News & Events Newsletter Archive Newsletter September 2025

September 2025

From England to Arizona: CFA and SALC Bring Global Apprenticeship Innovation Home

Global Apprenticeship Convening in England

Southern Arizona Leadership Council’s Cristie Street and Arizona Pathways to Prosperity’s Aaron Ball and Cindy Erwin attend the global apprenticeship convening in England.

Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) and the Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC) joined global leaders in Oxford, England, to explore how apprenticeship degrees can expand opportunity and strengthen economies. Together, we’re exploring innovative strategies to complement workforce initiatives and create stronger, more equitable career pathways for Arizona’s future.

What we learned

Backing Bold Ideas: Garcia Family Foundation a Partner in Advancing The Arizona We Want

Garcia Family Foundation has been a critical partner of CFA and a true champion of The Arizona We Want. The Foundation’s commitment to Arizona — addressing issues such as homelessness, the challenges of living in poverty, data and analytics in human services to inform decision-making, and providing educational opportunities for disadvantaged students — aligns closely with our own commitment to advancing a stronger and brighter future for our state.

“We support CFA because their work reflects what we believe in — listening to Arizonans, acting on what matters most, and creating lasting, positive change. Their approach is thoughtful, data-informed, and collaborative — they create the conditions for communities to innovate, adapt, and lead. It’s the kind of work that moves us all forward, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”
— Jon Ehlinger, President, Garcia Family Foundation

The Foundation also understands the value of partnerships and proactively connects CFA to leaders and organizations across the state. These introductions foster learning, collaboration, and deeper impact — reflecting their broader vision for Arizona’s future and commitment to the well-being of its communities. They consistently offer insights, including their valuable feedback as a critical reader of the Gallup Arizona Survey. We are grateful for the Garcia Family Foundation’s steadfast support — fueling efforts that expand educational opportunity, increase economic mobility, and catalyze progress in communities statewide.

CFA Strengthens Leadership Team with New Board Member

CFA is proud to welcome John Graham, Chairman and CEO of Sunbelt Holdings, to our Board of Directors. Graham is one of Arizona’s most respected business and civic leaders, with decades of experience shaping the state’s growth and strengthening communities. His leadership roles across the state and longstanding support for CFA’s mission reflect his deep commitment to advancing opportunity and prosperity across Arizona.

“I am honored to join CFA’s Board of Directors, which allows me to take on an even greater role in contributing to something I deeply believe in, The Arizona We Want. This vision has restored my confidence in our shared future and affirmed that Arizona can be a model for our nation and the world.”
— John Graham, Chairman and CEO, Sunbelt Holdings

Meet our newest Board Member

Bridging the Gap: How Collaboration Can Prepare Young Workers for the Future

46%

of GenZ feels unprepared for the jobs of the future.

Insights from a national survey, The Broken Marketplace: America’s School-To-Work Crisis, conducted by the Schultz Family Foundation & HarrisX, reveal that 64% of the youngest members of the workforce want to explore career options and build skills with hands-on experience before choosing a direction. Despite that desire and facing the common employment barrier known as a skills gap, just 38% of employers offer internships, and only 14% offer job shadowing.

WHY IT MATTERS
The Broken Marketplace study and CFA’s Arizona Pathways to Prosperity both recognize the same challenge: young people face unclear, fragmented routes from high school to professional careers. Insights from this study underscore the need for increased collaboration among educators, employers, and career navigators to create clearer, skills-based pathways that prepare young workers for success in a rapidly-evolving marketplace.

Arizona Pathways to Prosperity builds coordinated, career-connected pathways — spanning career exploration, early college, and work-based learning — that address the workforce development needs highlighted in the report. In partnership with educators and industry, the initiative equips Arizona’s youngest workers for economic mobility and success.

Back to School, Back to Impact: Students Lead Change with School Participatory Budgeting

West Point High School’s 2024-25 winning project, “Beat the Heat”, created shaded gathering spaces for students to connect and feel a sense of belonging.

Students are back in school and experiencing the impact of projects they voted to fund through School Participatory Budgeting (SPB). At West Point High School, last year’s winning project added umbrellas and relocated tables to the quad, creating more shaded space for students to gather and connect. This year, participation has doubled, with twice as many students stepping up to join the school's steering committee to guide their SPB process. Students are seeing the power of their voice in action — feeling valued, building trust with school leaders, and strengthening a culture of civic engagement that extends far beyond the school year.

Across nearly 50 schools, students across the state are embarking on their SPB journey this year. We’ll be sharing more updates as students continue the process — and there’s still time to bring SPB to your school community.

Get started

Free Professional Development to Bring Personalized Learning to Classrooms

Arizona Personalized Learning Network - APLN

Did you know? Teachers across Arizona can bring personalized learning to their classrooms with Explore from the Arizona Personalized Learning Network (APLN) — free, on-demand professional development from CFA.

APLN Explore features a variety of modules and tools to help educators engage students as active drivers of their learning journey, spark curiosity, and adapt instruction to meet individual needs. Whether you’re just beginning or looking to deepen your practice, Explore offers practical strategies for every educator.

Start exploring today

CFA Helps Advance Conversation on Education Solutions

CFA Senior Director of Education Peter Boyle joins an expert panel on “Education in a Changing State” as part of the statewide town hall.

CFA was proud to support Inside the Issues: Education Solutions for Arizona — a first-of-its-kind statewide town hall on education produced by the Arizona Media Association and the Arizona Local News Foundation in collaboration with the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. The two-hour program explores the education continuum — early childhood, K–12, and post-secondary — while addressing a rapidly evolving landscape to foster thoughtful, statewide dialogue on this vital issue. Panelists in the discussion included CFA Senior Director of Education Peter Boyle, and many collaborators and leaders across the state. The event is being broadcast in partnership with media brands statewide this week, ensuring these critical conversations reach communities across Arizona.

Watch the program

New Op-Ed: Arizonans Have More in Common Than We Realize

In a new op-ed, Dr. Sybil Francis, CFA Chair, President & CEO shares, “The truth about Arizonans is far more hopeful: years of extensive research and community listening show that we agree on much more than we may realize.”

From Daily Independent

Dr. Amanda Burke Named Woman Achiever

The Arizona Capitol Times named the 2025 Women Achievers of Arizona and Dr. Amanda Burke, CFA Executive Vice President, was recognized for her visionary leadership and impact in expanding opportunities that improve quality of life for all Arizonans.

From Arizona Capitol Times

This Arizona Group Could Be Model for Civil Debate

Alongside Carlos Alfaro of Arizona Talks, Dr. Sybil Francis, CFA Chair, President & CEO, shares how the state can improve civil discourse, "starting from a belief that we're divided, when ’we actually agree much more than we disagree,’ only makes problem-solving harder.”

From AZ Central

CFA’s Voter Ed Series in Partnership with Arizona PBS Nominated for Rocky Mountain Emmy

Two episodes of CFA and Arizona PBS’ “Voter Ed,” a digital-first civics series designed to educate voters on elections fundamentals, were nominated for a 2025 Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmy^®. Winners are announced in November.

From Arizona PBS

Ensuring All Middle Schoolers Are Well Positioned for Future Success

Arizona is spotlighted for its efforts to expand career exploration through the Career Exploration Impact and Learning Network, with CFA serving as a key partner, alongside initiatives in other states.

From Forbes

KaRa Lyn Thrasher Joins Arizona Town Hall Board

KaRa Lyn Thrasher, CFA Civic Health Project Manager, joins Arizona Town Hall’s board bringing valuable experience and a strong voice for collaboration to a longstanding partner dedicated to shaping Arizona’s future.

From Arizona Town Hall