News & Events Newsletter Archive Newsletter June 2025

June 2025

CFA Joins Statewide Conversations to Strengthen Arizona’s Healthcare Workforce

CFA continues to bring cross-sector partners together to align education and workforce systems in support of high-need industries. This past month, we brought our expertise to two key conversations focused on healthcare:

CFA’s Erin McGehean moderates a panel at the 2025 WESTMARC Healthcare Summit with Patricia Taylor, Senior Director of Workforce Strategy at Banner Health; Trevor Stokes, CEO of the Partnership for Workforce Innovation; and Travis Allen, Executive Director of The Pilot Clinic.

At the WESTMARC 2025 Healthcare Summit, Erin McGehean, CFA’s Western Maricopa County College & Career Pathways Project Manager and recently named WESTMARC Foundation Board Chair, moderated a panel focused on aligning education and workforce strategies. Panelists from the Partnership for Workforce Innovation, The Pilot Clinic, and Banner Health emphasized the importance of early exposure—starting in high school—to high-demand healthcare careers and shared cross-sector solutions to strengthen talent pipelines. Among the strategies shared, Banner highlighted efforts to expand clinical placements to high school students and to use virtual internships to introduce students to IT roles—both strategies increasing access to work-based learning opportunities early in the talent pipeline.

CFA’s Jennifer Hernandez joins a panel at the 2025 Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity Workforce Summit with Marcus Johnson, Deputy Director of Community Engagement and Regulatory Affairs at AHCCCS; Erin Gonzalez, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Abrazo Health; Selena McDonald, Workforce Development Administrator at Banner Health Plans and CFA SAWLA Fellow; Dr. Sue Roe, Principal at The Roe Group; and Cinthia Reyes, Executive Director and Dean of Career and Technical Education at Arizona Western College.

At the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity’s 2025 Workforce Summit, Jennifer Hernandez, CFA’s Northern Arizona College & Career Pathways Project Manager, joined a panel with leaders from the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System, Banner Health Plans, Abrazo Health, Arizona Western College, and The Roe Group. The discussion explored challenges in recruitment, retention, and career exposure. CFA highlighted solutions that are facing these challenges head-on, including an internship project completed with Abrazo Health as an example of innovation in increasing access to work-based learning in the healthcare field.

These conversations continue to build momentum across the state—we're making real progress in creating career-connected pathways to build Arizona’s healthcare workforce.

A Decade of Partnership: Bank of America Supports CFA’s Efforts to Expand Opportunity

For more than a century, Bank of America has helped Arizona’s communities thrive—and for the past decade, they’ve been a steadfast partner in CFA’s efforts to ensure quality education, expand economic opportunity, and strengthen communities.

This commitment is evident in their support for The Arizona We Want and cornerstone initiatives such as the Gallup Arizona Survey and Arizona Pathways to Prosperity. Their investment has helped to:

Ensure that the values and voices of Arizonans remain central to efforts shaping a stronger, more responsive future for our state
Expand career-connected learning, creating stronger pathways for students to access opportunity and economic mobility while meeting state and regional workforce needs

“At Bank of America, we believe in the power of partnership to drive meaningful change. CFA’s work aligns with our mission to help create economic opportunities and strengthen the communities we serve. We’re proud to support initiatives that create opportunity, expand access, and help Arizonans thrive.”
-Scott Vanderpool, President, Bank of America Phoenix

CFA is proud to partner with Bank of America, whose leadership and long-standing commitment to the issues that matter most to Arizonans continue to advance meaningful change across our state. Their partnership exemplifies how the business community can play a leading role in building a more prosperous Arizona for all.

Celebrating Leaders Shaping Arizona’s Future

Lasting progress starts with people—leaders who are connected to community, committed to service, and willing to grow. We’re proud to celebrate recent accomplishments across our CFA team that reflect this spirit of leadership in action.

Sabrina Estrada Joins a Network of Equity-Driven Education Advocates

Sabrina Estrada, Senior Program Coordinator for Civic Health, recently completed the Adelante Fellowship through ALL In Education; a statewide program that equips emerging leaders to better understand Arizona’s education system and support its progress. With nearly half of the state’s K-12 students identifying as Latino yet facing stark achievement gaps, the work of building equity in education is urgent. Sabrina brings deep commitment and lived experience to this effort, and emerged from the program even more prepared to drive impact for Arizona’s students and families.

Esmeralda Franco Graduates from the Hispanic Leadership Institute

Esmeralda Franco, Senior Aide to the President & CEO, recently completed Valle del Sol’s Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI), which develops leaders across sectors to strengthen civic and community life. Esme brought her insight, empathy, and collaborative spirit to a strong cohort of changemakers. Her growth through HLI reflects the kind of values-based leadership that builds trust, bridges divides, and drives meaningful progress for Arizona communities.

Peter Boyle Named to Phoenix Business Journal’s 40 Under 40

Peter Boyle, Senior Director of Education, has been named a 2025 40 Under 40 honoree by the Phoenix Business Journal. This distinction highlights Peter’s leadership in advancing education policy and practice aligned with the shared public values of Arizonans. He is recognized alongside several CFA collaborators and partners, and we look forward to celebrating all these strong leaders for our future at the awards in August.

Evelyn Casuga Receives the Shirley Agnos Legacy Award

Evelyn Casuga, Director of Community & Economic Prosperity, was honored with the Shirley Agnos Legacy Award from Arizona Town Hall; an award recognizing civic leadership, integrity, and decades of service to Arizona. Evelyn’s career spans over 40 years in city management, economic development, and public service. She shares this year’s honor with Suzanne Pfister, CEO of Vitalyst Health Foundation, in recognition of their shared commitment to community well-being and a brighter future for all Arizonans.

Celebrate Independence Day with Arizona Talks, CFA & KTAR

Saturday, June 28, 3-6 pm | The Duce – Downtown Phoenix

Free with Code: CFA

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, engage, and foster a stronger community with Arizona Talks, CFA, and KTAR. Enjoy family fun and special guests while celebrating community and the nation’s independence.

Guest Speakers


	Walt Blackman Arizona State Representative		Analise Ortiz Arizona State Senator


	Rosemarie Dombrowski Phoenix Poet Laureate		Patricia Valencia Production Director/On-Air Personality, KTAR News

Get Tickets

State of Black Arizona Launches Survey to Address Housing Inequities

The survey aims to better understand housing challenges Black Arizonans experience across the state. Findings from the survey will inform a report later this year to guide policy, highlight inequities, and support real solutions.

From LinkedIn

American Student Assistance and Education Strategy Group Launch Coalition to Ensure All Middle Schoolers Positioned for Future Success

CFA's Arizona Pathways to Prosperity is honored to join the Middle School Career Exploration Impact Network, alongside career exploration leaders across the state and country.

From PR Newswire

Driving Public Sector Innovation Through Skills-Based Hiring

Innovative approaches to skills-based hiring are reshaping how employers in Arizona find and retain talent—thanks to collaborative efforts from CFA, ASU’s Trusted Learning Network, and Pipeline Connects.

From National Governors Association

Betting on Communities to Fix What’s Broken

The Arizona Civic Life Partnership—led by CFA and the Flinn Foundation—is featured as part of a national spotlight on efforts to ”save democracy.”

From The Chronicle of Philanthropy

$10.5M Knight Foundation grant launches Knight Center for the Future of News at ASU’s Cronkite School

In a major step forward for journalism, the Cronkite School is launching the Knight Center for the Future of News. We’re proud to collaborate with ASU through the Arizona Media Institute to support a more sustainable, resilient future for local news.

From ASU News

ICYMI: FY24 Annual Report—Celebrating Progress, Powering What’s Possible

In case you missed it, we recently shared CFA’s FY24 Annual Report, highlighting our impact across Arizona from July 2023 to June 2024. Explore key highlights, audited financials, and how we’re building The Arizona We Want—together.

Read the report

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to create a stronger and brighter future for our state.

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