Forty Under 40: Audrey Zavaleta

Audrey Zavaleta didn’t initially see herself as an executive. Her deep love of offering supportive services to disadvantaged families developed in layers, first in Mexican villages as an Americorps Vista volunteer, then back in Arkansas as she coached parents and caregivers to raise physically and emotionally healthy children.

Zavaleta graduated from the University of Arkansas with a sociology degree. She speaks fluent Spanish.

She initially worked as a parent educator in Carroll County, teaching literacy, child development, healthy eating and behavioral management in homes. She joined Family Network in 2013 as a parent educator, visiting homes of low-income clients who had (or were expecting) newborns, many of them non-English speaking. She helped the organization become nationally accredited by Healthy Families America.

As an introvert who relates well one-on-one, Zavaleta was challenged when the Family Network board asked her to serve as interim executive director. At the same time, they sought a permanent replacement for the agency’s long-serving founder.

By developing the potential in others, Zavaleta learned she’s an unconventional yet strong leader, and the board invited her to stay in 2018.

“Technically, I am leading, but my team is brilliant. And they just need someone who empowers them,” she says. “And it comes easy to be the face of Family Network because I feel strongly in giving families the tools they deserve.”

In 2020, Zavaleta and her team established the Diaper Collective, which serves up to 1,000 clients monthly in Benton, Washington and Madison counties and is part of the National Diaper Bank Network.

Zavaleta is passionate about advocating for area immigrants and all residents who need to catch up as the region experiences growth. She helped her husband open Chia Mexican Store in Fayetteville.