ATHENAs demonstrate inspiring leadership within their industry, mentor women throughout their career, and dedicate themselves to the community . Thank you to all ATHENA nominees, finalists, and to our recipients for your dedication to the Valley! Congratulations to the 2025 ATHENA Awards Recipients! Brandie Reiner 2025 ATHENA Young Professional Award Recipient Elvy Barton 2025 ATHENA Public Sector Award Recipient Grenee Martacho 2025 ATHENA Private Sector Award Recipient

FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 63 Leadership Every impactful mission is born from a deep, undeniable truth. For Gervonni Sherrodd Leggett, that truth came from her own struggle as a working mother earning just enough to be denied assistance, yet not enough to provide her family with security. This experience of falling into the often invisible “gap” — being too rich for help, but too poor for stability — became the impetus for her life’s work. Origin The seeds of Gervonni Cares were rooted in personal hardship. Leggett knew the pain of working multiple jobs, of being denied essential aid for food and childcare, and the indignity of having to “lower myself just to access services that should have met me where I was.” The pain turned to purpose in 2015, after Leggett’s son, Vonnae, was killed in Milwaukee. When she relocated to Arizona and saw the same broken systems leaving hardworking families vulnerable, Leggett made a vow. She committed to building a nonprofit that operates LEADERSHIP Gervonni Sherrodd Leggett Founder CHARITY SPOTLIGHT ORGANIZATION ANNUAL BUDGET Gervonni Cares $434,000 Dignity in the Gap Gervonni Cares meets families where they are. After witnessing the struggles of the “working poor” firsthand, Gervonni Sherrodd Leggett ( right ) founded Gervonni Cares to provide a safety net for those caught in the middle.