Valle del Sol announces the appointment of Terri Leon as interim Chief Executive Officer effective January 17, 2023. Leon succeeds Carmen Heredia, who has announced her resignation to become Director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). Heredia will remain with the organization through January 20, 2023, to ensure a smooth transition.

Ms. Leon has worked in the education, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors for over 30 years and is currently providing consulting support to non-profit organizations. Previously, Leon served as Senior Program Officer at the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, in leadership roles at Friendly House, and in educational institutions where she was dedicated to strengthening student achievement and parent engagement. She is the recipient of multiple awards such as the Pete C. Garcia Victoria Foundation Educational Diversity Award, the Profiles of Success Raul Yzaguirre Community Leadership Award, and the Cox Communications Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award.

Linda Padilla McPhaul, Valle del Sol Board of Directors Acting Chairwoman, commented:

“We are proud to see Carmen’s experience, leadership, and passion for our community recognized by her appointment to the Governor’s Cabinet as Director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. This appointment also recognizes the long history Valle del Sol has of developing top talent both, internally, and through Valle’s Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI), of which Carmen is an alumna. In Terri, we are fortunate to have found a unique intersection between someone who knows Valle’s mission and operations well, someone who has an existing and significantly positive relationship with Carmen [Heredia], and someone who is a seasoned Executive with experience in these situations.”

About Valle del Sol

Valle del Sol was founded in 1970 to fill a gap in behavioral health and social services available to the Latino community and underserved populations with nowhere else to turn. While Valle del Sol serves all communities, providing services that are culturally appropriate remains essential. For more than 50 years, Valle del Sol has led the way in behavioral health, human services, and leadership development by assisting thousands of men, women, children, families, and the elderly through counseling, substance abuse treatment, support services, and leadership development programs.

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