Piper Fellow:
Jessyca Leach

Leach has been involved with the Southwest Center since 2018, when she began serving on its Board of Directors and was hired as its Chief Financial Officer in July 2020. Before Leach’s role as the Southwest Center’s Chief Financial Officer, she was the Chief Financial Officer for Downtown Phoenix Inc., where she oversaw financial reporting, cash management, and daily operations of the accounting department, and integrated deep analytics and data-driven decision-making into all business functions. Leach has also served in accounting roles at the Phoenix Zoo, Imagine Schools, and Honeywell Aerospace. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in accounting and finance.

Leach will be attending the Harvard Women’s Leadership Forum in March 2023. While in Boston, she will meet and tour with staff from the Fenway Institute, a healthcare clinic that provides services and support for the LGBTQ+ community and individuals living with or at risk of contracting HIV. The Fenway Institute is a leader in LGBTQ+ healthcare and Leach will bring back best practices learned to the Southwest Center. She will also attend the Lantern Consciousness Leadership Retreat in Utah where the training will be informed by a 360˚ review and customized to align with Leach’s leadership goals

Throughout the year, she will work with an executive coach to provide support on opportunities identified in Leach’s 2022 annual review.