- Resources
- Programs
- Flinn-Brown Fellowship
- CivEx
- Arizona Leaders on Board
- Leadership Collaborative
- Strong Foundations: Principles of Preparedness for Civic Leadership Workshop
- Arizona Civic Life Partnership
- Flinn Young Leaders
Arizona Center for Civic Leadership
Enhancing civic life in Arizona through education, engagement, and leadership programs.
The Center’s cornerstone initiative which includes participation in the Flinn-Brown Academy and Flinn-Brown Network.
Meet the nearly 500 Fellows who make up the Flinn-Brown Network through this searchable directory.
Join us for online public policy seminars emphasizing learning and discussion.
A partnership to measure Arizona's progress on civic participation and connected communities—and act.
A statewide resource for organizations strengthening civic leadership by working together on common priorities.
A program helping teens build necessary skills and knowledge as they imagine unique paths to civic responsibility.
Connect with Arizona Center for Civic Leadership: Stay up to date. Join our email list.
The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership
The nonpartisan Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation enhances civic life in Arizona through civic education, engagement, and leadership-development programs. Flinn Young Leaders emphasizes civic learning and skill-building and helps teens imagine paths to making a difference. CivEx delivers educational programming for the public to become better-informed on Arizona policy and political topics. The Civic Leadership Collaborative and the Arizona Civic Life Partnership convene organizations that strengthen civic participation and connected communities. The Center’s cornerstone, the prestigious Flinn-Brown Fellowship, is an immersive experience for community leaders from diverse backgrounds. Fellows engage in rich discussions with policymakers and political experts; join a robust professional network; and gain understanding of how to address Arizona’s most pressing issues through public service.
Arizona Center for Civic Leadership celebrates 15 years
In 2026, the Flinn Foundation marks the 15th anniversary of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership as an important moment for us to reflect on how the Center began and how its work has evolved over time.
Over time, the Center has grown beyond its original focus on preparing state-level leaders. Under the leadership of Flinn Foundation President and CEO Tammy McLeod, Ph.D. and Flinn Foundation Vice President, Civic Leadership Dawn Wallace, the Center has continued to evolve, embracing a more expansive understanding of civic leadership that begins with education, deepens through experience, and is sustained through connection, dialogue, and long-term engagement within Arizona’s civic life. [Read more]
Flinn-Brown Fellow Annette Zinky helps lead bio company
Annette Zinky since 2017 has served as chief operating officer of TheraSpecs, an e-commerce company with specially tinted glasses for people with different kinds of light sensitivity and a past Flinn Foundation Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program participant. She also spent more than a decade in higher education, including serving as the director at the Small Business Development Center at Coconino Community College in Flagstaff, where she supported startups, business expansion, and local economic development.
She credits the Flinn-Brown Network for keeping Fellows engaged and informed, describing it as a community of thoughtful, motivated leaders whose expertise she trusts. She also values the opportunities within the Network for connection and dialogue, not for agreement, but to deepen understanding. [Read more]
Flinn-Brown Award recipients honored at annual Convention
Five Flinn-Brown Fellows were granted awards at the 2025 Flinn-Brown Convention at On Jackson in Phoenix: The Honorable Christine Thompson (Jack Jewett Award); Katelyn Harris Lange (Network Builder Award); The Honorable Janet Regner (Arizona Champion, Northern Arizona); Erin Carr-Jordan, Ph.D. (Arizona Champion, Central Arizona); and Charlinda Haudley, Ph.D. (Arizona Champion, Southern Arizona).
The 2025 Convention theme, Transformational Leadership: Catalyzing Change Together, emphasized shared responsibility, collective problem-solving, and the importance of engaging deeply with others.
[Read more]
Fellow and teacher Juan Francisco Padrés committed to his community
Born and raised in Nogales, Mexico, Juan Francisco Padrés crossed the border daily to attend school in the United States, a routine that shaped his perspective on opportunity and resilience.
Today, Padrés teaches sixth-grade world history at BASIS Tucson North. His journey to the classroom, however, was anything but linear. Over two decades, Padrés built a career that spanned entrepreneurship, finance, public service, and technology, each chapter marked by adaptability and commitment to serve his community. As he shapes young minds, Padrés continues to dream big. “All I can do right now is give my time as a teacher. If I can change a few lives or influence a few kids to continue their path, then that’s what I see as putting my little pebble into the community for now.” [Read more]
News and Updates
Civic Leadership
Flinn-Brown Fellow Barbara Lang
Barbara “Barb” Lang has called Arizona home for more than three decades. She has lived in Phoenix and Gilbert and now resides in Sierra Vista with her husband, Marc, and their four dogs.
Throughout her career, Barb’s focus has remained firmly rooted in human services. She began her professional journey in Arizona as a probation officer managing a gang caseload, eventually advancing to a treatment unit supervisor. During this time, she contributed to legislative workgroups and testified before both the House and Senate on issues including foster care, victims’ rights, and the supervision of juveniles adjudicated for sexual misconduct. Her work with youth who had lost their way laid the foundation for her commitment to tackling complex social challenges and improving the lives of those she serves.
Civic Leadership
April 2026 Network News
One of the greatest strengths of the Flinn-Brown Fellowship is its ability to bring together leaders from across Arizona who are committed to thoughtful, solutions-driven public service. Senate Bill 1211 is a meaningful example of what can happen when that commitment is put into action.
Civic Leadership
Flinn-Brown Fellow Deanna Villanueva-Saucedo, Ed.D.
Deanna Villanueva-Saucedo, Ed.D., is a proud Arizona native, born and raised in Mesa and still deeply rooted in the community she calls home. Her commitment to service began early. Her father, also a Mesa native, grew up working alongside his own father on a ranch and instilled in her a deep respect for education, hard work, and the responsibility to use one’s voice in service to others. Those values have remained a guiding force throughout her life and career.
Civic Leadership
March 2026 Network News
It’s that time of year again. March Madness is upon us, and like millions of Americans, I filled out my bracket.
I should be transparent: I don’t follow college basketball closely. I couldn’t tell you much about the teams, the players, or the statistics that serious fans use to make their picks. But I fill out a bracket every year anyway. What I love about it has less to do with basketball and more to do with what it does to people — for a few weeks in March, it becomes a shared language. Everyone has a pick. Everyone has an opinion.
For information about Civic Leadership, please contact:
civicleadership@flinn.org or (602) 744-6832
