VALLEY LEADERSHIP ANNOUNCES 2008-2009 CLASS OF LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
New Class Marks 30 Years of Inspiring and Cultivating Leadership in the Valley
Phoenix, AZ – July 2, 2008 – Valley Leadership begins the celebration of its 30-year history of inspiring current and emerging leaders to serve and strengthen their communities with the announcement of its 2008-2009 Class of Leadership Institute (LI). The incoming Class XXX includes 55 talented individuals from diverse personal and professional backgrounds who have been selected through a competitive process to participate in the nine month institute beginning in September and ending in June.
“Valley Leadership is delighted to welcome this cross-section of leaders from all sectors into Class XXX of Leadership Institute,” said Executive Director, Alison Rapping. “They have much to offer the region and community, and we are thrilled to work with some of the most dedicated and passionate leaders in the Valley. Valley Leadership has always cultivated groups of extraordinary individuals, and this year will be no exception.”
Leadership Institute is Valley Leadership’s legacy program which exposes each class to three core areas of leadership development: knowledge, skills and values. As a result, the program offers increased awareness and understanding of our community, leadership skills development, cultivation and opportunities for engagement, and a broader network of personal and professional relationships.
This year’s Leadership Institute volunteer planning committee includes a mixture of past alumni and current board members including: Kendra Cea, board president, LI Class XXII; Nicole Magnuson, board member, Leadership Institute chair and LI Class XXIV; Cassidy Campana, board member, immediate past Leadership Institute co-chair and LI Class XXV; Laura Capello, board member, immediate past LI co-chair, and LI Class XXV; and Dale Erquiaga, facilitator and LI Class XXVIII.
The members of Valley Leadership’s Class XXX are:
Charlotte Adcock, Merrill Lynch;
Dwight Amery, Maryvale Revitalization Corp.;
Roberta Arthur, Phoenix Indian Medical Center; Indian Health Services;
John Ballis, The INSCO DICO Group;
Joe Beers, Lateral 10 LLC;
Dave Bolman, University of Advancing Technology;
Brian Burt, Snell & Wilmer LLP;
Katie Campana, Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce;
Paula Casey, Arizona Newspaper Association;
Jessica Catlin, Phoenix Children’s Hospital;
Tony Colón, Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office;
Suzanne Douglas, Architectural Nexus;
Heather Dunn, KPNX/Gannett;
Jane Elliott Ferguson, The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust;
Stefanie Francis, Navigate Marketing;
Ruben Gallego, City of Phoenix;
Rob Handy, City of Phoenix Police Department;
Pam Hart, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.;
Brad Hartman, Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP;
Paige Heavey, Paige Heavey, P.C.;
Amy Heisler, Maricopa Partnership for Arts & Culture;
Rob Israel, John C. Lincoln Health Network;
Samantha Johnson, Mercy Care Plan/Schaller Anderson;
Patrick Jordan, Arizona Saves;
Mike Kallhoff, Valley of the Sun United Way;
Kristine Kollasch, Fine Art & Custom Finishes, LLC;
Elizabeth Krecker, John C. Lincoln Health Network;
Alika Kumar, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce;
Mike Kurtenbach, City of Phoenix Police Department;
Ben Langis, Mortgages Ltd. Securities;
Dewey Leitch, SRP;
Kirsten Lewis, Butte Companies;
Madia Logan, The Boeing Company;
Alisa Lyons, Valley Partnership;
Dr. Paul Mohr, Murphy Elementary School District;
Randy Murray, Randy Murray Productions;
Darren Nielsen, APS;
Van Ornelas, ASU;
Laura Pastor, South Mountain Community College;
Amy Patel, Deloitte Tax LLP;
Laura Peck, ASU;
Joe Perez, City of Phoenix;
Karla Robles, The Be A Leader Foundation;
Bea Rocklin, Phoenix Properties Realty;
Avein Saaty-Tafoya, Clinica Adelante, Inc.;
Barb Strachan, Girl Scouts Arizona-Cactus Pine Council;
Janice Sweeter, Medicis;
Maribeth Tatum Ackzen, St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center;
Sharon Tillman, Arizona Supreme Court;
Yazmin Venegas, Spanish Media Translation Services:
Jennifer Whalley, East Valley Partnership;
Sam Younger, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center;
Danielle Yuhasz, US Airways;
Felipe Zubia, DMB Associates, Inc.
ABOUT VALLEY LEADERSHIP
Valley Leadership is a nonprofit, leadership development organization with the mission to enhance the abilities of individuals to serve and strengthen our communities. Established in 1978, Valley Leadership has been cultivating passionate and engaged leaders in our community for 30 years. Valley Leadership: Connecting…Learning…Leading. For more information, visit www.valleyleadership.org.