The Phoenix Industrial Development Authority, a nonprofit public corporation of the City of Phoenix providing innovative public-purpose financing, has named Anastacia Ruiz-Europa as its new Community Development Director.
The Phoenix IDA works to advance projects and programs that strengthen neighborhoods, expand economic opportunity and improve quality of life throughout Phoenix by partnering with public, private and nonprofit organizations.
In her new role, Ruiz-Europa will lead community engagement efforts, cultivate strategic partnerships, support innovative community development initiatives and help advance programs that create lasting economic opportunity for Phoenix residents. She will report to Chief Investment Officer Carlos Contreras.
“I’m glad to welcome Anastacia Ruiz-Europa to the Phoenix IDA,” said Phoenix IDA CEO Juan Salgado. “Her depth of experience across community development, finance and organizational operations, paired with a clear commitment to the communities we serve, makes her a strong addition to our team. Anastacia’s track record of building partnerships and high-performing teams aligns closely with our mission, and I look forward to the impact she’ll have as Community Development Director.”
Ruiz-Europa brings more than 15 years of executive leadership experience spanning community development, education, finance, customer experience and organizational operations.
Most recently, she served as chief operating officer of Espiritu Community Development Corporation (ECDC), a mission-driven organization founded by the Ruiz family that has served South Phoenix families for more than 30 years by expanding educational opportunities and strengthening the community. During her tenure, she led organization-wide operations and helped build the systems, processes and cross-functional collaboration needed to support the organization’s continued growth and impact.
Prior to ECDC, Ruiz-Europa spent more than a decade in leadership roles within the financial services industry, including Progressive Leasing and Discover Financial Services. At Progressive Leasing, she established and led the organization’s Customer Experience function, using customer insights and enterprise analytics to strengthen operational performance and service delivery while partnering across legal, compliance, marketing, product and operations to lead enterprise-wide strategic initiatives and process improvements.
Throughout her career, Ruiz-Europa has built a reputation for collaborative leadership, operational excellence and developing high-performing teams. She is passionate about building meaningful partnerships, strengthening organizations and creating opportunities that create lasting community impact.
“I’m honored to join the Phoenix IDA and contribute to an organization that is making such a meaningful difference throughout Phoenix,” Ruiz-Europa said. “I look forward to working alongside our team and community partners to expand opportunities, strengthen neighborhoods and help advance initiatives that improve quality of life for Phoenix residents.”
