A program rooted in Arizona, designed for the women who'll lead it next.
Inspired LeadHER has carried the same mission across three organizational homes for more than a decade. Here's where we came from, where we are now, and who's behind it.
One mission, three homes, more than a decade.
-
2014Founded as “She Leads!” by Catherine Alonzo of Javelina under Arizona Women's Education & Employment (AWEE).
-
2017A New Leaf absorbed AWEE; She Leads! continued for two more years.
-
2019Catherine Alonzo brought the program to Arizona Foundation for Women.
-
2019–2024Program continued under Arizona Foundation for Women.
-
2025Career Connectors became the permanent home. Program renamed to Inspired LeadHER due to national trademark requirements.
-
2026Sixth cohort completes. Planning underway for the 2027 relaunch with an AI-literacy track and expanded employer-sponsorship model.
A decade of momentum. The next chapter starts with you.
Join the 2027 interest listThe people who shape the program.
Linda Luman
Board Sponsor, Career Connectors · Curriculum LeadLinda serves as the Career Connectors Board of Directors Sponsor for Inspired LeadHER. She is a senior HR executive who has built multiple companies and cultures recognized as Best Place to Work and Most Admired Company, with more than two decades of leadership across executive coaching, organizational development, and people strategy.
She designs and leads the six-session leadership arc. In the 2025 cohort, she guided the Growth Mindset and Building Culture modules.
Jessica Pierce
Founder & CEO, Career ConnectorsJessica is the Founder and CEO of Career Connectors, the Arizona nonprofit she launched in 2009 to connect professionals in career transition with hope, training, and employment. Since then, Career Connectors has served more than 80,000 job seekers across Arizona through free events, employer connections, and professional development programming.
Jessica is also a professional speaker and leadership coach through her personal brand, Jessica Pierce Speaks. An Air Force veteran based in Arizona and New Mexico, she has spent her career helping women navigate transitions into leadership, out of burnout, and back into work after pauses.
She relaunched Inspired LeadHER under Career Connectors in 2025 and rebuilt the curriculum around the women who had actually been through it.
Doris Savron
Board Member, Career Connectors · 2027 Graduation KeynoteDoris is a higher-education and leadership executive with more than three decades of experience leading colleges, curriculum, and large-scale organizational change. She serves on the Career Connectors Board of Directors and the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation Board, and co-chairs the UPCEA Council for Credential Innovation.
A first-generation college graduate, Doris is a 2025 Phoenix Business Journal Outstanding Women in Business honoree and a 2025 Top Women Leaders in Arizona honoree. Her work sits at the intersection of higher education, leadership, and the responsible adoption of AI, and she will deliver the 2027 graduation keynote.
Want to learn from this team? Get on the 2027 list.
Join the 2027 interest listThe 2025 graduation, in pictures.
The organizations who make this possible.
Interested in partnering with Inspired LeadHER? Reach out to jessica@careerconnectors.org.