PHOENIX (June 18, 2018) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix is pleased to announce the Tepeyac Leadership Initiative (TLI) 2018 Graduate Class. Thirty-four Catholic professionals are graduating June 20 as part of TLI’s first cohort, representing a wide range of fields, including the corporate, nonprofit, education, health, finance, and legal.
TLI is a five-month program, comprised of 20 weekly sessions that bring together professional development and growth in faith.
“TLI fulfils the need felt by many Catholics to find meaning and purpose in their careers and personal lives. It will help professionals from all walks of life to understand better who they are, so that they can discover, through prayerful discernment, God’s mission for their lives,” said the Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix. “It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will place in the hearts of participants a mission of leadership that they will gladly embrace and fulfil through God’s grace.”
According to Bishop Olmsted, “the true call of the laity, the authentic vocation of lay Catholic men and women, is to be ambassadors of Christ in the world, living among everyone else in secular society, while striving for holiness, sanctifying the world.”
In TLI, the Diocese of Phoenix has invited and invested in Catholic professionals to prepare for a mission in leadership — through an encounter with goodness, truth and beauty — in a first-of-a-kind leadership development program. TLI has equipped graduates to build a community in which people can flourish and the common good be advanced.
The members of the TLI 2018 Graduate Class are:
- Roxana Amaton, Chicanos Por La Causa
- Norma Carrillo, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- Ricardo Contreras, Duran Accounting Solutions LLC
- Maria Escarceca, Child and Family Support Services
- Javier Espinoza, Remax New Heights Realty
- Gustavo Estrella, Davidson Belluso, Inc
- Rosa Fligg, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Gloria Guerra, Bilingual Insurance and HR Solutions
- Pedro Gutierrez, Green Path Inc
- Seth Graham, Salt River Police Department
- Angela Heisel, University of Phoenix
- Dulce Hernandez, Catholic Charities Community Services
- Kayla Iuliano, Arizona Department of Health Services
- Alex Julian, Cicero Preparatory Academy
- Micaela Larkin, Arizona Legislature
- Rafael Lavallade, Southwest Key Programs
- Andrew Lishko, May, Potenza, Baran & Gillespie
- Claudia Lopez, Catholic Charities Community Services
- Marisa Lopez, Arizona Public Service
- Andres Martin, Maricopa County Environmental Services
- Bienvenido Morel, YRS New York
- Angelica Perez, Department of Childe Safety
- Nazario Prieto, City of Phoenix
- Juan Ramirez, Escamilla Law Group
- Brian Rosario, Seton Catholic Preparatory
- Adrian Ruiz, Raza Development Fund
- Ryan Scharber, Hooper, Adams & Alexander, PLC
- Scott Scharl, North & Co Real Estate
- Aaron Smith, Arizona State University
- Mari Seaberg, Americare Hospice and Palliative Care
- David Segura, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
- Jonathan Solorzano, Solorzano Law
- David Tello, Raza Development Fund
- Rafael Testai, EventKey Mobile App
The Tepeyac Leadership Initiative makes Catholic leaders for the world. For more information about TLI visit TLIprogram.org.
