Dena Patton, GRF Cofounder & Program Creator

I co-founded the Girls Rule Foundation with three like-minded women in 2013 who shared my passion for advancing the next generation of female leaders. With the belief that leadership starts young, Girls Rule Foundation equips girls with essential skills sets in self-esteem, leadership, and financial literacy.

I am a champion for girls, I believe they can achieve anything with the right tools on their leadership tool belt. I believe it’s not enough to simply hope that girls will gain the skills they need to succeed in college, careers, and life. Thriving doesn’t happen by chance—it happens through intentional preparation.

After 24 years of coaching successful women leaders, I’ve seen a clear pattern: girls who succeed are equipped in three key areas—confidence, financial literacy, and leadership. These foundational skill sets are the building blocks for a successful and empowered future.

Through impactful Summits, summer camps, and afterschool programs, Girls Rule Foundation provides girls with the tools to thrive in life and step confidently into their potential as tomorrow’s leaders. 

Most teens want to: better know herself, know her worth, know her power, know her valuable place in the world, and know the skills to achieve her best future. That’s a tall order and the world is moving fast, and the challenges girls face today are greater than ever.

But so are the opportunities—if girls get the right support, tools, skill sets and belief in themselves. That’s what Girls Rule is here for. This is not just a program or a camp. It’s a movement to help girls build unshakable confidence, strong leadership skills, and the mindset to go after their best future. I believe every girl deserves a chance to rise, to lead, and to become the unstoppable force she was born to be. And that’s why we’re here—to bridge the gap, create opportunities, and empower every girl to step boldly into her full potential. Want to see our growth over the years? Check out our media articles, awards and a couple videos on our media page here.

Since 2001, I have been an global leadership coach who has worked with CEOs and entrepreneurs worldwide through my coaching & training company. I specialize in helping small business owners and leaders build stronger leadership, streamline systems, and boost sales, equipping my clients to thrive with purpose and impact. I’m the author of the Amazon best-selling book The Greatness Game, $1 from every book goes to Girls Rule Foundation. Whether I’m coaching top executives or inspiring teenage girls, I am dedicated to helping individuals embrace their greatness, unlock their potential, and create a ripple effect of leadership and impact in their communities and beyond. I love working with teen girls and my big vision is that the Girls Rule Foundation helps girls worldwide to become the next generation of leaders, strong women, inventors, mothers, entertainers, teachers, entrepreneurs, CEO’s and world changers.

In the beginning:

The four founders first met through their shared passion for empowering girls with leadership skills, which initially brought them together at another Arizona-based girls’ charity. In 2008, fueled by inspiration, experience, and determination, they launched the first Girls Rule workshop focused on leadership and empowerment.

In 2009, we faced a heartbreaking loss when our beloved cofounder, Laura Anderson, passed away due to complications from Lupus. In her honor, we established the Laura Anderson Scholarship Fund to ensure that girls who cannot afford our programs still have access to them.

In 2013, Dena Patton continued leading the Girls Rule Foundation, expanding its programs and furthering its mission to equip girls with the confidence, skills, and support they need to thrive.

A few words from our past co-founders:

Laura Anderson (deceased) – As a high school student I was blessed with so many amazing opportunities and mentors and I saw a shift in focus and resources going to disciplinary programs instead of leadership and self-development. This was just not “ok” with me and I made a commitment to create experiences that would give teens a strong belief in themselves and their ability to fulfill their dreams. The Girls Rule! Foundation is a fulfillment of my dream and I hope it gives young women the knowingness and skills to experience their unique power and grace. 

Stephanie Millner – The Foundation to me is a stepping stone in the journey of life. I believe a dream is reality that hasn’t yet met the right tools. My hope for the Foundation is to provide the right tools for girls to love themselves, enjoy life and live their dreams. As a teen, I was fortunate enough to have mentors that encouraged me. I want to offer this same support so that any young woman willing to believe in themselves will have the same opportunities for self-discovery and achievement as I was given.

Jenn Kaye – Being a self-confident, powerful person in the world means knowing what you want and having the confidence in yourself to go after it. In addition to inspiring young women to be leaders of their own lives, the Foundation is important because it will provide practical experiences that they can apply immediately. Building a strong community of mentors, teen leaders and experts with real-world knowledge is a foundation that I am passionate about and believe will benefit young women for the rest of their lives.