Ashley Merida is a dedicated nurse leader and health equity advocate committed to advancing belonging, representation, and culturally responsive care within healthcare systems. As the President of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) Phoenix Chapter, she leads strategic initiatives that address disparities in care, strengthen mentorship pipelines for underrepresented professionals, and amplify Latino voices in policy and healthcare.

In her role as Program Manager for the Office of Belonging at Mayo Clinic Arizona, Ashley drives system-wide efforts to foster inclusive environments for employees, learners, and patients. She supports 12 Mayo Employee Resource Groups (MERGs) and Department Belonging Leaders (DBLs), overseeing programming, leadership development, and innovative community engagement efforts that center cultural humility and psychological safety.

With a background in transplant nursing and a deep commitment to public health, Ashley has spearheaded numerous community-based initiatives focused on oral health, childhood immunizations, and building trust and resilience. Her work bridges clinical excellence with grassroots advocacy, bringing community, culture, and compassion to the forefront of healthcare transformation.

Berenice is the founder and director of Strong Beginnings, LLC, where her dedication to children with special needs shines through her work and community involvement. Her passion began at 18 in the public school system, and her deep roots in Yuma inspired her to address the lack of resources for families of children with Autism. After earning a Bachelors in Elementary and Special Education and dual certification from Northern Arizona University, she pursued a master’s in special education with a focus on Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. She is a QBS Certified Safety-Care trainer providing the skills and competencies necessary for equipping staff with tools to provide safe and effective care with dignity when working with challenging behaviors in clients.

With over 22 years of experience, Berenice has not only provided exceptional ABA therapy but has also actively contributed to her community. She founded the annual Strong Beginnings Walk for Autism in Yuma County in 2019 and has supported local organizations through sponsorships, including Yuma Catholic High School, Dancers Workshop, and Immaculate Conception.

As a mentor and community advocate, Berenice is committed to offering compassionate, child-led support while giving back to the community that shaped her. She is devoted to providing a strong beginning for your child’s growth and success.

Dr. Julio C. Rubio is the proud Principal of Carl Hayden Community High School, where he leads with a deep commitment to equity and access in education. His work centers on creating inclusive systems that ensure every student—regardless of background—can thrive academically and personally.

Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Dr. Rubio immigrated to Arizona at the age of 13. As a former English learner and immigrant student himself, he brings both personal and professional insight to his advocacy for bilingual and multilingual learners. He champions educational programs that celebrate students’ cultural and linguistic assets while guiding them on the path to becoming fully bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural.

Dr. Rubio is also a strong proponent of family and community engagement as a critical strategy for student success. His doctoral dissertation, “Latino Parent Engagement and the Academic Achievement of High School Freshmen in Urban Schools,” underscores the importance of culturally relevant parent engagement initiatives in boosting academic achievement among Latino students. He earned his Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University in 2023.

From 2019 to 2022, Dr. Rubio served as Chair of the Equitable and Inclusive Practices Advisory Council for the Arizona Department of Education, where he helped promote inclusive practices across the state. His work as an educator and advocate has earned him multiple honors, including the Esperanza Latino Teacher Award, recognition as one of the City of Phoenix’s Most Influential People, and a U.S. Congressional commendation from the late Congressman Ed Pastor.

Above all, Dr. Rubio is a devoted husband and proud father of three. His leadership is grounded in both professional purpose and personal passion, as he continues to champion equity, excellence, and empowerment for all students.

Luis is the President and CEO of the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation, one of the largest and longest serving foster care non-profits in Arizona. Before assuming non-profit leadership in 2022, Luis was a transfer pricing economist and later, a human capital strategist at Deloitte. Other experiences include fellowships at Meta (fka Facebook) in Silicon Valley and in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C. Luis' professional and personal background allows him to have a profound understanding of the intersectionality of the public, private and independent sectors of our society. Born in a one-room adobe home in Chihuahua, Mexico, Luis was brought by his parents to the United States when he was approximately 8 years of age. Today he still bears a scar that reminds him of the journey he undertook with his family across the Arizona-Sonora Desert in search of the American Dream. For Luis, getting a shot at the American Dream meant losing his family-- he entered Arizona’s foster care system as a teenager after years of instability, homelessness, and abandonment. Notwithstanding the economic and familial hardships, Luis became a first-generation high school graduate and would go on to also become a first-generation college student. Today, Luis has two undergraduate business degrees from Arizona State University, where he also authored an award-winning thesis on U.S. Immigration Law. Luis was awarded a Rackham Merit Fellowship by the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, where he earned his master’s in public policy. Recently, Luis was admitted to Harvard and started executive education focused on leading and transforming the social sector. 

Most importantly, Luis is happily married to his better half, Nataly, and his desire to make the world a better place is inspired by his two boys, Mateo (5-years) and Sebastian (2-years).

Father Ernesto Reynoso, JCL, is known as the “Father of Artificial Intelligence in Catholic Elementary Schools.” On October 28, 2020, Fr. Ernesto initiated one of the most ambitious projects for elementary schools in the state of Arizona: implementing A.I. to serve minority students. On September 23, 2023, an $8 million, 10,000-square-foot STREAM building was inaugurated at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glendale.

He understood that global industries increasingly rely on A.I. technology. The United States has long been a pioneer of innovation, and we hope to continue contributing by forming future professionals who carry both faith in God and integrity of life—merging A.I. with Ethics. Our long-term goal is to help our students secure future employment, develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and support the mission and vision of the school: to form students through integral education. This is a shared vision between our pastor and principal—that our students become men and women of integrity and be considered by their character who work for the common good and leave the world better through emergent breakthrough technologies.

In our hands, we hold future minority leaders—individuals who will tackle the scarcity of water in arid regions, predict the spread of viral diseases, clean the oceans, and revolutionize food distribution.

Rooted in the pursuit of truth through theology, technology, and philosophy, Fr. Ernesto earned a Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media from The University of Texas at El Paso. His academic journey continued at the seminary, where he obtained dual master’s degrees in philosophy and divinity—building a unique bridge between intellectual inquiry and spiritual formation. His commitment to community uplift through high-tech and education reflects the heart of Latino resilience: grounded in faith and powered by knowledge and opportunity.

Before entering the priesthood, he cultivated a distinguished career in Information Technology. In 1998, he joined Motorola’s Semiconductor Products Sector in Tempe, Arizona, serving as IT Software Engineer III and Intranet Development Lead within the Enterprise Architecture and Tools Division. His technical leadership earned recognition across Motorola’s global operations, embodying the spirit of innovation and professional excellence that Latinos have long contributed to the corporate world.

His work in IT gained international acclaim, with projects featured by institutions including the Smithsonian Institute, the University of London, the Netherlands' Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Geographic Society, The New York Times, and Stanford University. He was invited to speak at major conferences, including the White House/U.S. Department of Commerce, NASA’s Network Resources Training Site, Michigan State University, and the American Association of Higher Education—offering a voice that represented not only technological advancement but the rich creativity of Latino culture.

He pursued advanced studies in Canon Law at The Catholic University of America, earning the Juris Canonici Licentiatus in 2011. Upon returning, he was appointed by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted as Adjutant Judicial Vicar and Ecclesiastical Judge for the Diocese of Phoenix. His expertise in ecclesial law is widely respected, evidenced by national and international speaking engagements, including his presentation on “The Phoenix Tribunal Experience” at the 2018 Annual Convention of the Canon Law Society of America.

With 18 years of priestly ministry advocating for Latino Catholics, his pastoral responsibilities have been far-reaching, including leadership roles in the Priest Placement Board, Presbyteral Council, College of Consultors, Priest Assurance Association Board, the Diocesan Ethics Board Ad Hoc, and as Censor Librorum ad casum. At the Kino Catechetical Institute, he guided Hispanic adult learners through courses in Canon Law, Christology, and Moral Theology. Recognized with the “Chaplain of the Year” award by the Arizona Knights of Columbus State Council in 2009, he continues to serve as chaplain for both EnFamilia Radio and the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (CALL)—radiating pastoral care that blends joy, justice, and cultural heritage.

His media presence spans continents, hosting programs on EWTN EnEspañol such as Dos Padres Bien Padres and on the Global Radio Network with Desde la Parroquia. These platforms allow him to reach thousands, offering faith-filled content rooted in Latino warmth, family bonds, and spiritual depth. Whether through media or personal ministry, his presence carries an enduring message: our cultural identity is not a limitation, but a profound gift from God to the world.

He believes deeply that Latinos are a blessing to our country—promoting faith, family values, friendship, fiestas, and fabulous innovative ideas; values and skills that are so needed in our nation.

Valentina is a native of Boston and the daughter of Colombian parents. After graduating from Berkeley Law in 2014, Valentina joined the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, where she participated in a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections for inadequate medical care, mental healthcare, and noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Following that, Valentina became an Assistant Public Defender in Birmingham, Alabama where she represented clients in specialty courts and in jury trials. She then joined The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Arizona, where she provided direct representation to people deemed unable to represent themselves in immigration removal proceedings under Franco-Gonzalez v. Holder. Valentina has been the Executive Director of ALWAYS since June 2021.

The concept for WFSA began in 1991 when two Tucson women, tired of philanthropy’s failure to address the economic challenges facing women, decided to take matters into their own hands.

With $20,000, the women launched their idea for a women’s scholarship fund in Tucson, recognizing that women faced a myriad of economic challenges, high rates of poverty, and systemic barriers to self-sufficiency and opportunity – and, that philanthropy was failing to address any of these issues. It quickly became apparent that the need was greater than anyone could have imagined, so in 1992, the founders officially established the Southern Arizona Women’s Fund at the Tucson Community Foundation.

The fund evolved into the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona and was officially incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in 1999.

For over 20 years, WFSA was sustained by passionate and dedicated volunteers, board members, and typically only one or two staff members at a time. As the foundation grew, the organization evolved, with four key pillars guiding the vision of WFSA: research, grantmaking, advocacy, and leadership development. 

As the team grew, so did the impact. Award-winning programs like Unidas grew over the years, and new leadership development programs were created. WFSA grantmaking steadily increased, with more than $30M awarded to over 600 organizations to date. WFSA research helped inform people across the state, and the growing focus on advocacy led to WFSA advising the Executive Office and passing legislation that can help hundreds of thousands of Arizonans.

In 2021, as WFSA celebrated 30 years of impact, we could not ignore what was becoming increasingly apparent: after watching the pandemic destroy decades of momentum for women, it is essential that we scale our work to impact women and girls across Arizona. With a team that had grown to 13 under the leadership of CEO Dr. Amalia Luxardo, WFSA announced in 

October 2021 that we were expanding our scope to include the whole entire state, changing our name to The Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona. WFSA’s first statewide grant, the Women & Girls of Color Fund, was launched that same year and was Arizona’s first grant specifically designed to support organizations led by and serving women of color.

We are proud of our Southern Arizona roots and will continue to invest in the region as we build relationships with other Arizona communities. While our geography has expanded and our brand has evolved, our commitment to gender equity remains.

Today, WFSA is as determined as ever to ensure women and girls of all identities in Arizona have the opportunity to thrive.