Welfare Mom to Mogul: Entrepreneur Rebecca Contreras on Overcoming Adversity to Build a $25M Business

Rebecca Contreras is the founder and CEO of AvantGarde, an Austin-based consulting firm federal agencies depend upon to help them transform their leadership and grow their organization through holistic and sustainable approaches. Born into poverty, Rebecca transformed herself through grit, resolve, and steadfast commitment from a high school dropout and welfare-dependent teenage mother to a successful business leader. Author of the bestselling Lost Girl, Rebecca has received a number of accolades for her exceptional leadership such as being named the 2023 Austin Businesswoman of the Year and having received a golden Stevie Award for Best Female Entrepreneur in 2022. Rebecca also founded Girls of Legacy, a groundbreaking effort to impact the next generation of inner-city girls in Austin by providing them with mentorship and scholarships.