Valley Leadership Selects 16 Arizonans For Explore Class 2
Explore is the second of VL’s reimagined leadership development programs that will take participants to explore the wide variety of Arizona’s communities.
Valley Leadership has selected 16 Arizonans to be part of the second class of its Explore program. The program takes participants out of their home communities to get to know the great diversity of Arizona and how our most pressing issues show up in rural, urban, suburban, border and Native communities. The all-alumni cohort represents a diverse cross-section of industries, generations and experiences.
“I simply cannot recommend the program enough to the people I know and to the many I meet. Not only has the program been impactful for my own perspective of the world, but I was able to witness firsthand the value of networking and sharing resources, which can drastically improve the circumstances of the issues we were introduced to during each of our expeditions.”
Antonio Newman, Explore Class 1 Alumni
Participants will visit six different communities in Arizona that represent the broad diversity of our state. The destinations will include Navajo Nation, Nogales, Yuma, Mesa, South Phoenix, and Buckeye. Travel will range from single to multi-day trips. Each visit will focus on learning about each community’s various assets, opportunities and challenges. Participants will gain a better understanding and perspective of how lived-experiences in our state vary based on different communities.
“The second year of Explore will take participants across our state to broaden perspectives about what it means to be an Arizonan. Participants of this program will walk away forever changed as a result of the experience they have together, and the connections they make will be meaningful and long lasting. We hope that their experience will play a part in how they make decisions as leaders moving forward.”
Jen Gastelum, Explore Program Manager
Meet the Class:
| Johana | Bautista | Spanish Teacher | Hispalia Language Center |
| Joseph | Curbelo | Realtor, Mortgage Loan Officer | Curbelo & Curbelo |
| Joyceline | Elliot | Acting Program Manager | Arizona Department of Economic Security |
| Linée | Fergson | Senior Consultant | Self Employed – Master the Workplace, LLC |
| Stephanie | Graves | President | Clarksburg Chamber of Commerce |
| Susan | Johnson | Property Administrator | Transwestern |
| William | Jungermann | Director of Sales | |
| Julie | Heineking | Project 8 Client Management | Human Services Campus |
| Brad | Herron-Valenzuela | Managing Director, First Place Transition Academy Director | First Place Phoenix |
| Josh | Loughman | Director of Modeling and Technology | Climate Interactive |
| Leah | McKiernan | Principal, PXU City | Phoenix Union High School District |
| Michael | Metzger | Vice President Strategy | Self employed – Teach For America |
| Jen | Scrivner | COO | Goodmans Interior Structures |
| Annette | Tanori | Senior Operations Excellence Manager – Global Real Estate | Silicon Valley Bank |
| Richard | Verduzco III | Assistant Principal | Phoenix Union High School |
| Katie | Webber | Vice President & Assistant General Counsel | JPMorgan Chase Bank |
