2020 Cohort – Phoenix

I have a passion and enthusiasm for networking with like-minded professionals in the business community, who hold their faith and values as the cornerstone of how they conduct themselves in the public square and lead virtuously. My mission is to assist fellow professionals make meaningful relationships and fruitful connections, through network introductions and referrals. I would like to help fuel the momentum and assist with the Tepeyac Leadership Society and personally strive to serve its mission. I will be a contributing member by bringing ideas for fundraising, community involvement, TLI awareness outreach, networking, etc.

TLI has provided me fortitude for Christ’s mission and a wonderful group of peers. Four pillars that I have a passion for are; leadership development, education, evangelization, and a strong conviction for the sanctity of life. My strength is the ability to build community. My goal is to introduce others to TLI to help them identify their purpose, strengthen their faith, and develop into virtuous leaders to become witnesses to Christ in our communities. As such, my commitment is to support TLI as a presenter, ambassador, alumni and donor for as long as it provides value to the organization.

I am grateful to have joined TLI at this point in my life as a mother, a wife, and a professional. I gained self-knowledge and a focused and re-ignited purpose. As a health care provider that works with the community, I commit to advocating for equitable care for the most vulnerable to chronic diseases. As a TLI graduate, I commit to using the virtues God has given me to empower the people I serve to live healthy lives, as well as those I mentor to uphold human dignity through servant leadership.

Participating in TLI has broadened my vision on what kind of leader I want to become within my profession. The topics taught in the program have shown me what it is to truly be a virtuous leader in today’s society. It has shaped my views on how a leader should set an example by faith. In gratitude for being able to experience this program, I am committed to taking my leadership role more serious than I have in the past. My profession in the medical field will challenge me, as there will be procedures that I will not partake in. I [...]

TLI has provided me with a greater understanding of the virtues and the importance of cultivating them in both the personal and professional life. With the persistent encouragement of St. Teresa of Calcutta, who said that: “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family,” and my desire to make a difference, I am excited to make a commitment to loving my family more intentionally. I will also work to develop virtue, knowledge of the Catholic faith, and my talents and gifts to be able to love and serve my community more authentically wherever life leads me. 

I commit to living a meaningful Catholic life and build and share those values around me through living my vocation and the exercise of the virtues at the workplace. I commit to the use of my charisms through service, as member of these lay apostolates: the Holy Family Institute, the Knights of Columbus and our parish marriage preparation program. I further commit to re-arranging my life activities, simplifying and organizing them, to better serve this purpose, with the help of God’s grace, calling the assistance of the Holy Family. In addition, by truly living the liturgical seasons and good traditions of [...]

In the Catholic Social Teaching session, we learned one of the ways to achieve the common good is by ensuring the social well-being and development of our communities. What I’ve learned during my time in the TLI program has encouraged me to take a closer look at what it means to pursue the common good. I feel called to contribute to this effort by serving the youth in my community. My commitment is to volunteer in a non-profit that provides mentorship programs to our youth population, be able to share my experiences and learn from theirs.

As a state attorney for the Arizona Department of Child Safety, I advocate for the interests of neglected and abused children on a daily basis. From this experience I see the overwhelming need for volunteer foster families. Because Catholic social teaching uniquely positions Catholics to care for the young and disenfranchised, I believe our diocese has the potential to become the gold standard in foster care. My commitment is to coordinate a diocese wide effort to inform Phoenix parishioners of the need for volunteer foster families and to provide parishes with information on how to become a foster family. 

My leadership commitment is to create a supplemental retreat as a capstone to the Exodus 90 program designed for men. The retreat will give participants an understanding of the need to be an active Catholic and what a properly ordered and excellent Catholic life entails. It will be helpful in discerning God’s will for them. This retreat will build on the rigorous formation found in Exodus 90. This will act as a catalyst for Catholic men to begin or continue their call to a virtuous Catholic life. This retreat will also allow me to discern where I will be fulfilling my [...]

Like many immigrant families, mine came to the U.S. looking for better economic opportunities. We have been blessed to have started a successful family business, and at the same time, I have been blessed to have had a great business education from some of the top schools in the country. My leadership commitment as part of the TLI class of 2020 is to serve God by helping other Hispanic businesses achieve their potential by providing business advice and helping them make a better life in this country come true.