A life of service and breaking glass ceilings; Meet Anna María Chávez

PHOENIX — For Anna María Chávez, CEO and president of the Arizona Community Foundation, her life of service began during her childhood.

“Volunteering was a mandate. In other words, I don’t even think we talked about it. I don’t think global volunteering came out. It was just an assumption. That’s what you did either after the school, and normally every Saturday and every day on Sunday after church we would do something in the community,” Chávez told ABC15 in a sit-down interview.

She grew up in Eloy where her parents were very involved in the community.

“My parents were just calm, wise and neutral. Their kitchen table, I said, is Switzerland. You know, they knew that whatever problem arose in our community, my parents had the means to bring all parties to the table to have a thoughtful conversation and find a solution,” Chávez explained.

This foundation fueled his desire to help others. It was also fueled by her abuela who built her self-confidence.

“My grandmother was always there and told me, ‘Anna María, anything is possible. It just takes a lot of work. It takes courage and perseverance. Don’t let anyone give you titles or, you know, put barriers in your way,’” Chávez said.

Anna María’s determination and drive led her to attend Yale University.

After law school, she went to work in Washington, D.C., during the Clinton administration, serving as a policy advisor to the Secretary of Transportation and the Small Business Administration.

However, when the opportunity to return home finally presented itself, she couldn’t pass it up.

“After Washington, I was called back to Arizona by Republican Governor Jane Hull. She was looking for in-house counsel and a procurement director for her largest state agency,” Chávez recalled.

This later led her to work for Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano. But perhaps her greatest calling was to become the first woman of color to lead the Girl Scouts of America.

“At the time, Girl Scouts were in 94 countries around the world, and I was able to go from China to Germany, everywhere to talk about the importance of investing in children and how, no matter where they start and what zip code they live in that they are worth that investment,” Chávez said.

In 2016, she was recognized as one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine.

“I was stunned. I was upset. I was in disbelief. I was like, Why me? And then I sat down and I was like, I was grateful that they recognized someone who had dedicated his career in public service,” Chávez said.

This commitment to public service continues today, where Anna María oversees Arizona’s largest nonprofit organization.

“Sometimes people say we’re the best kept secret, because we’re a humble brand. We like to be behind the scenes. Because for us, our customer is the donor. The customer is that nonprofit that has an endowment here that we help them grow so that nonprofits can continue to serve generations of Arizonans,” Chávez explained.

This is a personal leadership mission born from decades of breaking glass ceilings.

When asked how important it was to pave the way and leave a path for others, Chávez responded: “It’s so, so important. I say, you know, I always had to be the first in a lot of my roles, and so my goal is not just to start, I literally get something and hold the door behind me, and I’ve done that in every role I’ve had.”

To learn more about Anna María Chávez and the Arizona Community Foundation, visit their website.