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.

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

“I simply cannot recommend the program enough to the people I know and to the many I meet,” said Antonio Newman, Explore Class 1 Alumni. “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.”

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,” adds Jen Gastelum, Explore Program Manager. “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.”