D-backs name 2023 Garcia Award winner

“My foundation of service comes from my faith,” said Anna Maria Chávez, winner to the 2023 Pete Garcia Los D-backs Hispanic Leadership Award. Originally from Eloy, Ariz., Anna Maria has been recognized as a national leader for education, equality and women empowerment.

Anna Maria developed the leadership skills growing up in Eloy that would propel her into a career of public service. Her desire to transform the world through servant leadership led her to Yale University, before pursuing a juris doctorate at the University of Arizona. She held numerous posts in President Bill Clinton's administration, later returning to Arizona to serve then-Gov. Janet Napolitano.

We often hear about standing on the shoulders of giants when it comes to success. In Anna Maria’s case, one of the giants was her grandmother Vicenta Valenzuela, who encouraged Anna to stay positive and build a strong foundation of faith: “My foundation of service comes from my faith. My grandmother started the whole mantra of, in life, making it about serving others, and she influenced me around that.”

Anna wanted to be a lawyer since she was 12, and her grandmother’s influence was what encouraged her to attend Yale. “I was the first kid from Shadow Mountain High to get into an Ivy League school, being accepted to Brown and to Yale. It was a lot of money, right? We couldn't afford it. But my grandmother was so focused on making sure I stay confident and that we got the family resources and to make sure that at least we could pay,” shared Anna. “In the ’80s, there wasn't a lot of Mexican Americans on the East Coast, much less Connecticut.” This put her on a clear path to service and community.

There were other gigantes in her life. Anna says she was fortunate that people in the industry took an interest in her and invested in her, adding that she was very fortunate to have incredible mentors. The first were Jerry Malone and Rodney Slater. Rodney was the first African American lawyer to run the Federal Highway Administration under President Clinton. Jerry was the chief counsel there and took Anna under his wing. “They were great mentors! Then I was mentored by Anita Alvarez, a Puerto Rican woman administrator at the Small Business Administration.”

Anna’s success led to her appointment as the CEO of Girls Scouts of the United States, where she served from 2011-16. “I brought the digital technology innovation and evolution to the Girl Scouts, and I am the CEO that worked with the team to digitize our cookie program.” Anna shared that now you can order Girl Scout cookies online, with that box of Thin Mints delivered straight to your doorstep. “What people don't realize is the Girl Scout cookie program is the largest girl-run business in the world.” Thanks to Anna’s innovation and implementation of the technology, young girls are empowered to succeed in the cookie business across the globe. Anna was named to the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders list by Fortune Magazine, citing her vision and creativity to revitalize the Girl Scouts brand for a new century.

She also served as chief strategy officer and senior vice president of external affairs for the National Council on Aging, where she also implemented modernizing technologies and programs to improve the service to seniors across the country.

Today, Anna Maria Chávez is the president and CEO of the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF), where she has launched a strategic planning process that “will prepare this organization for yet another decade of positive and productive service to the state of Arizona,” she says. “Our role is to be great partners with our donors who give nationally and internationally and ensure we are serving the needs of the nonprofits that we partner with all across the state of Arizona.

“Great partnerships help expand our impact. That is what I focus on, and I wake up every day just focused on our great staff here at the Arizona Community Foundation.”

Anna also shared that her connections to baseball include her son and husband. “My son started playing baseball at a very young age in San Antonio, Texas, and one of their teams won the national Little League championship one year.” Anna’s husband also played baseball in high school and college very well, but he ultimately stopped playing to focus on his business degree.

Anna is a D-backs fan and has attended several games. This season, she hosted a suite with ACF partners. “I'm excited to rekindle my D-backs experience because I've been gone from Arizona since 2009. But of course, as with Arizona, I support the D-backs in a huge way and look for their success.”

Finally, Anna shared what the Pete Garcia leadership award means to her. “I feel Pete continues to be an icon in our community. I remember being a very young attorney seeking his counsel, working with him.” Along with many other leaders, Pete had an influence on Anna. “Born in Arizona, I am very proud of being Latina and obviously proud to be part of our community and very proud to receive a leadership award that that elevates our community.

“It's just an amazing honor and I just feel very humbled; I saw the list of all the recipients, and I mean, it is the who's who of Latino leaders in Arizona who've made a significant positive impact, not only for the Latino community, but for all of our communities.

“It means a lot to me, and especially coming back home. I feel like this is just a big, huge hug from my community. Like, ‘welcome home.’”

Anna was nominated for the Garcia Award by Emilio Gaynor of the Los D-backs Ambassadors Council, who shared the following:

I particularly love Anna’s work due to her dedication and focus on public education and making sure opportunities are equally shared among not only the Latin community, but all disadvantaged youth.

Her leadership at Girl Scouts of America demonstrated that a Hispanic woman can succeed in driving an organization to growth and success while simultaneously empowering thousands of girls.

Finally, my personal experience with Anna has been one of huge satisfaction and admiration. No matter where or when, Anna treats everyone with respect and inclusiveness. Her supportive nature and mentorship has influenced young women not only across the United States but in my own family, and for that, I am eternally grateful.