Television dramas often flatten emergency dispatchers into background voices, quickly forgotten once help arrives. Shows like “9-1-1” give us a better look into the lives of dispatchers. Ana Corcoran says the show may dramatize the work, but the emotions it captures are real. In moments of crisis, the connection between a caller and the person on the other end of the line can be life changing.
Over her career, Ana has shared those moments more times than she can count. She has talked callers through panic, de-escalated domestic disputes, and stayed present as lives changed in real time. When the call ends, dispatchers rarely see how the story finishes. There is no reunion, no visible outcome, only the knowledge that what was shared in that moment mattered.
That distance, Ana says, is why appreciation for emergency responders matters.
For more than two decades, Ana has built her career around that same act of connection and appreciation. From real estate agent to 911 dispatcher to training administrator for the Public Safety Communications Department in the City of Tucson, her roles have evolved, but her purpose has remained the same. Leadership, she has learned, is rooted in the art of sharing: knowledge, experience, and humanity.
“Leadership is really a balance. There’s the structure and the operational side — the policies, procedures, and laws that guide what we do, especially in emergency communications — and then there’s the human side. Both matter. Understanding and honoring that people side is what I’ve grown the most in over the last twenty-plus years.”
Ana learned it by watching others. She practiced it in high-stakes moments. And now, as a student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration at the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC), Ana is learning how to strengthen that instinct and pass it on.
Lessons Learned by Watching
Ana’s first mentor never stood behind a podium or led a training session. He was her father.
Her father immigrated to the United States and built a life through hard work and perseverance. He and Ana’s mom raised their family of four in Rio Rico, Arizona, a small community of less than 12,000 people. Her father became a business owner for a bread company, navigating an unfamiliar system with determination and grit. There was no history of law enforcement or public safety in her family, but through his work ethic, he modeled something just as lasting: the value of lifelong learning.
“He didn’t know he was teaching me those things,” Ana says. “He was just trying to better his family. But I learned so much by watching him.”
Her mother, equally devoted, worked as a preschool cook and poured passion into everything she did. When Ana’s father passed away, her mother became her present and unwavering anchor. From both parents, Ana absorbed a lesson that would follow her into adulthood: growth does not stop when life gets busy. It deepens.
When Life Takes a Detour
Ana’s early plan was clear. She would graduate from high school, become a dispatcher, and eventually attend the police academy when she turned 21. She already had early experience in emergency response as part of the explorer program for the sheriff's department as a young teen. But life intervened, as it often does.
“I remember one of the deputies returning to the office after attending his fourth autopsy in a two-week span,” Ana recalls. “One day I just realized that being that close to death, bodies, just wasn’t my jam.”
She pivoted into real estate, managing an office and eventually becoming an agent. It was there that she encountered another defining mentor: her manager, Mr. Epsen. They would work together in the office, where Ana would discuss how much she enjoyed championing families to purchase their first home, playing a small role in such a big decision. Recognizing her drive, Mr. Epsen and his wife paid for her real estate schooling and licensing fees, offering support that went far beyond professional obligation.
“It’s so important to connect at the heart, not just at the paycheck,” Ana says.
That experience stayed with her. “Moments like those have defined how I try to show up for people — in my life and in my career,” she explains.
A Quiet Moment of Doubt
Despite her years of experience and extensive training, returning to school in her forties was not a given. Ana carried the same responsibilities she always had, and there were moments when adding student to that list felt unrealistic.
“My girls are out of the house doing their own thing, but I still have the same responsibilities to them,” Ana says. “I’m still a homeowner, a wife, a dog mom, an employee, and a boss. All of those things are still there.”
There was no dramatic breaking point, just a quiet, familiar question: Is now really the time?
“If we wait for the right time,” she says, “we’ll be waiting forever.”
So, in 2024, she enrolled at UAGC.
Finding the Missing Pieces
Ana entered her program with decades of lived experience, but something unexpected happened once she began her coursework. Concepts she had encountered informally — leadership styles, communication frameworks, conflict resolution — suddenly had structure and language.
“When I think about what education has done for me, it helped me put all those things together, things that once felt like loose ideas now had a place in the bigger picture,” she says.
Ana found herself reaching into the UAGC library, emailing professors, and actively searching for connections between theory and practice.
“Before, I’d think, ‘That’s a cool concept, but I don’t know where it goes,’ she explains. “UAGC helped me find where it goes.”
One course in particular stood out. Taught by Professor Bill Davis, the class became more than an academic experience, it became a professional turning point.
“The way he connected with my writing — with me — those are the moments I value,” Ana says.
“Leadership is really a balance. There’s the structure and the operational side — the policies, procedures, and laws that guide what we do, especially in emergency communications — and then there’s the human side. Both matter. Understanding and honoring that people side is what I’ve grown the most in over the last twenty-plus years.”
Even after the course ended, she reached out to Bill for guidance. They spoke by phone, discussing real-world applications and career paths.
“It was impactful to step back and realize this was someone with years of experience in higher education, research, and executive leadership offering insights on how I move forward in a real-life work environment.”
An Earlier Graduation?
Ana’s academic advisor, Tunde Campbell, became another steady presence, helping her navigate prior learning assessments and think strategically about her degree path.
“She’s been amazing,” Ana says. “Anytime I need her, she’s right there.”
Through those conversations, Tunde also introduced Ana to Sophia Learning and helped map out a degree plan that matched Ana’s pace, responsibilities, and long-term goals — one that could allow her to finish her degree sooner than originally expected, possibly as early as summer 2026.
“I started taking some classes through Sophia Learning, and it turns out I’ve pretty much wrapped up all my core requirements,” she explains. “In my first month with Sophia Learning, I finished three classes.”
For Ana, the flexibility of Sophia Learning made all the difference. The self-paced structure gave her the autonomy to move quickly when life allowed, without sacrificing the quality of the learning experience. One course, Principles of Marketing, stood out as a favorite — and the credits she earned transferred seamlessly to UAGC.
"Sophia Learning feels different,” she says. “It’s broken into modules, and you can move through them as fast or as slow as you want. You go through the modules, take quizzes along the way, and then finish with a final exam."
Sharing in Real Time
Going back to school did not make Ana a leader, it revealed the one she already was.
“I went back to school to be a better leader,” she says. “But it’s made me a better person.”
Her studies have sharpened her vision, validated her instincts, and given her tools to serve more intentionally. She is still learning, she says, but now she understands how each piece fits — and how to share it.
Ana doesn’t just talk about sharing, she practices it daily, leaning on the skills and knowledge from her UAGC courses. During a training session she developed for supervisors, Ana introduced a visual puzzle. Each missing piece was replaced with the names of supervisors in the academy, a reminder that every individual represents part of a larger system. No role exists in isolation — not dispatchers, not supervisors, not the 911 center itself.
“If we wait for the right time, we’ll be waiting forever.”
That philosophy carries into her leadership style. In 2024 alone, under Ana’s leadership, her training staff certified approximately 140 people in APCO certifications. But numbers are not what stay with her.
“One hundred and forty people we impacted,” she says. “We gave them higher learning, an opportunity to be better trainers and better employees for our community. I had a little bit to do with that. And that matters.”
Whether she is speaking at conferences, running internal training, or mentoring new employees, Ana leads with vulnerability and transparency.
“I wish I had a USB drive,” she often tells those she mentors, “so I could plug it into my brain, transfer it, and you can take what resonates. Dump what doesn’t. If one piece sticks, I’ve done my job.”
Looking Ahead
Ana is quick to say she did not get here alone. She has a large extended family, and without the unconditional support of her police officer husband, mother, sisters, 10 nieces and nephews, and 13 great-nieces and great-nephews, she cannot imagine reaching this point. There were missed family gatherings and early departures, nights spent finishing assignments while the rest of the house slept — except for her husband, who stayed up beside her without hesitation.
“I’m so close,” she says. “I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It took a village — but I did it.”
Now, as she nears the finish line of her degree, Ana’s focus is already shifting forward. She is thinking about how to expand training initiatives and continue showing up as the kind of leader who leads with care.
And in the process, she has learned something lasting: leadership is not about holding knowledge tightly. It is about knowing when to share it — clearly, compassionately, and at exactly the right moment. She is actively working to deepen community engagement through sharing.
Ana’s team of three is getting ready to launch a new initiative called Grounds for Connection, inviting community members to meet emergency communications staff at local coffee shops. The goal is simple: humanize 911, educate the public, and allow dispatchers to see the impact of their work.
For Ana, the art of sharing is not a skill learned once. It is a practice — passed from mentor to student, from leader to team, from one human to another — and it continues to shape the way she serves her community every day.