LEADing San Diego

Theresa Cunningham, Vice President of People, Culture & Purpose at the San Diego Tourism Authority and a LEAD Advance 2023 graduate, shares how connection, resilience, and purpose have shaped her leadership journey. In this episode, Theresa reflects on what it means to lead as a mom, show up with openness, and move through hard seasons with the belief that sometimes “there’s no way but through...

Jordan Harrison and J.Cole trace a shared leadership through-line from student government to civic engagement in San Diego. Jordan, an Impact 2020 graduate and LEAD board member, shares his mission to build environments where people can thrive, from classrooms to boardrooms, and how LEAD helped him go farther by finding community, connection, and togetherness. J.Cole, a Public Leadership Institute...

Executive leadership coach Amanda Flisher and two-time LEAD alum Lucy Romero explore why so many women struggle to see their own strengths and what changes when women stop competing for “one seat” and start extending the table. Lucy shares how Advance was the first space where she felt safe to be vulnerable and truly supported by other women and describes the lightbulb moment that shifted everythi...

Jay Henslee reflects on moving from a small Northern California town to San Diego and finding his voice professionally and personally. A LEAD Impact 2017 alum, Jay shares how the program expanded his understanding of the region and connected him to a lifelong civic network. In this conversation, Jay goes deeper on what leadership means to him: creating environments where people can perform their b...

Kristen Diggs shares how moving to San Diego and joining LEAD Advance helped her find community, deepen her leadership, and build a network rooted in real support. She tells the story of taking a leap early in her career, going for an HR role at an organization that had never had HR before, and becoming the first HR hire in its history, and why she now passes that lesson on to the people she mento...

Author and CEO Jamie Moraga shares how growing up in a Navy family shaped her resilience and drive and how LEAD San Diego was a goal she chased for years. In this episode, Jamie reflects on the perspective shift of Impact 2011, building and scaling companies in the defense space, and leading a fast-paced acquisition. She also opens up about the mindset work behind her success: becoming more reflec...

Tana Lorah, Chief Operating Officer for Snake Oil Cocktail Company, reflects on a leadership path shaped by service, curiosity, and bold career pivots. A three-time LEAD San Diego alum (EMBARK, Impact, Influence), Tana shares why LEAD feels like family, what cross-sector executive leadership looks like in San Diego, and how she brings service leadership into every room she enters.