CFA Celebrates Women’s History Month

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we want to highlight the inspiring women leaders that we have collaborated with to enhance education and career paths nationwide. These women are courageously driving change, expanding access to opportunity, and boosting economic mobility within their communities. Their remarkable journeys remind us of the power of collective action in creating solutions that support individuals from cradle to career. Read more about their work below.

Catherine Armstrong – The Textile Innovation Engine of North Carolina
Catherine has played a key role in strengthening North Carolina’s textile innovation ecosystem by leading the development of a new, industry-aligned Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum for the state. Her work brings together education and industry partners to ensure students gain the technical knowledge and applied skills needed in modern textile manufacturing. Through this effort, she is helping build a stronger talent pipeline for one of the state’s most important and evolving sectors.

Lacy McManus – FUEL (Future Use of Energy in Louisiana)
Lacy is leading efforts through FUEL to expand high school students’ access to high-quality work-based learning and industry-valued credentials in the energy sector across Louisiana. She is working closely with schools, employers, and state partners to align career pathways with workforce demand, ensuring students graduate with both academic preparation and tangible workforce assets. Her leadership is helping create clearer, more equitable on-ramps to high-wage, high-demand careers, by connecting classroom learning to real-world opportunity.

Suzy Diaz – Yakima Valley Partners for Education (YVPE)
Suzy is driving YVPE’s efforts to improve educational outcomes for all youth in Yakima Valley, Washington, from cradle to career. She partners with local K–12 systems, postsecondary institutions, and community-based organizations to ensure students and their families have the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to progress through K–12 and successfully advance to and through postsecondary education and careers. Her work is helping build a more connected education pipeline, increasing educational attainment and opportunity across communities in Yakima Valley.

Allyson DenBeste – Nebraska Department of Education
Allyson DenBeste is an accomplished educator and administrator serving as Academic Officer overseeing Content Area Standards and Instruction for the Nebraska Department of Education. CFA partnered closely with Allyson and the team she led to apply for and implement Nebraska’s first-ever Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) award. Through this collaboration, NDE secured $55 million to advance statewide literacy, aligning high-quality instructional materials, educator training, and resources to improve outcomes for more than 230,000 students. Her leadership is helping drive a bold, systemwide vision for literacy across Nebraska.

Katherine Tarca – Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Katherine Tarca is an experienced district- and network-level academic leader with deep expertise in K–8 literacy and a passion for curriculum and instruction. CFA partnered with Katherine to successfully secure a $38 million 2025 CLSD grant, positioning Massachusetts DESE to reach 34,000 students through coordinated, high-impact literacy initiatives. Katherine also helped lead the successful application for a $10 million Education Innovation and Research grant, expanding access to multi-year, high-quality tutoring for 2,430 additional students beginning in first grade.

Dr. Stacey Moore – Carolinas Engine for Grid Modernization
As President of York Technical College, Stacey is spearheading the workforce strategy for the Carolinas Engine for Grid Modernization, a regional effort to strengthen grid resilience and grow advanced energy manufacturing across North and South Carolina. She is mobilizing a cross-sector coalition of technical colleges, universities, employers, and workforce partners to build responsive training programs aligned to rapidly evolving industry needs. Through expanded apprenticeships, stackable credential pathways, and targeted outreach in priority communities, her leadership is accelerating access to in-demand careers while ensuring employers have the skilled talent needed to power grid innovation.

Archie Stewart – City of Birmingham Recompete Initiative
Archie Stewart is driving the delivery of a $20M investment from the EDA as Reinvest Plan Officer of the Reinvest Birmingham Project: a people-centered strategy to expand access to economic opportunity across the City. With nearly a decade of experience in workforce development, Archie brings a strong ability to turn strategy into action, working across government, education, and workforce systems to align partners around a shared vision. Her work focuses on ensuring that Birmingham’s Recompete investment delivers real results for residents—especially in four communities that have faced historical underinvestment—by building clearer, more connected pathways to quality jobs. Through her leadership, Archie is helping reimagine how systems can work together to create lasting, equitable economic mobility.

We are proud to work alongside these trailblazing leaders.