
• Amanda Reddie, Client Success Manager, SmartRent
• Amy Marshall, Project Manager Team Lead, Wells Fargo Bank
• Angela Lowery, AVP SR Sales Manager, Pure Insurance
• Cynthia Bryan, Educational Technology Manager, Content, University of Phoenix
• Denise Jauregui, Contract Therapist, Strive Counseling & Consulting Service
• Jennifer Bunger, Program Coordinator, University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center
• Kimberly Elder, Care Coordinator for the Area Agency on Aging, Northern Arizona Council of Governments
• Kristen Saetrum, Communications Director, Support My Club
• Kristi Longstreet, Policy Analyst/Communications Director & Unified ERG Strategist, University of Phoenix
• Krystal Keilholtz, Business Development Manager, Rosendin
• Krystal Garcia, Client Coordinator, CPLC Prestamos, CFDI
• Kyra Loehnis, Registered Dietician Manager, Mountain Park Health Center
• Lauren Tomlin, Crop Scheduling Supervisor, Duncan Family Farms
• Leah Eskinazi, Manager of Sales Enablement, First Solar
• Linda Kennedy, Director, People Operations, Duncan Family Farms
• Lynn Umphres, Lead Philanthropic Advisor, Noncompetitive, Arizona Community Foundation
• Olivia O’Hagan, International Export Manager, Savage Universal/Superior Paper Specialties
• Patti Stapleton, Office Manager, Rosendin
• Rachel Heisler, Project Manager/Estimator, Casa Technology Systems, LLC
• Sandra Searle, Chief Development Officer, UMOM New Day Center
• Sarah Hanchett, Director of Clinical Services, evolvedMD
• Saray Vera, Diabetes Educator, Dignity Health Medical Group – St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
• Shantae Smith, Improvement Advisor, Community Solutions, Inc.
• Tiffani Motley, Market Development Manager, Creative Channel Services
• Tonya Gray, Director of Signature Events, ASU Alumni Association
• Vania Vasquez, Student Account Analyst, University of Phoenix
• Zarinah Tavares, Associate Broker, Amwins Brokerage

This program would not be possible without the support of the following sponsors – PURE Insurance, University of Phoenix, AT&T, Rosendin and BOK Financial.

Arizona Foundation for Women’s (AFW) mission is to advance the status of Arizona’s women through research, advocacy and philanthropy to ensure their safety, health and economic independence. We believe SHE Counts!®

Arizona Foundation for Women not only conducts research, but also helps women gain control of their health by providing grants to health organizations that serve women and their families.  The Foundation also hosts She Talks, a series of free presentations and discussions to increase awareness and educate the community about various important women’s issues.