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Last year was an exciting year for Valley Leadership as it brought the launch of two of our newest programs, Catalyze and Explore. The Impact Maker also saw lots of growth with the launch of three new teams. Thank you to all the alumni and community partners who have made all of these accomplishments possible!
The inaugural year of the Valley Leadership Explore program was many things: challenging, unexpected, thought-provoking, disruptive, life-changing, fun, enlightening, and full of emotion from laughter to tears. Read more about the experience.
Explore’s last trip was to Navajo Nation, one of the largest tribal governments of the North American Indian Nations. We met community leaders and learned about how they continue to work on maintaining their cultural heritage while planning and forging ahead into the future.
Explore’s fourth trip was to Buckeye, which was once considered a rural, farmland community and is now one of the fastest growing cities in the nation.
Explore’s third trip was to Mesa, where we focused on the downtown area. We learned about the significant influx of investment and how the growth is affecting the residents and neighborhoods nearby.
Explore’s second trip spent two days in Ambos Nogales (Spanish for “both Nogales”), which refers to the two cities with the same name: Nogales, Arizona, United States, and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Explore participants learned about Yuma’s thriving agriculture industry, the community’s focus on education and how larger issues in Arizona like immigration and water show up for Yuma’s residents.
March is Women’s History Month, a time for us to celebrate the accomplishments and wisdom of the female leaders who have paved the way for those who come after them. Thank you to all our female leaders!
We celebrate Black History Month, an opportunity to recognize the rich history of the Black community and honor the achievements individuals and their contributions to our global society.
With the holiday season upon us, we want to take time to express our gratitude for all the Impact Team members who have committed themselves this year.
Paige Soucie has joined the Valley Leadership team as our Director of Marketing & Communications. She’ll help us share how VL’s reimagined leadership development model and Impact Maker are making a difference on the most pressing issues facing the state.
