Nikki Balich is the Executive Director of the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission (ASEC). Balich oversees the operations of the ASEC brands which include, the Grand Canyon State Games, The Lori Piestewa National Native American Games, The Arizona Sports Hall of Fame and The GCSG Annual Pickleball Tournament. Her focus is to drive the mission of the ASEC which is to represent the citizens of Arizona to bring sporting events to the state, assist in the promotion of existing events and support youth and amateur sports programs.

Balich has been involved with the Fiesta Bowl since 1983. She has served on 23 Committees, served in Committee Leadership for seven years and as a Committee Chairman during the first “double hosting” model before joining the Board 2010. She currently serves as an Executive Committee Board Member and held the position of Board Secretary in 2016. She served as the Volunteer Coordinator for the 2017 Phoenix Final Four, Founder of the Arizona Bowl in Tucson Arizona, was an owner liaison for the 2015 Super Bowl, on the Volunteer Executive Committee for the 2008 Super Bowl, a member of the 2014 Arizona Centennial Steering Committee, past Board Member of the National Football Foundation and past Board Chairman of the Girls Ranch of Arizona. A native Arizonian, Balich attended the University of Arizona. She resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband Steve and her three children, Joey, CC and Nicholas.

Chris Camacho serves as president & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), one of the longest-standing public-private partnerships for economic development across the country. As chief executive, Chris leads the development and execution of the region’s strategic economic strategy, oversees domestic and international business development, and ensures the market position remains competitive through coordination with partner organizations, private sector leaders, and municipal and state leadership. He has led the attraction of more than 460 companies during his tenure, creating nearly 85,000 jobs and $24 billion in capital investment. Some notable projects include TSMC, Apple, Silicon Valley Bank, Microsoft, GoDaddy, Yelp, Amazon, Garmin, General Motors, ElectraMeccanica, Zoom, HelloFresh, and headquarters including Benchmark Electronics, Carlisle Companies and Rogers Corporation. In October 2021, Chris led GPEC to being recognized as the top economic development organization globally by the International Economic Development Council a year after being named the top EDO in the U.S. in 2020.

Stacy Derstine is vice president, external affairs for Arizona Public Service (APS). Based in Phoenix, APS is the state’s largest energy company, providing service to more than 1.3 million homes and businesses across Arizona.

Derstine is responsible for the company’s state and local public affairs strategies, community affairs and corporate giving, including the APS Foundation.

Derstine has worked for APS for over 25 years and has served in a variety of customer service and regulatory roles. Prior to her current position, she was vice president, customer service, and chief customer officer, leading the company’s statewide customer service operations, marketing and customer programs. Derstine was also responsible for product development and execution of customer-sited technologies. She has also served as general manager of regulatory and compliance, where she was responsible for regulatory affairs related to policy development, rates, pricing and revenue requirements. Derstine previously worked for APS Energy Services, where she was responsible for government and regulatory affairs in California, Texas, Nevada and Oregon.

In the community, Derstine currently serves on the Florence Crittenton board of directors and executive board, where she is chair of the governance committee. Additionally, Derstine serves on the Greater Phoenix Chamber board and also on numerous industry boards and committees.

Derstine earned her Bachelor of Science degree in business management from University of Phoenix and is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program.

Jay Donnelly is the Vice President of Real Estate Development for Arizona State University. He oversees Arizona State University’s real estate portfolio, including acquisition and divestiture of property, leasing, and real estate planning and development. He is responsible for fostering the development of ASU’s real estate holdings, including ASU’s seven Innovation Zones, to advance and support the University’s educational mission.

Before joining Arizona State University’s Real Estate Development office in 2018, Jay worked in private real estate development and real estate finance. He has nearly two decades of real estate development experience across multiple projects, several master plan developments, and a wide variety of real estate asset classes. Jay’s experience in private and public real estate development creates a unique, well-rounded skill set that lends itself to structuring and managing public-private partnerships.

Jay is actively involved in the Arizona real estate, community including the Urban Land Institute and the National Association for Industrial and Office Parks. He earned his Bachelor of Science in business finance from Montana State University and a Master of Business Administration from Grand Canyon University.

As Chief Sales Officer of Visit Phoenix, Lorne Edwards sets and guides the overarching sales and destination services strategic initiatives and operational competencies of the DMO. Edwards is responsible for positioning Greater Phoenix as the premier global destination for meetings, events, and leisure travel visitation.

He has served on the American Society of Association Executives Industry Partner Alliance Board, DI’s Convention Sales & Services Committee and its Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, was named to U.S. Travel Association’s Inaugural Leadership Program earlier this year and sits on the University of Arizona’s Health Sciences Community Council. Edwards was also a founding member of Association Forum’s Healthcare Collaborative which has heightened the reputation of Phoenix as a world class hub for hosting national healthcare and scientific conferences.

Edwards has held several leadership roles at Visit Phoenix including most recently Sr. Vice President of Sales & Destination Services. Additionally, Edwards spent over 16 years with Hyatt Hotels Corporation in sales leadership roles Boston, Denver, Atlanta, and Orlando.

A native of Antigua, West Indies, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida.

Edwards enjoys spending time with his four children, travelling, reading, music, and is an avid sports enthusiast.

Charley Freericks is Senior Vice President of Catellus Development Corporation, leading Catellus development activities in Arizona. Catellus is master developer of the Novus Innovation Corridor, a 355-acre redevelopment of Arizona State University’s Athletic Facilities District. Novus is integrated into ASU’s Tempe Campus, converting older athletic venues into a vibrant, pedestrian oriented, mixed-use commercial development, while working with ASU to relocate athletic venues to new, innovative, world class facilities in a master-planned Athletics Village within Novus.

For nearly two decades, Freericks was an executive with Scottsdale based developer DMB Associates, Inc., serving as president from 2012 to 2016. Prior to DMB, he served as president of Talley Realty Group, the real estate development and finance division of Talley Industries, Inc. (NYSE). His background in the land use and real estate development industry began in 1983 at Grubb & Ellis commercial brokerage services in Phoenix.

A Full Member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), Freericks is past Chair of the ULI Arizona District Council and remains active in local ULI initiatives. He is chairman emeritus of Fighter Country Partnership and Fighter Country Foundation, the premier community support organizations for Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona. He currently serves on the board of the Arizona Community Foundation.

Mr. Freericks holds undergraduate and masters degrees in Business Administration from Arizona State
University.

Kate Gallego has a vision for Phoenix: she sees it as a place that is vibrant and growing, and one where every person is treated with dignity and respect.

Mayor Gallego is a strong advocate for smart business growth and investment – she recently helped land the city’s largest-ever business development deal, a $12 billion semiconductor manufacturing plant that will bring significant economic development for decades to come. She is leading the city to global status as a leader in bioscience, technology, research, and advanced manufacturing.

The Mayor is also leading Phoenix to meet its goal to become the most sustainable desert city in the United States. She has fostered investments in cool solutions, including the nation’s first, publicly funded Office of Heat Response and Mitigation; launched the city’s successful cool pavement pilot; and led the charge toward building the necessary EV infrastructure to get fossil fuel powered vehicles off the road.

Mayor Gallego is the second elected female Mayor in Phoenix history and one of the youngest big city Mayors in the United States. In November 2020, she was returned to office with the highest number of votes ever cast for a mayoral candidate in Phoenix.

A graduate of Harvard University, she earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. She was elected to the Phoenix City Council in 2013, representing south Phoenix and the city’s downtown core. Prior professional pursuits include strategic planning and economic development for one of Arizona’s largest utility companies and service in state government, as part of the Governor’s team.

Mayor Kate Gallego enjoys a desert hike and a good read. She is Mom to five-year-old Michael.

Bill was re-elected to another four year term on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in 2020. Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in the United States with a population of over 4.5 million people. Bill represents over 900,000 residents as a Maricopa County Supervisor. He was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2016. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board, a position he held in 2019 when, among other things, Bill negotiated a re-organization of the Maricopa County Elections Department with then-Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes. Prior to joining the Board of Supervisors, Bill served on the Phoenix City Council from 2009-2016, including a stint as Vice Mayor in 2013.

Bill has been a lifelong Republican. He founded the Teenage Republican Club at his high school, was an officer in the Iowa Federation of College Republicans and also served as a Republican legislative district chair and the Secretary of the Maricopa County Republican Committee in the early 2000s. Bill also led the Arizona Republican Party’s election integrity efforts in 2006 and 2008 organizing a cadre of poll watchers and attorneys to ensure that every eligible vote was counted.

Bill has been featured in many publications regarding his work as a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors particularly as it relates to the operation of elections including the New York Times, Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, The Economist, The New Yorker, der Spiegel, Rolling Stone, and Reuters. He is a frequent contributor on CNN and appeared on CBS Evening News, PBS, MSNBC, BBC, ABC, as well as several local channels on this same topic.

Bill testified on October 7, 2021 before The United States House Oversight and Reform Committee in Washington, DC, about election integrity in regards to the results of Maricopa County’s 2020 General Election. Bill, along with then-Chairman of the Board Jack Sellers, detailed the steps taken by the County to ensure election integrity and expressed concerns with the recent “audit” of Maricopa County ballots and equipment by Arizona Senate contractors.

Bill is the recipient of various awards, commending his years of leadership, service, and defense of democracy including The Truman Foundation’s Joseph E. Stevens Public Service Award in 2022, The Arizona Republic’s 2021 Arizonan of the Year, and The Phoenix Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 in 2010.

Bill has practiced law in Phoenix, Arizona for 25 years and serves on numerous non-profit boards. He has also been very active in law-related education serving as a regional coordinator and attorney-coach at the high school and intercollegiate levels since graduating from law school. Bill holds a B.S. from Drake University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Bill served on Gov. Doug Ducey’s transition team in 2014 and was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation in 2006. Bill also was appointed to the Federal Communications Commission Intergovernmental Advisory Committee in 2018. In 2019, Bill was selected by Gov. Ducey to serve on the Workforce Arizona Council. In 2022, Bill became a Fellow of The Aspen Institute’s Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership Program.

Bill has been married for 25 years and has three daughters ages 21, 18 and 18.

Dr. Chad E. Gestson has served as Superintendent of the Phoenix Union High School District since the fall of 2015. Under his leadership, PXU has become one of our nation's most recognized and influential districts. The District has recently launched several new schools, including a Gifted and Talented Academy, a Digital Academy, and the Phoenix Coding Academy. In July 2022, Phoenix Union launched a new school concept never before seen in America - PXU City, a school that uses the city, not a campus, as the classroom. Gestson was recently named the Arizona Policymaker of the Year by the Arizona Health Association and the Arizona Superintendent of the Year by the Arizona Association for Public Relations.

Gestson is an alum of The Broad Academy at Yale's School of Management. He is also a member of Chiefs for Change. In 2019, he published his first book, BEFORE Teaching and Learning, a turnaround guide for school leaders.

Prior to being named superintendent, Gestson was the district's Director of Leadership and spent five years as the principal of Camelback High School, where he launched coding and engineering programs and the first and only Montessori high school in Arizona. Before joining Phoenix Union in 2009, Gestson served as an elementary school assistant principal and as a middle school principal. A product of Teach For America, he began his teaching career in 2001. Prior to his public education career, Gestson was a commercial construction superintendent in Seattle, WA.

Gestson holds a B.A. in English from the University of Washington, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from ASU, and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from NAU. In 2009, he completed his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from NAU where he was named the Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year. He and his wife, Megan, currently an executive director in the Roosevelt School District, founded and run Sponsors For Scholars (@SFStoCollege), a non-profit organization that supports under-resourced and under-represented high school and college students. They have two children, Olivia and Andrew, ages 18 and 14, respectively, and reside in Phoenix.

John Giles was elected Mayor of Mesa, Arizona in 2014 and began his second full term in January 2021.

Building on the foundation of his first term, his key areas of focus include 5Es: Economic Growth, Education, Environment, Equality & Compassion, and Emergency Response.

Mayor Giles oversees a growing economy that’s added tens of thousands of new jobs, over $7.9 billion in new capital investment, and employers like Apple, Amazon, ElectraMeccanica, Google and Meta.

His advocacy for a community that is healthy at every level led to the development of Mesa’s Climate Action Plan. Building on the city’s history of implementing sustainable practices, the goals of the plan include achieving carbon neutrality, using 100% renewable energy and diverting 90% of the waste from the landfill by 2050. In keeping with these goals, Mayor Giles is a champion for building an infrastructure that makes electric vehicle ownership more attainable, and for testing innovative technologies that reduce our impact on the environment.

Giles brings renewed focus and attention to Mesa’s downtown resulting in the new Arizona State University Media, Immersion and eXperience Center (ASU MIX Center) with cutting-edge programs and a budding creative economy with new businesses, restaurants and entertainment options.

Building Mesa’s workforce through strategic education initiatives is also a high priority for Mayor Giles. He spearheads the Mesa College Promise which provides qualified graduates with a free community college education. He also chairs the Arizona Mayor’s Education Roundtable.

Mayor Giles is Chair of the Immigration Task Force for the U.S. Conference of Mayors Board of Trustees and is a member of the Mayor’s Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. He is also the immediate past Chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and Vice-Chair of the Mayor’s Alliance to End Childhood Hunger.

Born and raised in Mesa, Mayor Giles earned degrees from Brigham Young University in Political Science and Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law where he is now an Adjunct Professor. He practiced law in Mesa for nearly 30 years before working full-time as Mayor. Mayor Giles is a marathoner and triathlete who has completed two full Ironman competitions, 20 marathons and four Boston Marathons. Mayor Giles and his wife Dawn have been married for more than 35 years. They have five children and eight grandchildren.

Sally Harrison moved from Washington State to Mesa in July of 2004. She joined the Mesa Chamber of Commerce in 2008 bringing with her a marketing, events and foundation management background. She originally served as the Director of Programs with the Chamber, after that, she moved to VP of Development and has been serving as President & CEO since the spring of 2013. Sally is also the President of the Mesa Industry & Defense Council.

Harrison is well connected in the Mesa community and serves on the boards of the Mesa Public Safety Foundation, Visit Mesa, Mesa Sister Cities and also serves as an advisory board member with the Economic Development Advisory Board for the City of Mesa. She is a member of the Mesa Rotary Club and the East Valley Chambers of Commerce Alliance. She is a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management Leadership Training, a four-year leadership program for Chamber executives. She is a 2010 graduate of Mesa Leadership and a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. She has also graduated from the Citizens Academies for both Mesa Police and Mesa Fire and Medical Departments.

Her passions lie in work with Veterans and Awareness and Prevention of Teen Suicide.

Bill Jabjiniak has served as the City of Mesa’s Economic Development Director since October 2007, with more than 29 years of results-driven vision and leadership in revitalization strategies, public/private partnership opportunities, project financing and business recruitment.

Mr. Jabjiniak leads a team of 13 professionals focused on business attraction, retention and expansion, workforce development and revitalization for the City of Mesa. Jabjiniak’s mission is to grow the local economy primarily through the strategic expansion of Mesa’s industries of opportunity – Healthcare, Education, Aerospace and Tourism (HEAT). Since Jabjiniak took the helm, the Office of Economic Development has assisted in creating and retaining more than 7,500 jobs, successfully landing more than 80 projects and generating $260 million of capital investment to Mesa. Notable projects include retaining the Chicago Cubs and MD Helicopters at Falcon Field; expanding Banner Health’s facilities; the attraction of five new higher education institutions; as well as attracting Cessna Aviation, First Solar and Crescent Crown Distributing. His office is also responsible for coordinating the redevelopment process for Arizona Laboratories for Security and Defense located next to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and ASU’s Polytechnic Campus.

Prior to joining the City of Mesa, Jabjiniak served as Director of Economic Development, and later as the Business Management Officer within the Deputy Chief Administrator’s Office for Housing, Land Use and Community Development, for the City of Richmond, Virginia. In both positions, he implemented creative financing solutions for a wide variety of economic and community development projects. Among his accomplishments, Jabjiniak developed a program for the Atlanta Braves to package a $50 million stadium with a new mixed-use, privately financed development. Additionally, he brought a new economic development tool to the city in the form of a $20 million line of credit with the federal government. While serving as Destination Manchester Coordinator in the Office of the Mayor for the City of Manchester, NH, he guided major development projects including a $40 million TIF-financed mixed use development and the $50+ million riverfront stadium development through the political and regulatory approval process.

Jabjiniak received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Franklin Pierce University and holds both a Master of Science in Community Economic Development and a Master of Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. His professional affiliations include the Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED), International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

Brian Kearney joined Catellus Development Corporation in February 2015 to launch the company’s efforts on Arizona State University’s Athletic Facilities District, now known as the Novus Innovation Corridor. Catellus was selected by ASU in late 2014 as master developer for this unique 355-acre community that is strategically integrated with ASU’s Tempe Campus. Through a public-private partnership with the nation’s most innovative university, Catellus will oversee more than eight million square feet of sustainable private development, including mid- and highrise offices; urban housing; hotels; and retail, restaurant and entertainment spaces, all interwoven with new and renovated best-inclass collegiate athletic venues.

Brian began his career in 1987 with the City of Phoenix, where his responsibilities included serving as project manager for the development of America West Arena (now Footprint Center), leading business attraction activities and heading the City’s downtown redevelopment program. In 1998, Brian became President and CEO of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, where he led a public-private partnership charged with managing, marketing and facilitating the revitalization of Downtown Phoenix. In late 2007, Brian moved to the multifamily development sector, serving initially as Chief Operating Officer and later President of Gray Development, a leading developer that was named Arizona’s #1 multifamily developer 10 times.

Brian has also been active in numerous community and professional organizations over the years, including the boards of directors of the Herberger Theater Center, Phoenix Theater, Arizona Science Center, Downtown Phoenix YMCA, Lambda Alpha and the Arizona Multi-housing Association, among others. He lives in Phoenix with his wife, Karin, and has three grown sons and two grandchildren. Brian earned a Political Science degree from Colorado State University and a Master of Public Administration from Texas A&M University.

Jennifer Mellor currently serves as the Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Phoenix Chamber. In this role, Jennifer oversees the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation, which convenes and catalyzes business, education, and community to enhance college and career readiness, develop a stronger workforce, and build healthier communities throughout Arizona. Alongside an extremely talented team, Jennifer launched ElevateEdAZ, six workforce collaboratives and Wellness AtoZ. Jennifer works closely with the Foundation Board of Directors to identify and implement key priorities and strategies for the Foundation. Jennifer also oversees the Chamber’s economic development efforts, focusing on data analysis, and business retention and expansion.

Prior to this role, Jennifer served as the Chamber’s Vice President of Program Development and Director of Finance. Prior to joining the Chamber, Jennifer worked as an analyst for Best Software and as a senior accountant for Casino Arizona. Jennifer has over 10 years of experience in accounting, more than 20 years of experience in business operations and is a licensed certified public accountant in the state of Arizona.

Jennifer holds an accounting degree from Arizona State University and obtained her MBA from the University of Phoenix. As a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Talent Pipeline Management Fellow, Jennifer is a strong advocate for data driven workforce development. Jennifer is also the Chair of the City of Phoenix’s Citizens Transportation Commission and serves as a board member for A for Arizona and Valley of the Sun United Way Women’s Leadership Council.

Jennifer currently resides with her family in Phoenix, AZ. In her spare time, she enjoys international travel and outdoor activities including water skiing, hiking and running.

Brett is a former collegiate basketball player who graduated from Arizona State University. With a strong understanding of the landscape that comes with youth and collegiate sports, Brett provides great intel on best practices for Legacy to implement. Following Brett’s time at ASU, he found a great passion for business development, developing strong brand/culture recognition, and effectively implementing tools and resources for an organization to help them reach optimal performance.

Brett is tasked with providing strong leadership, strategic planning and business development for Legacy Sports USA by working with the board and other executives to establish short and long-term initiatives. Brett recently served as a National Business Development Representative for the fastest growing Artificial Intelligence startup (Forethought AI), helping them grow from an $18 million valuation to $118 million valuation in a matter of 6 months. During his time at Forethought AI, Brett worked with some of the largest tech brands spanning across the U.S. Prior to Forethought AI, Brett was a District Manager for a Fortune 100 Company (ADP), in which he specialized in business development and human capital management. During his time at ADP, Brett specialized in developing strong partnerships and finding avenues to positively impact an organization’s P&L’s while strategically helping his clients gain market share. Brett consulted more than 350 organizations on human capital management trends and how to effectively implement changes to reach their desired results.

In addition, Brett is an active Phoenix 20/30’s and Fiesta Bowl Committee (FBC) Member. As a member of the Fiesta Bowl organization, it is the organization’s responsibility to host and coordinate two of the most exciting College football bowl games every year: The PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and The Guaranteed Rate Bowl (formerly the Insight Bowl). Throughout every calendar year, the FBC hosts many charity events across the valley including The Fiesta Bowl Golf Tournament, Hole-in-One Challenge, Honeywell Aerospace Competition, National Band Championship, NCAA Youth Football Challenge, Fellowship of Christian Athletes Banquet, and The PlayStation Fiesta Bowl Parade.

Millions of Americans proudly watched Dan O’Brien win the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal to become the first American winner in the sport since 1976. As an Olympic Gold Medalist in the decathlon, Dan O’Brien is officially considered the “World’s Greatest Athlete,” and his name is synonymous with athletic achievement and success both on and off the field. Adopted at the age of two, and raised in a home with seven other children of racially mixed backgrounds – Dan has overcome many adversities throughout his life. And with a great deal of self-determination and commitment, he has become one of the most successful and dominant athletes in the history of sports. He is an inspirational leader and motivational force for millions of people across the world. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Dan O’Brien overcame almost insurmountable odds. Four years prior, on Super Bowl Sunday early in 1992, Reebok introduced its unprecedented Dan & Dave campaign, a series of entertaining TV and print ads featuring Dan and rival Dave Johnson, debating who would take the title as the “World’s Greatest Athlete” in Barcelona. This publicity also provided for one of the most publicized failures in sports history when Dan “no-heighted” in the pole vault and failed to qualify for the 1992 Olympic team headed for Barcelona. All of Dan’s hard work had come to an end…or had it?

O’Brien has spent his entire life overcoming obstacles. After encouragement from family, friends and coaches, he set new goals and began the journey that eventually established him as the most prolific decathlete in history. Only months after the failure to make the 1992 Olympic team, he set a new World Record at the Deca Star Invitational in Talence, France – defeating the 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist Robert Zmelik. He didn’t stop there. He went on to win the 1993 and 1995 World Championships, the 1994 Goodwill Games, and three US Championships – all leading to the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal in Atlanta. Today Dan continues to give back to the sport that has given so much to him. He is the on-field emcee for every major USA Track & Field event, and he’s also heavily involved as both a host and celebrity athlete for USATF’s Win With Integrity program, a community outreach and mentoring program designed to help kids make good life decisions, set positive goals and adhere to a drug-free lifestyle. Dan also works very closely with the United States Olympic Committee as part of its Olympic Ambassador Program, mentoring current athletes in the areas of media training, preparation and peak performance.

Dan can also be seen on teamusa.org, where he hosts a Web series called “Can Dan Do It?” In this series, Dan, with the help of a 2012 Olympic hopeful, attempts 28 different Olympic events to see if the World’s Greatest Athlete, can, in fact, excel in any sport. Dan has become a highly sought motivational speaker, bringing his inspirational story to the employees and leaders of some of the biggest companies in the world, and over the years he has worked as both a color commentator and guest analyst for networks such as ESPN, CBS and NBC. He will be part of NBC’s 2012 Olympic coverage from London.

Cindy Ornstein joined the City of Mesa as Director of Arts and Culture and Executive Director of the Mesa Arts Center (MAC) in July 2010. She leads Mesa Arts Center, the Southwest’s largest multidisciplinary arts center, and oversees the i.d.e.a. Museum and the Arizona Museum of Natural History, in her role as Director of the City’s Department of Arts and Culture. She is involved in numerous activities supporting Mesa’s and Arizona’s creative vitality, including participating in the monthly roundtable of AZ cultural leadership, co-founding and serving on the board of Southwest Maker Fest, and supporting the development of the Mesa Artspace Lofts (opened spring 2018). She has helped lead many arts engagement strategies, including the Creative Catalysts initiative empowering arts activism and leadership in Mesa and beyond, and the Mesa Prototyping Project using the arts to explore needs and experiment with ideas for community design and problem solving. Cindy has also been a Faculty Associate for the Herberger Institute of Art and Design at Arizona State University, teaching a Master’s level course in Cultural Leadership.

Prior to her position in Mesa, Cindy was President & CEO of the Flint Cultural Center Corporation (FCCC) in Flint, Michigan from May 2000 through June 2010. There, she was responsible for the management of a 33-acre cultural campus, facilitated collaborative activities with campus partners, and supervised the directors of a 2,000-seat performing arts venue, a history museum and the largest planetarium in Michigan. Before joining the FCCC, Cindy served as Associate Director of the Allentown Art Museum and as Executive Director of Mayfair Festival of the Arts, both in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Prior to entering arts administration, Cindy was the Director of Corporate Communications at Rodale Press, Inc., and worked in the public relations agency business in New York and Atlanta. She began her career as an advertising copywriter and a journalist, and also worked in theater as an actor and director in Chicago and New York.

Cindy currently serves on the Executive Committee of the U.S. Urban Arts Federation. When in Michigan, she was appointed by Governor Granholm to two terms as a Council Member on the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the state arts agency, and served on the Executive Committee of the board of ArtServe Michigan, a statewide arts advocacy organization. In Pennsylvania, she served as Chair of the Lehigh Valley Arts Council and co-founded the Lehigh Valley Arts in Education Coalition. Cindy has served on numerous grant panels, committees and special projects advocating for and supporting the arts in all her communities. Cindy earned a B.A. degree in English from Vassar College and an M.A. degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in American Culture from the University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School.

Robin is the co-founder and Principal with EmFluent, an Executive Performance Consulting company that focuses on leadership strategy, talent optimization and sales arbitrage. Robin is also President and CEO of the Black Chamber of Arizona, Robin is also recognized as a professional speaker and has spoken nationally and internationally on the topics of business development, strategy execution, talent optimization, sales arbitrage and mergers and acquisition.

Originally from Northern California, Robin currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife and is an avid golfer who enjoys getting out on the course 3-4 times per week.

Robin holds several board seats including:

• Phoenix College President’s Advisory Board: Co-Chair since 2018
• Treasure House: Board Member since 2019
• Valley of the Sun United Way: Board Member Since 2020
• Arizona State University, Knowledge Exchange for Resilience (KER), Council of Resilience Leaders
• ASU W.P. Carey School of Business, AZNext – Steering Committee

Todd Sanders is the president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber, Arizona’s largest business organization. Prior to assuming his current role in 2009, he represented the interests of the business community at the State Legislature as Vice President of Public Affairs and Economic Development for the Phoenix Chamber. Prior to joining the Chamber, Todd served as a Policy Analyst for the Arizona House of Representatives in the areas of taxation, environment, political subdivisions and international trade.

He is a native of Bogotá, Colombia, and a graduate of Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. Previous work experience also includes contract work for British Petroleum, South America. Todd serves on the Board of Directors for the several Greater Phoenix organizations, including: Valley of the Sun United Way, Banner Alzheimer’s Foundation, Equality Health, Visit Phoenix, Friends of Public Radio, the Arizona-Mexico Commission, Arizona Town Hall, Arizona Chamber Executives, Western Association of Chamber Executives, Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, and CALA Alliance.

Todd is married and a proud father. He enjoys travel, politics, and participating in scouting with his son.

Ms. Villalobos was recently named President & CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber after serving as the Vice-President and Foundation Executive Director for seven years. In this role, she is responsible for the strategic growth initiatives of the chamber. She is also the operator of the Phoenix MBDA business center. Her background and experience as a corporate marketing executive and as an entrepreneur result in a unique combination of skill and talent. She is also Editor of eighteen research publications over the last seven years including the annual DATOS: State of Arizona’s Hispanic Market (2012-2019), DATOS Tucson (2012-2015), Minority-, Women-, Hispanic-, Family-owned Business Enterprise Reports (2012- 2013) and the AZ Supplier Diversity (2012), Employee Resource Group (2013), Sustainability (2014), Global Trade Best Practices (2015), and Minority Business Economic Indicator (2017-18) white paper series.

Ms. Villalobos is the founding principal at ResearchByDesign, a marketing research firm specializing in primary qualitative and quantitative research. She works closely with client partners to develop category specific studies as the foundation for marketing strategy decision-making. She was selected as the 2015 Latina Style Inc. Entrepreneur of the Year and ASU Entrepreneurship & Innovation Visionary Awardee, 2017 Achieving My Purpose: Celebration of Women award recipient, 2018 Cox Communication Hispanic Heritage honoree and a Phoenix Business Journal Outstanding Women in Business recipient.

Previously at Phoenix Marketing International based in Rhinebeck, NY, Ms. Villalobos developed all communication materials related to the company’s products and services. She continues to work with PMI and other clients as a research consultant and account planning strategist. Ms. Villalobos is the former Director of Accounts at Latin Force LLC, purchased by Goldman Sachs, a business strategy firm specializing in the Hispanic marketplace. In that capacity, she supervised strategy development for clients such as Wells Fargo, National Football League (NFL), Kraft Foods, and ING. Her expertise is in the development of Integrated Multicultural Communication Platforms and ROI Business Case Assessments. She led the Wells Fargo account and developed a Hispanic go-to-market plan by conducting proprietary research, reorganizing infrastructure, analyzing product proxy data, and formulating a customized ROI model with targeted product suites. At NFL, she was positioned as an in-house consultant to determine the most appropriate Hispanic segmentation model, craft relevant messaging and channels, examine sponsor needs and resources, facilitate media relationships and build the first-ever Hispanic platform for the 2006/7 season. She is also the former co-owner of Cuellar, LLC dba ShopRite Supermarket of Passaic/Clifton, an annual $50 million retail enterprise. She made this transition from the position of Executive Vice-President at ECO, Inc with the sale of that company and its subsidiaries President Supermarkets, Presidential Caterers and LatinoNetShopper.com.

Ms. Villalobos is scheduled to complete her doctorate at the University of Southern California in December 2019. She completed a Master of Arts in Communications degree at Seton Hall University with honors. She is also a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles with a double major in Linguistics and Psychology. Scholastic achievements include a scholarship to the Oxford University Study Abroad program, nomination of fellowship for a summer thesis on Quechua (language of the native Incas), and Dean’s Honors. Ms. Villalobos is also a national bronze medalist in collegiate Lincoln/Douglas debate and a state silver medalist in team debate. She is a first-generation Mexican-American and the only child of an elementary school teacher and truck driver.

Ms. Villalobos began her career with Casanova-Pendrill, one of the largest Hispanic advertising agencies in the country. Her responsibilities included management of on-air and promotional activities for Coors Brewing Company. Later at Arvizu Advertising, Ms. Villalobos supervised the Account Services department and managed $15 million in billings as Associate Director. She handled national accounts such as MasterCard International, Banco Popular and Coca-Cola. She was then courted by a client and joined the Telmex/Sprint International Joint Venture as Marketing Manager reporting directly to the Chief Marketing Officer. In this capacity, she developed and implemented marketing strategies, managed a $20 million budget and supervised agencies in Mexico and the U.S. Other assignments at Sprint included partnership management of EarthLink/Sprint. Ms. Villalobos then became Brand Manager of the Hispanic Line of Business for Capital One Financial. She was accountable to the Vice President for the development of the company’s programs within the Latino market. Her responsibilities included management of advertising agencies (in the U.S. and Mexico), internet channel development, and media/public relations.

Ms. Villalobos was a volunteer member of the Advisory Council of “Juntos en Salud,” a community health initiative administered by Catholic Health Charities in the city of Passaic, NJ. She was on the board of the New Jersey Regional Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Republican Eagles. She is a former member of the Board of Directors for St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation in Paterson, NJ, Mental Health Association of Essex County, Montclair, NJ, and Girls, Inc. of New Jersey. She is currently a member of the AZ Community Foundation Latina Giving Circle and Vice President of the St. Thomas Aquinas Grade School Parent-Teacher Organization. Ms. Villalobos resides in Litchfield Park, AZ caring for her mother, and two children, Michael Jr. (10) and Maximiliano (7).