Superior Leadership Celebrated Through Project CENTRL

Superior’s commitment to rural leadership was recognized on a statewide stage this June as Mayor Mila Besich received the 2026 Rural Hero Award and Manny Guzman was welcomed into Project CENTRL Class 35.

Pictured from left: Mike Montiel, Project CENTRL Class 34; Superior Mayor Mila Besich, 2026 Rural Hero Award recipient; and Manny Guzman, Project CENTRL Class 35.

Presented by Project CENTRL through the Arizona Center for Rural Leadership, the Rural Hero Award recognizes individuals outside the program who embody its spirit of service, collaboration and commitment to rural communities.

Mayor Besich was honored for a decade of leadership and advocacy on behalf of Superior and rural Arizona. A fifth-generation Superior resident known as the “Queen of the Copper Corridor,” she has championed economic development, tourism, regional collaboration and community revitalization.

Her work has included helping transform Superior’s historic high school into the Superior Enterprise Center, creating a space for entrepreneurship, workforce development, education and community partnerships.

“I am truly humbled to receive this honor,” Mayor Besich said. “This recognition is bestowed not only to me, but to the residents, volunteers, business owners, educators, nonprofit leaders and community partners who continue to invest their time, talent and heart into Superior and rural Arizona.”

In her acceptance remarks, she emphasized the importance of continued support for rural communities: “Rural Arizona does not need pity. Rural Arizona needs partnership. Our communities are not places of the past. We are places of possibility.”

As Mayor Besich’s leadership was recognized, Manny Guzman began a new chapter as a member of Project CENTRL Class 35.

Guzman’s family roots in Superior span generations, and his work has been closely connected to the community’s revitalization. Through Rebuild Superior and the development of the Superior Enterprise Center, he has helped pursue funding, build partnerships and support projects that create new opportunities for residents and entrepreneurs.

His participation in Class 35 will allow him to strengthen his leadership skills, build relationships with rural leaders across Arizona and bring new ideas and perspectives back to Superior.

Together, Mayor Besich’s award and Guzman’s selection reflect Superior’s continued investment in leadership rooted in community, collaboration and possibility.

The Superior Enterprise Center is proud to celebrate both of these achievements and the ongoing work helping move Superior and rural Arizona forward.