Anna Maria Chávez keynote speaker

Anna Maria Chávez developed the leadership skills growing up in Eloy, Arizona, that would propel her into a career of public service. Her desire to transform the world through servant leadership led her to Yale University, before pursuing a juris doctorate at the University of Arizona.

She held numerous posts in President Bill Clinton's administration, and later returning to Arizona to serve then-governor Janet Napolitano. Her success led to her appointment as the CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA where she served from 2011-2016. In 2016, Anna was named as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune magazine, cited for her vision and creativity in working to revitalize the Girl Scout brand for a new century.

In April 2017, Chávez joined the National Council on Aging (NCOA), our nation’s oldest advocacy organization dedicated to helping Americans navigate the challenges of aging, as their chief strategy officer and senior vice president of external affairs.  Less than a year later, Chávez was promoted to the leadership role of NCOA's Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer where she led the day-to-day operations of NCOA and the national team in advancing the organization’s mission to improve the health and economic security of 10 million older adults by 2020. She was ultimately appointed to serve as NCOA’s Interim President and Chief Executive Officer. On June 1, 2020, Chávez became the Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and served as an ex-officio director on its Board of Directors.

In 2021, Chávez was appointed as the inaugural Chief Impact Officer of Encantos and President of Encantos.org. FORBES magazine named Chávez one of the 50 over 50 women leaders in June 2021 for her leadership in public education.