Leadership
Sandra Day O'Connor
Founder
Sandra Day O'Connor made history in 1981 when she was sworn in by then Chief Justice Warren Burger as the first woman to the United States Supreme Court in its 191-year history. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, it was O'Connor’s intelligence and grit that made her a transformational figure in the nation's highest court of law.
Sarah E. Suggs
President & CEO
Sarah E. Suggs is a third-generation Arizonan whose extensive career has taken her to the east and west coasts before returning to her native state in 2001. She has served as an executive for Pivotal Group, a private equity and real estate investment firm, KSL, a KKR, Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts company, and as Executive Director of The National Women’s Hall of Fame in New York, which recognizes and celebrates the achievements of extraordinary American women.
A community volunteer since the age of 12, Ms. Suggs has held several leadership positions including Phoenix Heart Ball Chairman, Arizona Science Center Gala Chairman, Women’s Board of the Barrow Neurological Foundation, a Founder of Phoenix Children’s Hospital Leadership Circle and Past President of Charter 100, whose purpose is to recognize outstanding women in the community and provide a forum for their interaction. Honorary members include former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and former Arizona Governors Rose Mofford, Jane Dee Hull and Janet Napolitano.
Board Officers
Peter Hayes
Co-Chair of the Board
Peter Hayes is Associate General Manager & Chief Public Affairs Executive for the Salt River Project. Hayes directed SRP’s congressional and federal relations in Washington, D.C. for six years, before returning to Arizona to assume responsibility for the utility’s federal, state and local government relations. Prior to joining SRP, Hayes worked on Capitol Hill for the U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader, John J. Rhodes from Arizona’s First Congressional District. During the Reagan administration, Hayes worked as a special assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of Interior, and then served as Deputy Director of Congressional Liaison in the Office of the Secretary, under both Secretaries William Clark and Donald Hodel.
In 1992, Hayes served as Chief of Staff to Arizona Governor, Fife Symington. He graduated from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and completed the program for senior managers in government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The father of three sons Hayes, serves on the Board of Trustees of the Arizona Science Center, and the Board of Directors of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. He is a past member of the Arizona State University Barrett Honors College Dean’s Advisory Board, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and a commissioner on the Arizona Commission on the Arts.
Gay Firestone Wray
Co-Chair of the Board
Gay Firestone Wray is President of the Roger S. Firestone Foundation and was a leader in the establishment of O'Connor House, initially helping to relocate the original adobe home, and has supported its many projects and programs over the years. Wray is a philanthropist with a long history in leadership roles, including the Smithsonian National Board, an advisory trustee of the Phoenix Country Day School, a life member of the Barrow Neurological Institute, and a member of Hospice of the Valley. She is a former director of Bank of America, Arizona, and her past philanthropic associations have included the Phoenix Zoo Auxiliary, Charter 100, Senator's Cup, Valley Shakespeare Theatre, and Christ Church Memorial Garden.
Matthew P. Feeney
Vice Chair
Matt Feeney is the Chair of Snell & Wilmer, one of the largest law firms in the Western United States, with offices in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Los Cabos, Mexico. His practice is concentrated in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, SEC reporting and compliance, and corporate governance matters, including advising corporate boards and board committees.
Matt is a member of the Board of Directors of the Musical Instrument Museum and Greater Phoenix Leadership. He is also a member of the Notre Dame Law School Advisory Council. He serves on the Board of Directors of Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society, Inc., a mutual insurance company. Matt graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where he also received his Juris Doctorate.
Richard Silverman
Secretary
Richard Silverman is Of Counsel at the law firm of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon. He previously served as SRP General Manager from 1994-2011, beginning his career with SRP in 1966 as an attorney. His many accomplishments include the 2011 President's Award, J.D. Power & Associates; 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award, the Agri-Business Council of Arizona; 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award, Most Admired Executives, Phoenix Business Journal; and the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Individual Award, Greater Phoenix Urban League.
Silverman is a well-recognized and respected professional in the energy industry, in Arizona and on a national level. He is past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Electric Power Research Institute; past Chair of the Large Public Power Council; and served on the American Public Power Association Board. Silverman is active in a number of organizations, including Greater Phoenix Leadership, the University of Arizona Foundation and the Translational Genomics Research Institute. He serves as Chair of the Governor's Arizona Medical Education Oversight Task Force and is a member of the Governor's Arizona Centennial Commission and Centennial Foundation. He earned both his J.D. and B.S. in Business from the University of Arizona. Silverman currently resides in Phoenix with his wife Susan.
John Evancevich
Treasurer
John is presently an Audit Projects Manager at Salt River Project (SRP). He has been with SRP for 24 years, the last 16 years of which managing SRP’s Contractual and Joint Ownership audits. His diverse audit work experience has included contractual, financial, and information technology auditing. John earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and his MBA from Arizona State University. John is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Information Systems Auditor.
John’s professional and civic activities have included officer positions with the Information Systems Audit & Control Association and his own homeowners’ association as well as chairperson of the CPE Committee for the Arizona State Board of Accountancy. He currently is a Board member and Treasurer for the O’Connor Institute, and the President of the Phoenix Chapter for the Institute of Internal Auditors.
Board of Directors
Tracy Bame
President of the Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation
Tracy Bame is President of the Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation, the primary philanthropic arm of the company. Ms. Bame also has responsibility for providing strategic direction and oversight for the company’s social development programs in the Americas. The Freeport-McMoRan Foundation provides grants for programs that promote education, economic development, environment, and health and wellness, with the goal of facilitating community sustainability.
Deborah Bateman
National Bank of Arizona Vice Chairman
Deborah Bateman is the National Bank of Arizona Vice Chairman, and Director of Premier Wealth Management. In her role, Deborah oversees the delivery of products and services for the bank’s High Net Worth individuals, and is responsible for the NBAZ Private Bank, NBAZ Wealth Management, and Executive Banking.
Bateman is also responsible for several of the bank’s key departments including; Nonprofit Banking and the Women’s Financial Group. Deborah has more than 35 years of banking experience. She holds an associate’s degree from Mesa Community College and is a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington in Seattle. An active member of the community, Deborah is currently an Arizona Skills Standard Commissioner for the Arizona State Department of Education and a board member of Homeward Bound, FreshStart and ChildsHelp. Bateman is a member of Charter 100, Women President’s Organization, Central Phoenix Women, Social Venture Partners, ASU’s Women and Philanthropy, Arizona 5 Arts Council and the Heart Ball 100.
Sara Begley
CopperPoint, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Sara Begley oversees the General Counsel’s Office, having joined CopperPoint Insurance Companies in November 2008. Prior to that, Ms. Begley served for 16 years with the Arizona Department of Insurance, followed by private practice where her clients included SCF Arizona and National Council on Compensation Insurance. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Arizona State University and a law degree from the University of Arizona. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Property & Casualty Insurance Guaranty Fund and has served on the Ronald McDonald House Board of Directors.
Richard L. Boals
Past President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
Boals is the past President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. He provides his strategic vision and expertise to the state's leading health insurer. Boals joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona in 1971 and has served in a variety of capacities, seeing the company through numerous years of stability and success. Prior to his appointment to chief executive officer in April 2003, Boals served as president and chief operating officer. Boals received his bachelor's degree in accounting from Arizona State University and an associate's degree from Phoenix College. Boals served four years in the United States Air Force before beginning his career at Blue Cross Blue Shield of AZ.
Wendy Breuder
MUFG Union Bank, Arizona President and Head of Corporate Real Estate & Resource Location Strategy
Wendy Breuder has been Arizona President and Head of Corporate Real Estate & Location Strategy for MUFG since January 2017. In this capacity, she manages over 12 million square-feet of real estate and is the senior executive responsible for transforming the firm’s corporate real estate footprint, as well as creating and executing the strategy for a newly created shared services initiative in the U.S.
Most recently, Wendy was Co-General Manager and Head of Midwest General Industries within the U.S. Wholesale Banking Division of MUFG in the Americas where she lead negotiations for financing billions of dollars for mergers, acquisitions, business expansion and operations both domestically and internationally. Previously, she managed over 175 of the largest multinational Fortune 500 corporate relationships within the U.S. Corporate Banking Division at MUFG. Her team was responsible for client relationship management and facilitating new business opportunities in over 40 countries with an emphasis on Asia. Prior to joining MUFG in the Americas, she was Co-Head of U.S. Corporate Client Coverage and Chicago Branch Manager at BNP Paribas where she had direct responsibility for the firm’s relationship with the Federal Reserve Board of Chicago.
Wendy earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami. She also earned a Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She is a graduate of the Kellogg School of Management, Women’s Director Development Program at Northwestern University and a 2015 alumnus member of DirectWomen.
Nikal Conti
Community Leader
Nikal Conti is the founder of PHX Architecture and a community leader. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Minor in Development Economics, from Southern Polytechnic State University, Marietta, Georgia, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Conti received the American Institute of Architect’s National Henry Adams School Gold Medal. Her nonprofit engagement includes the Desert Botanical Garden and ASU Women & Philanthropy.
Rich Endicott
Market President, Parkway Bank
Rich Endicott, in his role as President of The Biltmore Bank of Arizona, brings four decades of banking experience serving the needs of commercial businesses. Before becoming its President, Rich directed the company’s sales and marketing efforts throughout Arizona and was President of the bank’s Scottsdale operations. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President for M&I Bank and was executive in Deutsche Bank’s financial services across the U.S. and Canada.
Rich attended the University of Kansas and Deutsche Bank’s sponsored Duke University Executive Management Program. Through his leadership, senior executives have been encouraged to serve on numerous non-profit Boards, including Valley of the Sun United Way and Junior Achievement.
Philip L. Francis
President and CEO of PetSmart Inc. from 1998 to 2009
Phil Francis was President and CEO of PetSmart Inc. from 1998 to 2009, then was appointed executive chairman in June 2009 until his retirement in 2012. He began his career in 1971 rising to president and chief executive officer of Shaw’s Supermarkets (1991–98) before joining PetSmart, Inc. Francis is an active supporter of Arizona State University and a member of the board of trustees. In 2003 he received the Executive of the Year award from Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business Dean’s Council of 100. Francis serves on the Greater Phoenix Leadership Board of Directors and was Chairman 2009-2011.
Rufus Glasper
President and CEO of The League for Innovation in the Community College
Rufus Glasper is the President and CEO of The League for Innovation in the Community College. Glasper served as the Chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges, one of the nation’s largest multi-college community college systems, from 2003-2016 and previously held District leadership positions for more than two decades. As Chancellor, Glasper oversaw all educational and administrative operations of the 10-college District, commonly known as the Maricopa Community Colleges. He provided leadership in matters of system wide strategic planning, bringing all ten colleges and many learning centers into alignment with common goals and methodologies.
Chris Herstam
Principal, Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP
Chris Herstam has been Lewis & Roca Chairman of the Arizona Government Relations Practice since 1996. Mr. Herstam is a former gubernatorial Chief of Staff for Governor Fife Symington. In 1998, Governor Jane Dee Hull appointed Herstam to an eight-year term on the Arizona Board of Regents where he served as President of the Board in 2004. He was co-chair of the transition team for Governor Janet Napolitano in 2002.
Mr. Herstam was a State Representative for eight years in the Arizona House of Representatives and has been a Director of the Arizona Department of Insurance. He received his B.A and Master’s degrees from Arizona State University. Mr. Herstam has served on the Boards of the Morrison Institute, Arizona Judicial Council and Central Arizona Shelter Services.
Chevy Humphrey
President and CEO of the Arizona Science Center
Chevy Humphrey is the President and CEO of the Arizona Science Center, a position she has held since 2006. Before joining the Science Center, Humphrey served as the director of development for The Phoenix Symphony and held similar positions at the University of Houston, the University of Texas at Austin Performing Arts Center and The Houston Symphony. At the Arizona Science Center, Humphrey oversees the $12 million operation of the 164,000-square-foot facility with more than 330 employees and volunteers.
Barbara Lockwood
Arizona Public Service, Vice President of Regulation
Barbara Lockwood is vice president of regulation for Arizona Public Service (APS). Based in Phoenix, APS is Arizona’s largest electric company and serves nearly 1.2 million customers around the state. Lockwood manages federal and state regulatory activities for APS. Lockwood began her career at DuPont in chemical engineering and management roles. She then spent a number of years in environmental consulting providing property development and business acquisition services to national and global companies in a variety of industries. Lockwood joined APS in 1999. Lockwood served on the Western Governors’ Association Solar Task Force and the Arizona State Renewable Energy Task Force. She has also served on the Solar Technical Advisory Board for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Research Advisory Committee for the Electric Power Research Institute and the Board of Directors for the GridWise Alliance.
She is active in the community as a board member for the Arizona Science Center, where she is immediate past board chair. She is a past president of Keep Phoenix Beautiful. Lockwood also serves on the Advisory Committee of the Critical Consumer Issues Forum, a national energy policy group.Lockwood holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Clemson University and a Master of Science in environmental engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a registered professional chemical engineer in Arizona.
Tim Louis
Community Leader
Tim Louis is a venture capitalist, philanthropist and triathlete. A principal of Desert Capital Investments, Tim is a former audiologist, and a co-founder and board member for Desert Voices Oral Learning Center. Desert Voices is a nonprofit, private oral education school for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Tim also serves on the Phoenix Country Day School Board of Trustees.
Myles Lynk
Peter Kiewit Foundation Professor of Law and the Legal Profession in Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University
Myles V. Lynk is the Peter Kiewit Foundation Professor of Law and the Legal Profession in Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University (“ASU”), focusing on legal ethics and corporate governance. He is an Honors Thesis Advisor in ASU’s Barrett, the Honors College and a member of ASU President Crow’s Academic Council. He has served as a Flinn Foundation Scholar Selection Review Committee member.
Professor Lynk worked in the federal government in the Carter Administration as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare and as an Assistant Director on the White House Domestic Policy Staff, and practiced law in Washington, DC, before coming to ASU. He served six years on the Civil Rules Advisory Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States as an appointee of then Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Professor Lynk is a member of the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association, served on the U.S. Indian Health Service’s Phoenix Area Institutional Review Board and the City of Chandler Human Relations Commission, and is a recipient of the State Bar of Arizona’s Award for Service to the Legal Profession.
Francis Najafi
Founder and CEO of Pivotal Group
Francis Najafi is Founder and CEO of Pivotal Group, a thirty year old investment firm in Phoenix, Arizona, with experience in private equity investments and all major real estate product types. Najafi completed his Bachelor of Science degree in engineering at Arizona State University (ASU), followed by two Masters Degrees from Thunderbird – The School of Global Management and the University of Southern California (USC). While a Ph.D. candidate in International Political Economy at USC, he began his entrepreneurial activities. Najafi has served on the Board of Directors of Network Solutions, NxSystems and Western Alliance Bancorporation. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors of EastWest Institute, is a member of Urban Land Institute (ULI), and serves as Governor of the ULI Foundation. Mr. Najafi is also active in the World President’s Organization (WPO) and Chief Executive’s Organization (CEO).
Najafi is a member of the Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL), a Trustee of Thunderbird – The School of Global Management, and a Foundation Board member of Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). He is a member of the President’s Club at ASU and serves on ASU’s Business School, Dean’s Council.
Frederick M. Pakis
Co-founder JDA Software, Inc.
Fred Pakis co-founded JDA Software, Inc., a supply chain management international company, and retired at a relatively early age. Subsequently, he established The Pakis Family Foundation in 1996 through the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF). Pakis serves on the ACF Board of Directors and Investment Committee, and sponsors ACF’s suite of corporate services through the Pakis Center for Business Philanthropy. He also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and on the Phoenix Symphony Board of Directors.
Mi-Ai Parrish
President and Publisher of Republic Media
Mi-Ai Parrish is President and Publisher of Republic Media, including the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Parris previously served as President and Publisher of The Kansas City Star Media Company and Idaho Statesman. She is a two-time Pulitzer Prize juror, a longtime member of the Asian American Journalists Association, and was named one of the 100 Most Important Minority Journalists of the Last Century. Parrish has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and was inducted into their Alumni Hall of Fame in 2013.
Linda J. "Mac" Perlich
CEO and Publisher, ON Media
Mac Perlich is Publisher of the philanthropic Arizona Red Book along with 2-million programs a year-for the major performing and visual arts organizations in Phoenix and Tucson. She founded the Act One Foundation with her husband Russ, whose mission is to bring school age children to the performing arts.
Mac has served on boards including The Wellness Community, Teach for America Phoenix, Banner Foundation, Ballet Arizona, The Herberger Theatre Center and Arizona Theatre Company. She is a member of Charter 100, Central Phoenix Women, Scripps College and Kappa Alpha Theta alumnae organizations. Ms. Perlich graduated from the University of Arizona with Honors and Highest Distinction from the College of Nursing in 1975 and received her Master’s in Nursing from the U of A.
Jane Roig
Community Leader
With more than 35 years of strategic and executive management in the public and not-for-profit sectors, Jane L. Roig has focused her professional life on activities related to improving educational opportunities for students and families. As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Southwest Student Services Corporation, she was responsible for leading and managing a comprehensive array of student loan products and services, and helped lead the organization’s evolution to the subsequent founding of Helios Education Foundation.
Ms. Roig currently serves as a member of the Board of the Helios Education Foundation and the Arizona Science Center Board of Trustees. She is a past Vice Chair of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Michael R. Rooney
Partner, Sacks Tierney Law Firm
Michael Rooney is a partner of the Sacks Tierney Law Firm in Scottsdale, Arizona, practicing business and corporate law and private post-secondary school law. Rooney is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and has a long tradition of generous commitments of time in the community. Rooney also serves on the Prescott College Board of Trustees, Rio Salado Foundation, and the Tempe Center for the Arts Foundation.
He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Missouri and is a veteran of the Air Force, earning the rank of Captain. Rooney graduated from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University with academic honors and was a member of the Law Review. Rooney is a past President of the Grand Canyon Council of the Boy Scouts of America and served on the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education, which regulates the private trade and technical school industry and past Board Chairman.
Jim Rose
General Manager of the JW Marriott Camelback Inn
Jim Rose is the General Manager of the JW Marriott Camelback Inn. Rose joined the Marriott Corporation in 1968 as a front desk associate at the O’Hare Marriott in Chicago when Marriott then owned a total of seven hotels.
Rose has served as Marriott’s area general manager for the Scottsdale region, overseeing 10 properties, including the Scottsdale Marriott Suites and Mountain Shadows Marriott Resort. Earlier in his career, he was resident manager at the Maui Marriott and director of marketing for the Los Angeles Airport Marriott and Chicago Marriott O’Hare. Rose was named ‘General Manager of the Year’ by Marriott International in 2005, during his tenure at the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa.
Stephen M. Savage
Partner, Ballard Spahr Law Office
Steve Savage is a partner of the Ballard Spahr law office in Phoenix, Arizona. Savage, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law School, is a business/real estate transactional lawyer. For 20 consecutive years, Savage has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America. He is an Emeritus Board member and past Chair of the Arizona Science Center, a Board member of the Verde Vaqueros, and past President of the Maricopa County Mounted Sheriff's Posse.
Advisory Board
Joseph P. Anderson
Ambassador Barbara Barrett
Alan Day
Bert A. Getz
Lucia Fakonas Howard
Kim Sterling-Heflin
Administrative Staff
Heather Schader | Vice President, Administration
Natalie Vandeventer | Vice President, Philanthrophy
Deborah Berkley | Director of Civic Outreach
Jonathan Gelbart | Director of Education Initiatives and Innovation
Jay Fetzer | Digital Culture Manager
Linda Kilmer, CPA | Accounting Supervisor
Renata Boles | Office Manager
