Be A Leader Foundation

Over the past several years, Be A Leader has intentionally invested in strengthening our advancement efforts to support our mission, deepen community partnerships, and build long-term sustainability for the organization. As part of that ongoing evolution, we are pleased to announce several team updates that will help further strengthen our fundraising, communications, donor engagement, and partnership development efforts.

We are excited to share that Marissa Martin, CFRE has assumed the role of Chief Advancement Officer. Since joining Be A Leader, Marissa has played a key role in strengthening our advancement operations, donor stewardship practices, strategic partnerships, fundraising initiatives, and organizational communications. In her new role, Marissa will lead the organization’s advancement strategy and work closely with our President & CEO, our Board of Directors, donors, partners, and community stakeholders to further advance our mission and support the next chapter of growth for Be A Leader.

We are also pleased to share that Sharon Irwin-Foulon will remain part of the Be A Leader family. After three years of service as our Chief Advancement Officer, Sharon will continue supporting the organization as an Independent Consultant. We are deeply grateful for her contributions and look forward to continuing our partnership.

As part of our commitment to developing future leaders within the organization, we are also pleased to share that Alejandro Manriquez has transitioned from our program team into the role of Advancement Associate. In this new position, Alejandro will support donor engagement activities, fundraising operations, event coordination, stewardship efforts, and other advancement functions that help strengthen our relationships with supporters and partners. His transition reflects our continued investment in building the internal capacity needed to sustain and grow our impact.

Together, these updates represent an exciting step forward for Be A Leader. As we continue to serve thousands of students across Arizona, we remain committed to strengthening the relationships, partnerships, and philanthropic support that make our work possible.

This past Saturday, we welcomed 105 rising high school seniors into our Senior Boot Camp Program as part of the Class of 2027! 🎓✨

During orientation, our leaders had the opportunity to meet one another and begin building connections through a game of “Find the Leader Bingo.” They also heard from former SBC alumni who shared their experiences and advice, and took time to reflect on and strengthen their personal college “why.”

Over the next several weeks, this cohort will begin building their college lists, researching schools, getting a head start on the Common App, applying to fly-in programs, drafting personal statements and essays, and preparing for ACT/SAT retakes.

We can’t wait to see all they accomplish throughout this journey. The future is bright for the Class of 2027! 💙💛

Over the past few weeks, we celebrated our incredible students and their commitment across all of our programs at our End-of-Year Celebrations:

🚀 Middle School Celebration – Cheers to our Rising Leaders in 7th and 8th grade who showed up on Saturdays to grow their leadership and college-going mindset. Your journey is just getting started!

🎓 High School Celebration (Grades 9–12) – We recognized our active Be A Leader Club members, College Bound Leaders workshop attendees, and Senior Boot Camp members. A special shoutout to our Legacy Leaders—students who’ve been with us all four years of high school!

🌟 Scholars Banquet – We proudly awarded our high school seniors with their Senior Boot Camp scholarships as they take their next steps toward college! Our college students in the College Success Program renewed their scholarships, and two select students received additional recognition as March Madness scholars.

As we close out another incredible school year, we’re celebrating all that our students have achieved. We are so proud of their growth, perseverance, and leadership throughout the year. Here’s to all they’ve accomplished and all that’s ahead! 💙💛

Our 2025 Annual Report is here!

This year, Be A Leader supported 14,745 students across 91 schools and 21 districts throughout Arizona — helping students access, navigate, and succeed in college.

Thank you to our students, families, schools, donors, and community partners for making this impact possible.

🔗 Read the full report at the link in our bio.

We’re honored to share that Helios Education Foundation has awarded Be A Leader Foundation a transformative three-year investment to launch the ASPIRE8 Initiative!

ASPIRE8 will help Arizona students build college awareness, confidence, and pathways to postsecondary success starting in 8th grade through collaboration with students, families, and schools!

The April 15 tax deadline is almost here.

When you donate to Be A Leader Foundation (QCO Code: 20849), you can receive your full donation back as an Arizona tax credit (up to $495 single / $987 married).

Plus, donations made through Executive Council Charities are eligible for a 25% match.

Your support helps provide college access, advising, and resources to students across Arizona at no cost.
Make your impact before the deadline:
bit.ly/BALFTAX26

✨ Meet the Speakers: Mini Career Roundtable ✨

Join us this Saturday, April 11th, as we explore the worlds of engineering, marketing, business & human resources at our College Bound Leaders and Senior Boot Camp workshops!

Hear directly from two inspiring professionals:
🔹 Usbaldo - Hosting and Technical Engineering Manager at Edupoint Educational Systems
🔹 Angelina - Client Success Manager at V Digital Services

They’ll share:
✅ Their paths into their careers
✅ The challenges they’ve faced and lessons learned
✅ Advice for future leaders interested in engineering and marketing

Don’t miss this chance to connect, ask questions, and get inspired! Register now! Link in bio 🔗

Today is AZ Gives Day! Support Be A Leader and help Arizona students access college opportunities.

As an Arizona Gives-approved nonprofit (QCO Code: 20849), your donation may also qualify for the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit. With the April 15 deadline approaching, now is the perfect time to give.

Donate today: https://www.azgives.org/organization/bealeader/