By Mary Goldmeer
Mail

The Arizona Educational Foundation announced the appointment of Goodyear resident Washington Covena, staff vice president of commercial verticals and strategy at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, to its board of directors.

Covena has been a resident of Goodyear for 10 years and he and his wife Marisol have two children, Denzel and Zoe, who are graduates from the Agua Fria High School District.

“Goodyear brings a great sense of community and the ability to connect with your neighbors in different ways, and the school district here has provided my kids an excellent education,” Covena said.

Covena said he looks forward to engaging with his community to serve them at AEF.

“Part of the work that I do is creating solutions, not in a vacuum, but with the voices of my community,” Covena said. “I want to hear directly from students, parents and teachers, let’s find what they want and see how to get it.”

Covena’s appointment reflects a partnership between AEF and Blue Cross, both of which aim to enhance the quality of life for Arizonans through education and health initiatives.

His first experiences with AEF came through his work with Blue Cross partnering with the same organizations as AEF board member and Education Consultant Eric Rodriguez. Rodriguez introduced Covena to AEF Board President Dr. Pamela Roggeman, who Covena said found synergy within the work they were doing and through a vetting and approval process found him a spot on the board.

“We are overjoyed to welcome Washington Covena and his experience to the AEF Board,” Roggeman said.

“It only made sense to get involved after seeing how much (AEF) aligned with the work I had been doing with Blue Shield,” Covena added.

With more than 25 years of experience in healthcare and business strategy, Covena specializes in integrating processes, marketing and consumer engagement. His background with Blue Cross includes roles in account management, organizational development and learning strategy. Covena involved with the Association for Latino Professionals for America and serves on the board of directors for the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

“(The board member role) will be an enhancement of my responsibilities and provides a great platform to showcase some of the work that both of these organizations do,” Covena said.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is a health insurance provider focused on improving health outcomes for Arizona residents. The organization supports initiatives that promote wellness and health education, contributing to community health efforts. Blue Cross has worked closely with AEF, sponsoring its annual Teacher of the Year program.

AEF is known for its programs, including the Arizona Teacher of the Year, A+ School of Excellence, the Arizona Spelling Bee, TeachSTEM, Our World and the Take Your Legislator to School initiatives. The Arizona Educational Foundation collaborates with teachers, parents, students and staff to improve educational outcomes and promote community engagement.Its programs recognize excellence in teaching and provide resources to enhance student learning, Covena said.

Covena will be working on the TeachSTEM and A+ School of Excellence committees during his two-year term. With working in those committees, Covena said he will get the chance to focus on and advancing AEF’s mission, which has been committed to supporting Arizona’s public education system since its founding in 1983.