It is time to Celebrate Your Wins!

We are excited to have you join us at our meeting featuring empowering female leaders in the community who will be joining us in person. Come and grow your professional development and network at our upcoming meeting (ASU Skysong) and holiday party (Hundred Mile Brewing Co.).

We hope to see you at ASU Skysong for our bi-monthly meeting and following our holiday party at Hundred Mile to network with our members and community partners/leaders and external mentors. Since it is the holiday season, feel free to wear your favorite holiday/ugly sweater!

Event Details:
Monday, December 16th
5:30- 6:45PM PT (Meeting) 7-9PM PT (In person networking)
In-person- ASU Skysong 1475 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257; Building 1 Room 150
Virtual (Zoom): https://teachforamerica.zoom.us/my/veronicaaguilar passcode: veronica

Agenda:

5:30 Welcome & Norms
5:45 Member/Board Member of the Month
5:55 Women Empowerment Speakers
6:40 Exec Reports
6:45 Closing & Next Steps
7:00 Networking

Speakers:

Blanca Esparza

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Blanca Esparza Pap is the Station Manager for Arizona’s Family and an Assistant Vice President with Gray Television. In this role she is charged with leading passionate people in a purpose-driven culture with the goal of continuing the strategic growth of Arizona’s Family on air, online, with clients and in our community. A graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in Journalism, Esparza Pap has primarily worked in the field of community, marketing, public and media relations focusing in the areas of media, high-tech, healthcare, local government, politics and education. Her career has taken her from Arizona to Washington, D.C. working for organizations such as the Intel Corporation, Phoenix Baptist Hospital, City of Phoenix, Bush-Cheney ’04 and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Esparza Pap also worked with the White House as advance staff on various Presidential events. An Arizona native, Esparza Pap has a unique historical perspective watching 3TV and CBS 5 growing up to now helping set the agenda for the station’s strategic growth. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband Jesse and their 17-year-old daughter Izzy exploring the beauty of the Grand Canyon state. Under her leadership Arizona’s Family received the 2024 Emmy for Sports Excellence; Named as one of the “Great 48” class of 2022 by Phoenix Magazine; Member of Arizona State University’s Alumni Association National Council

Heather Lennon

Heather Lennon is founder/CEO of Imagine General Contracting & Development, a minority-owned, full-service design/build firm with a niche in retail spaces, historic building restoration, and adaptive reuse. With over 26 years of expertise, she holds commercial and residential general contracting licenses and a master’s degree focused on retail store design and consumer behavior. She is passionate about “creating things that create jobs”. Lennon also founded and leads Imagine Develops LLC, a real estate development firm, and partners in Arizona Warehouse Holdings with Gold Hat Realty LLC, focusing on downtown Phoenix with the mission to “save Phoenix’s history one old building at a time.” Her passion for cigars led to founding Raconteuse Cigars LLC, a boutique retailer offering elevated cigar experiences, now in their third year of business. One of the purposes of the business is to give back to the community. As a “Cigar Philanthropist,” Lennon has donated cigar experiences raising over $150,000 for charity. Appointed by Mayor Gallego, Lennon is in her second year serving as Chairperson of the Tourism & Hospitality Advisory Board for the city of Phoenix. She sits on the boards of the Black Chamber of Arizona, the ASU Art Museum, and Phoenix Community Alliance. Additionally she sits on an advisory group for Governor Hobbs, to assist in guiding the governors agenda for small business and entrepreneurship in Arizona. Lennon was named a Top 5 finalist for redevelopment project of the year at the 2023 Real Estate Development (RED) Awards, which represents the best of the state's commercial real estate projects. She was also honored to be named a Women of Impact 2023 by Dress for Success Phoenix. Phoenix Community Alliance also awarded Heather the 2023 Center City Newcomer Award for her impact in downtown Phoenix.

Rep. Mariana Sandoval

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Representative Mariana Sandoval has dedicated her career to public service as a paralegal in nonprofit and government sectors. She has worked in legal aid offices in both California and Arizona. She also worked at the Arizona Attorney General's Office for 12 years, representing the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the Arizona Game and Fish Department, where she assisted in the prosecution of air and water polluters and the protection of wildlife. From January 2017 to December 2020, she served on the Agua Fria Union High School District Governing Board and continues as an ex-officio member of the Arizona Latino School Board Association Board. She was first elected to serve in the Arizona State House of Representatives for Legislative District 23 in November 2022. She was re-elected in November of 2024 and has remained in that role since January 2023. With over two decades of public service, Representative Sandoval sees her role in government as a continuation of her public service work. She approaches every situation and every challenge with a desire to help improve lives, K-20 public schools, protect our natural resources, combat climate change and give every Arizonan an opportunity to thrive.

About Young & Empowered Women

Young & Empowered Women is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing professional development, mentorship and networking opportunities to a diverse group of rising female leaders who are passionate about service, career advancement and empowering others. We continually expand our membership to better raise awareness and educate others on women’s rights, empowerment and equity. Learn more at www.yewomen.org.

Y&E December Meeting & Holiday Party 2024

Professional Development | Mentorship | Networking