SHE Plays Strong TEAM

Deborah Marquez is a lifelong soccer coach, mentor, and leader with more than 20 years of experience developing athletes and creating opportunities for young players to thrive. A former Division I soccer player at Loyola Marymount University, Deb has dedicated her career to helping athletes build confidence, technical skill, and a strong foundation for success both on and off the field.

As the Director and Owner of Coerver Coaching Arizona, Deb has helped develop thousands of young athletes and supported more than 40 players in reaching NCAA Division I soccer. She also serves as the Youth Soccer Director at Arizona Sports Complex, where she leads a program of more than 1,000 players and coaches.

Beyond soccer, Deb brings a passion for leadership and mentorship through her experience as a Certified Executive Coach and consultant specializing in leadership and talent development. She believes in the power of sport to build confident, resilient, and empowered young women and is passionate about creating pathways for girls to reach their full potential.

Dr. Tamara Hefferon is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who has a strong passion instilling and empowering others to achieve optimum health, believing strongly in the mantra "Exercise is Medicine". She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Arizona, with an emphasis in exercise physiology.  While in Tucson her love of hiking, biking, and wine was cultivated. Dr. Hefferon completed her doctoral studies at A.T. Still University in Mesa, Arizona and was able to bridge her strong fitness background with excellent manual therapy skills. 

Dr. Hefferon, COO and co-founder of Impact Physical Therapy, also teaches full time in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Franklin Pierce University. Here her emphasis is in the Orthopedic tract of Physical therapy and Parkinson’s Disease. 

Lauren Marquez is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, former Division I soccer player. She earned her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science from the University of Hawaiʻi, where she also competed as a Division I soccer player and captain, before earning her Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California.

With more than 10 years of coaching experience through Coerver Arizona and four years as Director of Coerver Hawaiʻi, Lauren has dedicated her career to helping athletes build confidence, strength, and resilience. Her experience also includes working as a research assistant with the USA Women’s and Men’s Olympic Volleyball teams.

Lauren is passionate about creating opportunities for all athletes to thrive. She believes in empowering girls and women through sport, strength, and movement and helping athletes feel strong both on and off the field.

Crystal Alvarez is a skilled digital marketing and strategic communications professional with a proven track-record of leading campaigns and people to drive results and impact. Fast-forward to 2026, and she gets the privilege of teaching students the foundations of digital marketing and to develop compelling campaigns. 

Alvarez currently leads teaching and course development for courses within the digital audience series at the Cronkite School. Her expertise aligns with her teaching and includes topics such as audience engagement, data analytics, social media strategy and content creation.