Valley Leadership Selects Nearly 100 Arizonans for Ready Together

August 03, 2020 |

Today, Valley Leadership announced members of its first-ever Ready Together program, a completely virtual program designed to mobilize Arizonans to make an impact in the face of coronavirus. The cohort was selected from a diverse cross-section of industries ranging from health care, housing and food security to jobs and education, including front line workers, teachers, corporate and nonprofit leaders, small business owners and public officials and servants.

Ready Together will prepare leaders to identify and solve the pressing issues further exposed by the pandemic. Because this is Valley Leadership’s first virtual program, people from across the state are taking part, joining the diverse cohort that will bring together people with different experiences and viewpoints.

“As Valley Leadership continues our drive toward impact, we are excited to welcome this diverse and well-rounded group into the Valley Leadership family. This is such an important time in our state’s history, and we look forward to learning from and empowering these individuals to have deep impact on our Valley and the state.”

– Valley Leadership CEO Dave Brown

Ready Together will expand participants’ knowledge and perspectives to provide them with the tools, network and information to plug in and make a difference.

“Going forward, there is no such thing as business as usual,” Brown said. “Ready Together gives Arizonans the space to process and prepare for our collective new reality. Ready Together was created to directly respond to this crisis. Our hope is to grow the desire and ability of all our citizens to play a meaningful role in Arizona’s recovery and future.”

Ready Together will be the 42-year-old organization’s first completely virtual program, combining individual reflection and small-group work with live, online sessions that are short, dynamic and engaging.

Guided by Valley Leadership’s Principles of Doing—being driven to do; putting Arizona first; building trust; having a team mindset; and acting with integrity—Ready Together will utilize the strength of Valley Leadership’s proven approach to empowering Arizonans to lead. Content and discussions will draw from the expertise and experiences of thought leaders, subject matter experts across industries and essential front-line workers facing the daily challenges of the pandemic. Ready Together will address the need for collaboration and systems building, the gaps of personal success based on where you live and the inspiring power of everyday leadership.

What tomorrow holds for the health of Arizona’s families, our children’s success and the strength of our economy will depend on the resiliency and leadership of people throughout our communities. The organization’s long-standing mission is to empower, leverage and mobilize leaders for impact, and Ready Together sets that mission into action. We want all of Arizona to emerge from this crisis stronger and ready to tackle our most pressing issues.

– VL Board President Michelle McGinty

Because of the unprecedented nature of COVID-19, Valley Leadership is offering Ready Together this year only and plans to return to its regular program schedule in fall 2021.

Meet the Class:

Travis Airey BOK Financial Private Banker
Becca Allpow Arizona Community Foundation Education & Scholarships Manager
Thomas Arbaugh Dignity Health Chaplain
Lucia Arteaga Office of the Arizona Attorney General Hispanic Outreach & Education Coordinator
Gilbert Arvizu Chicanos Por La Causa Special Assistant to the President & CEO
Aaron Bare Arizona Accelerator Managing Director
Patricia Bayless District Medical Group Physician/Chief Wellness Officer
Lisa Beohm Henning Companies Strategic Relationship Manager
Jamie Blakeman Lokahi, LLC Owner
Benedikt Brueckle CompuGroup Medical, Inc. CEO
Brittany Burback Sublime Law, PLLC Attorney
Stanton Burnton Lin & Associates, Inc. Control Engineer Assistant
Amy Cantwell Manifest, LLC Director of Engagement
Amanda Casillo AOC Physicians Lead audiologist
Erin Chastain Arizona State University Director of School Partnerships
Carmen Coleman Intel Corporation/Legacy Keys LLC Manufacturing  Operations Manager (GL)/Systems Engineer/Life Coach
Helain Day Nonprofit Leader
Danica DesLauriers Goodmans Interior Structures Customer Experience Lead
Martin Diaz Phoenix Union High School District Academy Principal
Russ Dickey VMI Holdings, Inc. Legal Counsel
Michelle Doherty Northern Arizona University Mentor Teacher/Adjunct Faculty
David Edmunds Arizona Cotton Research & Protection Council AF36 Program Specialist
Adam Fielding United Surgical Partners International Regional Compliance Officer
Jasmine Figueroa Salt River Project Network Operations Center Supervisor
Elyse Flynn Meyer Prism Global Marketing Solutions Owner and Founder
Candice Frazer TTI Success Insights Sr. Vice President of Operations
Greg Fresquez NASCAR / Phoenix Raceway Communications Manager
Annmarie Furniss Community Legal Services Executive Assistant to the ED
Diva Galan LG Tech-Link Global General Counsel
Christine Gannon The Foundation for Female Equity and Inclusion Founder
Elissa Gartenberg, D.O. Modern Family Medicine Physician
Victoria Gibilterra CVS Health Senior Cyber Security Engineer
Candice Gimbel Arizona Israel Technology Alliance Strategic Advisor
Joy Haugen General Assembly Phoenix City Lead + Global Career Coach
Rebecca Hays Rovey Rovey Farming Company Owner
Diana Herrera City of Phoenix Prosecutor
Elizabeth Herrgott Feast Studios Producer
Shelly Hodges University of Phoenix Sr Director College Operations
Lisa Houston Mayo Clinic Arizona Nurse Practitioner
Kristie Jackson BloomBoard Senior Learning Strategist
Gabriel Jaramillo Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona Director of Community Development
Susan Johnson CBRE, Inc. Client Services
William Jungermann APSM Systems Director of Sales and Marketing
Scott Koenig UA / Arizona Center for Rural Leadership Executive Director
Anne Landers Junior Achievement of Arizona Marketing and Development Senior Director
Isaiah Lopez Ride Share Driver
Melissa Lopez State of Arizona – Dept. of Child Safety Project Coordinator
Samuel Lowry Arizona Opera Associate Director of Development, Institutional Relations
Matt Lubisich Office of Congressman Greg Stanton Outreach Coordinator
Laura Luna Bellucci Arizona Department of Health Services Office Chief, Children’s Health
Roger Lurie Tempe High School College and Career Advisor
Beth Maloney The Phoenix Theatre Company/2014 Arizona Teacher of the Year Institutional Advancement Manager
Leah Marche CaptionCall / Self-Employed Captioning Agent / Freelance Graphic Designer
Michelle McGinty DRA Collective President
Ash Mehta Public Trust Advisors VP, Investment Advisory Services
Kathy Mitchell Root Insurance Director, Government Affairs
Adrienne Moore Banner Health  Executive Director, Revenue Assurance 
Pamela Morrison Phoenix Rescue Mission Community Relationship Officer
Christian Osmeña Arizona State University Vice President, Enterprise Planning
Tracy Ouellette Avnet, Inc. Director of Contracts
Jennifer Papworth Arizona State University Federal Relations Manager
Ellen Parish NAU Road Scholar Program Hiking guide
Sakina Pasha Prime West Management Director of Provider Relations
Peggy Peixoto Arizona Department of Health Services MIECHV Program Manager
Art Pérez U.S. Bank Community Affairs Manager
Molly Peterson Prevent Child Abuse Arizona Development and Training Specialist
Louann Phillips The Phoenix Symphony, West Valley Arts Council and Veteran’s Heritage Project, Inspired Connections. Special Event Consultant
Alexandria Pierce City of Phoenix Water Services Community Education & Outreach Manager
Nayan Ranchhod AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL MANAGING DIRECTOR
Suzanne Reed Staff Attorney Office at the Arizona Supreme Court Senior Staff Attorney
Michelle Rucker AZ Attorney General’s Office Outreach and Education Program Manager
Rogelio Ruiz Arizona State University Executive Coordinator
Khalil Rushdan ACLU of Arizona Community Partnership Coordinator
Kim Shapiro Poole Skanska Vice President, Business Development
Meg Sneed Fresh Start Women’s Foundation Director of Data Services
Dakota Speaker Arizona Community Foundation Administrative Coordinator
Sarah Spiekermeier Banner Health Administrative Operations Sr. Director
Katie Stringham ICAN: Positive Programs for Youth Communications & Grants Manager
Jennifer Strozewski Pfizer Inc Territory Manager
Nina Targovnik Community Legal Services Lead Attorney
Samantha Tavares City of Phoenix Operations Manager
Stephanie Teskey Arizona Department of Agriculture Livestock Officer
Javier Torres Stinson LLP Attorney
Ginger Torres PPE for Navajo First Responders Co-Founder
Tawsha Trahan Orchard Community Learning Center Market Coordinator
Barbara Trapido-Lurie Arizona State University Research Professional
James Walter Salt River Project Meteorologist
Michelle Watt Arizona State University Product Manager
Lyndsey Waugh Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation (Sprouts) Executive Director
Abby Wilkymacky Mindflower Studio Founder, Facilitator
Kent Wilson Target Director, Government Affairs
Tamara Wright Community Solutions Systems Transformation Advisor
Sarah Youngman Community Legal Services Director of Development and Communications