Tempe's Rosa Inchausti is finalist for major leadership award

Tempe, Arizona: Tempe City Manager Rosa Inchausti is a finalist for a 2024 ATHENA award. The ATHENA Awards highlight women who have achieved the pinnacle of success within their industry.

Each year, the Greater Phoenix Chamber’s ATHENA Awards honor women who demonstrate inspiring leadership, mentor people throughout their careers and act as dedicated community servants. This is the 37th year for these awards. Winners will be announced at the October 24 ceremony.

“Spotlighting the women who are moving the Greater Phoenix area forward through the ATHENA Awards program is one of the Chamber’s proudest traditions,” said Todd Sanders, president & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber. “These women make immeasurable contributions within their companies, their communities, and they are a driving force in making Arizona a top state in the nation.”

Inchausti has served the City of Tempe for 31 years, a time punctuated by many firsts. She was Tempe’s first bilingual marriage and family therapist, Tempe’s first Diversity Director, where she authored the City’s diversity guidelines and worked closely with City Council to pass the state's first city-chartered Anti-Discrimination Ordinance. She was the first Strategic Management Director and implemented the Council Priorities system that ties city budget to prioritized goals and pioneered the use of wastewater science during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is our city's first female city manager.

"I have worked alongside Rosa for many years and have benefited from her professional counsel, her friendship, and her achievements as a public servant. The same can be said for nearly every one of Tempe’s 195,000 residents. Rosa has long been a force – for professionalism, for elevating others, and for good in all its manifestations. She embodies what it means to be an ATHENA," said Tempe Mayor Corey Woods.