Alexis Hermosillo grew up in El Mirage, Arizona, and watched the city evolve alongside her. A fifth-generation resident, she always had a passion for helping her community and dreamed of one day being part of the city’s growth and development. Today, she’s not just helping nurture El Mirage’s future: She’s leading it as the city’s mayor.
Hermosillo is a two-time Sun Devil: She graduated with a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary arts and performance in 2011 before earning a master’s degree in mass communication at the Cronkite School in 2012. The skills she learned at Cronkite coupled with her passion for public service have propelled her political career and her passions: Aside from her mayoral duties, she serves on 11 boards and committees, and the Arizona Diamondbacks recently recognized her with the Los D-Backs Hispanic Council’s Líderes Under 40 award.
Hermosillo shared with us what it’s like to lead El Mirage, and how her Cronkite experience helps her thrive.
Note: The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Question: Serving as mayor of El Mirage seems really busy! How do you manage it?
Hermosillo: It took quite a few years to figure out, but balancing such a demanding schedule does require a blend of strategic planning, a lot of prioritization and self-care. Self-care is a big one for me. Those strategies and maintaining a clear vision of my goals helps me effectively balance my responsibilities while continuing to grow both personally and as a community leader.
Q: Your public service uplifts the Hispanic community, particularly women and children. Why are these populations important to you?
A: I want to see everyone—little kids to older adults, and everyone in between—thrive. It doesn’t matter what demographic background you come from, or what ethnic population you’re a part of.
Sometimes my focus can be the Hispanic population, women or youth because I am very familiar with those sets of groups. I am a woman, and I come from a very matriarchal family where the women really moved our family along. I was partially raised by my great-grandmother; she was my babysitter growing up, so I had a very strong and beautiful role model in her, and a very strong leader within my mother. That played a big role in why I love to focus on women, and helping women develop both personally and professionally.
And the youth are our future. We have to make sure we’re educating and helping to form young people, because they’re eventually going into the real world and making real-life decisions that not only impact themselves, but everyone else.
Q: What does being recognized as Los D-backs Líderes Under 40 mean to you?
A: I’m so honored that the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los D-backs chose to recognize me. This organization works alongside the D-backs to enhance the relationship between the D-backs and the Hispanic community. It’s composed of local Hispanics and minority business professionals, so being recognized by this group that enhances relationships and engages in local Hispanic and minority businesses is really an honor.
Q: How did your time at Cronkite help you to become the leader and person you are today?
A: The Cronkite School builds strong performers. It definitely prepares you for the real world. As a leader, I love approaching situations with an unbiased lens, being ethical, knowing that there is much more than what meets the eye, and researching deeply. There are a lot of things I learned at the Cronkite School that I utilize in my role today.
Q: What Cronkite class or activity challenged you the most?
A: I loved my time at the Cronkite School. It has been one of the best experiences that I’ve had, and it continues to show up in different ways in my career as an official. It was also one of the most challenging experiences, but I think you learn the most from the biggest challenges in your life.
The law and ethics courses really contributed to my skill set. I value understanding the legal frameworks and learning how to come into situations with an open mind.
Q: What advice would you give to the youth in your community (and their parents) who might not be sure college is right for them?
A: I’m a big supporter of higher education, and while I understand everyone’s path is very different, I feel like my higher education experience really contributes to my success.
To the youth in our community: It’s important to remember there are many paths to success, and college is just one of them. Some things that I hope folks consider are exploring their options and looking into vocational schools, apprenticeships and certification programs that provide valuable skills that lead to rewarding careers. Make sure that you find something that’s a good fit for you, but having a hefty toolbox will only benefit you.
For the parents: I would say support and encourage your child’s interests and strengths, help them explore different career paths, and reassure them it’s OK to follow a nontraditional route to success.
Q: What is your “why?”
A: I never saw myself becoming a public figure or elected official, but my heart has always been set on helping people and helping society. I always had ambitions of improving people’s lives and helping people thrive. I only saw that through the avenue of volunteerism and/or nonprofit work. Since the age of 13, I have been volunteering my time and I have given over 20 years of volunteer service.
My parents instilled in me the value of service and helping people, and that was shown when we would see our family in Mexico. My dad is from Nuevo Casa Grandes, Chihuahua, and we would make frequent trips to see relatives. We would always bring whatever we could to help family members thrive. When you do good, you bring others along with you. That grew with me throughout the years.
My “why” goes back to just being a good person, trying to help others be better in life, helping people’s quality of life improve, and making sure other people have more resources and opportunities than they currently have. Helping people realize their dreams and create more opportunities for not only themselves but for their families, is what really drives me.