WOI 10/26/12 Inside Tucson Business

Women of Infl uence

2012

WOi

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2 InsideTucsonBusiness.com | 2012 Women Of Infl uence

2012 Women Of Infl uence | Inside Tucson Business 3

Looking back on eight years of Women of Infl uence Inside Tucson Business

Since 2004, Inside Tucson Business has been

priveleged to have now honored more than 100

Women of Infl uence in Southern Arizona.

All were nominated by readers as making a

positive difference in the Tucson region. And most

still are. Ten have left the region and some others

have retired.

Here’s a look back at previous years’ honorees

and what they’re doing now.

2011• Joni Condit continues as vice president and

chief operating offi cer of La Posada continuing

care retirement center in Green Valley.

• Winnie Fritz retired last November as CEO

of Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital but apparently

retirement didn’t suit her and, as of August, joined

Agilum Healthcare Intelligence, based in Nash-

ville, Tenn., to lead the company’s healthcare per-

formance improvement consulting service.

• Tannya Gaxiola continues as president and

CEO of QuikHelp, the legal document preparation

service she founded in 2009.

• Alison Hughes retired last year from the

Rural Health Offi ce at the Mel and Enid Zucker-

man College of Public Health after a 25-year ca-

reer with the University of Arizona.

• Michelle Livingston is working on her

MBA at the University of Arizona and working

for the online media consultancy fi rm AB Design

Strategies, as a strategist and business develop-

ment consultant. Earlier this year, she left her po-

sition as marketing director at Buffalo Exchange

after 14 years with the company.

• Shannan Marty continues to run her in-

vestment management fi rm High Roads Ventures,

which she founded in 2003, and is a member of

Desert Angels investors.

• Teresa Nowak continues as senior vice

president and commercial loan offi cer at Com-

merce Bank of Arizona, where she has been since

2002, and runs her own fi rm Alpenglow Produc-

tions, an event designer and retreat facilitator.

• Jan Offret continues as chief nursing offi cer

at Northwest Medical Center where she has been

since 2004.

• Rae Orozco continues as senior pastor at

Grace to the Nations Church and Family Ministry

Center where she has been since 2002.

• Lesli Pintor continues as senior vice presi-

dent at National Bank of Arizona where she has

been since 1997. She oversees the Tucson Com-

mercial Real Estate Division and co-sponsors the

bank’s networking organization, Women’s Finan-

cial Group.

• Amanda Sapir this year moved to Wash-

ington, D.C., where she is now working in the Fed-

eral Trade Commission’s new Bureau of Consum-

er Protection. She and Patty Valera were part of

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ offi ce who soldiered

on after the Jan. 8, 2011, shooting.

• Patty Valera is constituent services super-

visor specializing in veterans issues, now in the

offi ce of U.S. Rep. Ron Barber. She was honored

for those efforts in the offi ce of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle

Giffords.

2010• Jodi Bain opened her own practice, the

Bain Law Firm, in July focusing on real estate,

commercial law, and banking and lending. She

also continues as principal and designated broker

of Prime Advisors, a real estate and business con-

sulting service. In June, state Senate President

Steve Pierce removed her as one of his appoint-

ments to the Rio Nuevo Mulitpurpose Facilities

District, replacing her with Fletcher McCusker.

• Lori Banzhaf is director of member ser-

vices for the Tucson Metro Chamber, where she

started last year. Previously she had been director

of major gifts for Tucson Medical Center’s foun-

dation for three years and before that she was

president and owner of Monsoon Marketing for

5½ years.

• Kim Bourn is vice president of the Criti-

cal Path Institute (C-Path) Foundation which was

started in September 2011 to generate the philan-

thropy needed to support the institute’s programs

and mission. In her 20 years in Tucson, she was a

founder of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

and serves on the boards of the University of Ari-

zona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Pub-

lic Health and Tucson Medical Center’s Pediatric

Campaign.

• Katrina Heineking was transferred in

February to Austin, Texas, by Professional Tran-

sit Management (PTM) to be general manager of

its Veolia Transportation-managed services there.

She had been PTM’s general manager of Tucson’s

Sun Tran and Sun Van since March 2006 and rec-

ognized as a pioneering woman within the trans-

portation industry.

• Katharine Kent continues as owner and

CEO of the Solar Store, which she founded in CONTINUED ON PAGE 5


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March 1998.

• Maricela Meza continues as an attorney

focusing on family law with Karp & Weiss, where

she has been since May 2010.

• Judy Rich continues as president and CEO

of Tucson Medical Center, a position she has held

since 2007.

• Keri Silvyn in June joined with Larry La-

zarus and Frank Bangs to form their own law

fi rm, Lazarus, Silvyn & Bangs specializinig in zon-

ing and land use. The fi rm has offi ces in both Tuc-

son and Phoenix. Silvyn, who has been practic-

ing law since 1997, previously was a partner with

Lewis & Roca where she had been since 1999. She

is also chair of Imagine Greater Tucson, which at

the end of September released its vision report

for Tucson’s future.

• Laura Shaw continues as senior vice

president of marketing and communications for

Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc.

(TREO), a position she has held since the organi-

zation was launched in 2005.

• Kimberly States continues as president

and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of South-

ern Arizona, a position she has held since Decem-

ber 2008.

• Ellie Towne is still retired – technically she

did that in 1996 – but she continues as president

of the Flowing Wells Neighborhood Association

and Community Coalition. Pima County’s Ellie

Towne/Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660

W. Ruthrauff Road and opened in September

2007, is named in her honor.

2009• Jessica Andrews runs her own consulting

fi rm, jandrews consulting, which focuses on orga-

nizational development, fundraising and govern-

ment issues for performing arts organizations.

She was the fi rst woman managing director of a

not-for-profi t residential professional theater and

had been executive director of the Arizona The-

atre Company for 15 years before stepping down

in June 2009.

• Ruth Brinkley in January was named pres-

ident and CEO of KentuckyOne Health, a network

of 20 hospitals and 13,000 employees headquar-

tered in Louisville, Ky. In Tucson she had been

president and CEO of Carondelet Health Net-

work and its four hospitals from 2007 until Oc-

tober 2011 when the parent company, Ascension

Health named her an executive in residence in

Washington, D.C.

• Katie Dusenberry is retired from the pub-

lic spotlight but continues as vice president and

co-owner of Horizon Moving Systems. In her ca-

reer, Dusenberry had been the fi rst woman elect-

ed to the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

• Kim Fernández has embarked on a sec-

ond career as a licensed fi nancial advisor with

Waddell & Reed, 6245 E. Broadway, Suite 540.

She had been principal and senior architect with

ABA Architects, which closed after 20 years last

December.

• Cindy Godwin continues to be an inde-

pendent marketer as owner of Godwin Marketing

Consulting, which she has run since 2006.

• Charlotte Harris continues to be active

with Rotary Club of Tucson, of which she was

president in 2008-2009, past chair of the Rotary

Foundation. Among other things, she is also on

the advisory board for the University of Arizona’s

College of Education and Norton School of Fam-

ily and Consumer Sciences and is chair of the

marketing committee for Salpointe Catholic High

School.

• Susie Huhn continues as executive director

of Casa de los Niños crisis nursery.

• Lisa Lovallo continues as vice president

and system manager of Cox Communications

Southern Arizona, a position she has held since

2008.

• Diana Madaras continues her watercolor

painting, which she sells out of her Diana Mad-

aras Gallery and also uses as a springboard for

fundraising efforts for charities.

• Donna J. Zazworsky is vice president of

Community Health and Continuum Care for Ca-

rondelet Health Network, a position she has held

since April 2010. A registered nurse and the au-

thor of the “Handbook of Diabetes Management,”

she helped Carondelet Health Network develop

what has become a national model for health care

delivery.

2008• Judy Clinco has retired as president of the

Care Giver Training Institute, which she founded

in 2000 as the Direct CareGiver Association to

train workers in adult healthcare. She continues

to be an advisor to the organization, while con-

tinuing as co-owner of Catalina In-Home Servic-

es, which she started in 1981.

• Megan Davis continues as CEO of the Da-

vis Consulting Group, which she founded in 1995

to work with CEOs and business leaders. She was

married to Steven Lightman in 2010 and now

goes by the name Mary Davis Lightman.

• Jayne Henninger continues as co-owner

of Remedy Intelligent Staffi ng, which she found-

ed with her late husband in 1992.

• Linda M. Johnson continues as a broker

with Long Realty and is the participating real es-

tate consultant with the Referral Tree Business

Generation Group.

• Nancy McClure continues as a fi rst vice

president at CBRE, where she specializes in retail

commercial real estate.

• Gina Murphy-Darling, known through-

out the Tucson region as “Mrs. Green,” who hosts

an Internet program promoting healthy, envi-

ronmentally aware lifestyles at www.mrsgreen-

sworld.com/ .

• Mary Rowley continues as president of

the public relations fi rm Strongpoint, which she

founded in 2003.

• Priscilla Storm continues as vice president

of public policy and community planning for Dia-

mond Ventures, a position she has held since Oc-

tober 2001. She is also on the board of directors

of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7


Congratulations

Barbara LaWallon being honored as a Woman of Infl uence

Your commitment, vision, and dedication as Pima County Attorney has made our community a safer place to live and work.www.pcao.pima.gov

THANK YOU BARBARA!THANK YOU BARBARA!


• Mindy Webb in June was named senior

vice president of operations for Grandpoint Bank,

which operates in Los Angeles and Orange Coun-

ty in California. That bank’s parent company,

Grandpoint Capital, and a group of local investors

led by Jim Click in 2011 acquired Southern Ari-

zona Community Bank, where she had been since

1998, and merged it with the Bank of Tucson.

• Jana Westerbeke continues as owner of

Gadabout SalonSpas, which she took over in 2005

from her mother who had started the company in

August 1980.

2007• Vicki Balentine retired in June after a 40-

year career in education, the last 12 as superin-

tendent of Amphitheater Public Schools.

• Kerstin Block continues as president and

co-owner of Buffalo Exchange, which she and her

late husband Spencer founded in 1974. The pri-

vately held company has grown to 43 stores and

three franchises in 16 states, with $72.9 million

in annual revenue for 2011. In June, she was hon-

ored with a Lumie Award from the Tucson Pima

Arts Council for the company’s contributions to

the arts.

• Vicki Chandler continues as chief program

offi cer of science at the Gordon and Betty Moore

Foundation in San Francisco, a position she has

held since February 2009. Previously, she was

the director of the University of Arizona’s Bio5

Institute.

• Alejandra Dreisbach is now a loan offi -

cer with the nonprofi t microlender Acción New

Mexico - Arizona - Colorado, a position she has

held since July 2010. From 2002 to 2007 she was

vice president and CEO of TMC de Mexico, an ef-

fort by Tucson Medical Center to market itself in

northern Mexico and from 2008 to 2010 she was

a healthcare consultant.

• Elizabeth Gonzalez-Gann co-owns the

Diet of Hope Institute which she and her hus-

band cardiologist Dr. Dietmar Gann started in

October 2010. It specializes in disease preven-

tion through weight control. Previously she had

a business consulting fi rm and JanCo Janitorial

and was active in the Tucson Hispanic Chamber

of Commerce.

• Marian Lupu has retired from her position

as executive director of the Pima Council on Ag-

ing, which she founded in 1967.

• Lea Márquez-Peterson is president and

CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Com-

merce, a position she has held since August 2009.

She also operates her own business brokerage

fi rm, TucsonBizforSale.com, which she started in

2004.

• Dana Rambow continues as president and

CEO of AristoCare Home Healthcare Services, the

business she founded in 1999 and now has seven

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE


locations in Arizona and California.

• Debbie Wagner has had a year of mixed

blessings. In June, she was named one of Radio

Ink’s Most Infl uential Women for 2012. In Sep-

tember, she was replaced as president and mar-

ket manager for Clear Channel Radio in San Di-

ego where she had gone in December 2008 after

spending most of her 29-year broadcasting career

in Tucson.

• Eileen Whalen is executive director of the

University of Washington’s Harborview Medical

Center, a position she has held since July 2008.

She and her husband still own a 13,000 acre cattle

ranch in Southern Arizona. From 2004 to 2008,

Whalen was vice president of trauma, emergency

and perioperative services at University Medical

Center in Tucson.

2006• Susan Boswell continues as a managing

partner and attorney, specializing in bankruptcy

and business reorganization, in the Tucson offi ce

of Quarles & Brady. In September she was named

among the Best Lawyers in America 2013 in the

18th annual peer review selection.

• Marty Cortez this year is in a three-way

election race in her bid to serve a fi fth term on the

Pima Community College Board of Governors.

• Anne Doris in August left her position as

chief operating offi ce of Academic Partnerships

in Dallas, where she had been since January 2011.

In Tucson, from April 2003 to December 2007,

she was vice president and system manager for

Cox Communications’ Southern Arizona opera-

tions before the company moved her to its Cleve-

land operations where she was through 2010.

• Dorothy Finley is retired since selling

her 60-year-old Finley Distributing Company in

2008.

• Carlotta Flores continues as chef, owner,

secretary and treasurer of El Charro Enterprises,

which was started in 1922 and is Tucson’s oldest

continuously operated restaurant. El Charro Ca-

fes have grown to fi ve locations in the region.

• Pat Klein since retiring in June as director

of constituent services for the Town of Oro Val-

ley, where she had been since February 2008, has

been volunteering in election campaigns and is

currently working on Richard Carmona’s effort to

be elected to the U.S. Senate. From 1985 to 2005

she was district chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Jim

Kolbe, who retired.

• Georgia Lacy continues as president and

CEO of GEO Advertising, which she founded in

April 1981.

• Frances Merryman continues as vice

president and senior wealth strategist at North-

ern Trust.

• Laura Penny continues as executive direc-

tor of the Women’s Foundation of Southern Ari-

zona, a position she has held since July 2004.

• Leslie P. Tolbert is senior vice president

for research at the University of Arizona over-

seeing a research portfolio of more than $600

million as well as the UA’s graduate education

programs, and institutional efforts in economic

Christopher, Kimberly, & your Golden Eagle Family

Distributing America’s beverages throughout Arizona for over 30 years. www.gedaz.com

Your dedication and leadership is an inspiration. Congratulations on

being recognized as a Woman of Influence.

Congratulations Ginny


CONGRATULATIONSTO OUR PARTNER AND COLLEAGUE

LINDA MCNULTY2012 WOMEN OF INFLUENCE HONOREE

www.LRLaw.com

Tucson

development and technology-related business al-

liances.

• Kathy Alexander is owner of Salon de

Nouveau, 2004 E. Ft. Lowell Road. From 1983 to

2006, she was Southern Arizona vice president

for the University of Phoenix.

• Sally Fernandez continues to be involved

in the software/technology industry as president

and CEO of Safety Dynamics, the Technology De-

velopment and Research Institute and her own

fi rm, the Fernandez Group.

• Mary Kamerzell is in her 17th year as su-

perintendent of Catalina Foothills School District

No. 16, making her the second longest tenured

superintendent in the Tucson region.

• Rosey Koberlein continues as the CEO of

the Long Companies, the fi rst woman to run the

company in its 80-year history.

• Melanie Larson is national marketing di-

rector for the human resources consulting fi rm

Jorgenson/Brooks Group, a position she has held

since November 2010. She is also president and

co-owner of L&B Design, a management consult-

ing fi rm she started in December 2007 after sell-

ing the Explorer newspaper, which she started in

1993.

• Elsie MacMillan continues as owner and

president of Sierra Toyota Scion in Sierra Vista,

which she has owned since June 2002.

• Terri Mitchell in August was named vice

president for IBM’s integration of Texas Memory

Systems, a Houston-based developer of high-per-

formance fl ash memory solutions. She spent the

previous two years similarly working on integrat-

ing Blade Network Technologies, a developer of

data center switching technology, into IBM. She

has been based at IBM’s Raleigh-Durham, N.C.,

operations since leaving Tucson in 2009 after

four years as vice president of storage systems

and Arizona senior state executive for IBM.

• Kathy Oestreich continues as a consultant

specializing in health insurance issues running

her own fi rm, Oestreich Consulting and working

with Eastwick Strategy Group and this year join-

ing Alvarez and Marsal as a director and subject

matter expert. From 1996 to 2011, she had been

CEO of University Physicians Health Plans Inc.

• June Webb-Vignery continues as execu-

tive director of the Metropolitan Education Com-

mission.

• Laurie Wetterschneider continues as

co-owner with her sister of Laurie & Lisa Designs

jewelry, which they started in 2003. She also

continues to volunteer as a grant writer for Court

Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which she

has been doing 2007.

2004• Bonnie Allin is in her 12th year as presi-

dent and CEO of the Tucson Airport Authority,

which operates Tucson International Airport and

Ryan Airfi eld.

• Jo Anne Arvizu continues as manager of

supplier diversity at Raytheon Missile Systems.

• Linda Arzoumanian with no opposition

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE


in the Nov. 6 general election looks as if she will

continue for another four years as Pima County

Schools Superintendent, a position she has held

since being appointed to it in 1999.

• Jannie Cox is retired as the CEO of the

Carondelet Foundation but she remains active —

literally — promoting health and fi tness as a run-

ner owner of CS Ventures LLC, which founded

the weekly Meet Me at Maynards running event

downtown.

• Mary Gruensfelder-Cox in July became

executive director of the Arizona Literacy and

Learning Center in Phoenix where she has been

since May 2011 when she went to work as direc-

tor of corporate foundation relations for North-

ern Arizona University. From 2002 through 2006

she was executive director of the Microbusiness

Advancement Center of Southern Arizona and

from 2006 through 2009 was executive director

of Youth on Their Own.

• Jana Kooi is president for the online cam-

pus at Florida State College, Jacksonville, Fla., a

position she’s had since May 2011 since retiring

after eight years as president of the Northwest

Campus of Pima Community College.

• Suzanne Lawder continues as president

and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Southern Ari-

zona, the position she has held since 1987.

• Jan Lesher is working for Pima County as

a deputy county administrator for medical and

health services. She was director of former Gov.

Janet Napolitano’s Tucson offi ce from 2003 un-

til January 2007 when she was appointed the

governor’s chief of staff in Phoenix and later that

year named director of the Arizona Department

of Commerce. In January 2009, she was named

chief of staff for operations in the U.S. Depart-

ment of Homeland Security by Napolitano, who

was appointed its secretary by President Obama.

She returned to Tucson in 2010.

• Sarah R. “Sally” Simmons is presid-

ing judge of the Superior Court in Pima County,

a position she was named to in May 2011. From

2002 to 2006, she was a partner in the law fi rm of

Lewis and Roca. She was appointed to the bench

in January 2006 and was presiding judge of the

juvenile court from January 2009 until this year.

• Tammy Stoltz, now Tammy Topp, is semi-

retired and living in Punta Gorda, Fla., where she

has been since 2006 with her husband Dan Topp,

who was executive director of the Carondelet

Medical Group for 10 years. She remains active in

children’s causes in Florida working with YMCA,

Boys and Girls Clubs and others. In 2004, she

was executive director of the Pima Community

Access Program, a nonprofi t providing affordable

access to medical services for uninsured people

with low incomes, and later was CEO of Chil-

dren’s Clinics for Rehabilitative Services before

leaving for Florida.


Academic Medicine Is Smart Medicine.SM

Our CEO, Karen Mlawsky, and Dr. Lori Mackstaller have been awarded the title of “Inside Tucson Business Women of Influence.” Not only do they share their designation with other outstanding women here in Tucson, they are also our respected co-workers. We are very proud.

To all the women who have been awarded this prestigious designation, we offer an exuberant “Congratulations!”

WE’D LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ALL THE WOMEN OF INFLUENCE, INCLUDING TWO OF OUR OWN.

UAhealth.com

Karen Mlawsky, CEO Lori Mackstaller, MD


By Lisa K. HarrisInside Tucson Business

armen Bermudez wants to help others ride the elevator of success. She’s not afraid of heights regardless of how scary the journey. As founder and CEO of Mission Management and Trust, the nation’s fi rst independent trust company run by a minority woman, Bermudez

manages $300 million in assets.As Honorary Consul for her native Costa Rica, she lobbies for free trade

and promotes using seasonal migrant workers. As a former competitive tri-athlete she regularly fi nished in the top fi ve of her age class. And, as a bull-fi ghter she headlined in both Costa Rican and Mexico City bullrings.

What motivates Bermudez isn’t fame or money or the number of boards she’s on. It’s reaching out.

At Mission, a company she started in 1994, Bermudez developed an in-ternship program to train students. So far, 25 students from the University of Arizona’s Eller School of Management have worked in the program and four have landed jobs with Mission. Tucson “must fi nd a way to keep our talent and not lose students to Los Angeles, Chicago or New York,” she says.

Bermudez also works with those not as fortunate as her interns. Mission’s philanthropy program reaches minorities and women, providing educational scholarships, supporting nuns who work in slums in Central America and underwriting programs which better the lives of underprivileged children.

“I want to help others rise to the top of their chosen career, whether they get off at the fi rst fl oor or step into the penthouse,” she says.

Bermudez started her own ride in the subbasement. “I grew up in the jungle. There weren’t any roads or telephones or shoes to wear. I didn’t feel deprived because nobody had anything.” Her mother, a single parent of four, struggled to put food on the table. “But she always managed to,” Bermudez said. “My mother told me I was special and I believed her.”

In Costa Rica, one way out of poverty was bullfi ghting. In 1950, at age seven, Bermudez decided to fi ght. By the time she turned 18 she was one of Costa Rica’s leading bullfi ghters. “I loved the thrill and danger. Once I en-tered the ring there was no way to go but forward.”

Bermudez took that lesson to heart. The only way to succeed was to keep reaching out to others. Perhaps she should add “elevator operator” to her long list of accomplishments.

C

BermudezCarmen

Carmen Bermudez

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“Tucson has been my home for 18 years. Our friends are here. Tucson has a great potential for growth, yet it retains a small community feel.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“I would demand that the City Council get their act together and stop stalling the progress toward a productive downtown. We need a bigger convention center, more hotel rooms to house large groups for the gem show, rodeo and future events we could attract. We need a downtown stadium and/or arena for soccer, baseball, football, even U of A basketball. I would also like for Tucson to be foresighted and start doing more business with northern Mexico. Commerce between Arizona and the northern cities of Mexico could be a gold mine.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“One of my great enjoyments away from home and business is to play golf. I also swim and, with my husband, attend as many U of A games as I can.”


By Gillian DrummondInside Tucson Business

sk Ginny Clements for a copy of her résumé and you’d better set aside plenty of reading time. Board positions and chairmanships, past and present, run to almost seven pages, from the Arizona Cancer Center and Muscular Dystrophy Association, through the Catholic Founda-

tion and Casa de los Ninos, to the National Beer Wholesalers Association.And then there is the plethora of awards given for her business leadership

and her many contributions to charity and education.Some might say she has led something of a charmed life: a popular stu-

dent, a long marriage and a successful business in beer wholesaler Golden Eagle Distributors.

But there have been challenges, and tragedy. Clements is a 51-year-old breast cancer survivor, having found a lump at the age of 15. She lost her hus-band Bill Clements to lung cancer in 1995, thrusting her into a CEO role she was hugely unprepared for. So she decided to learn from the ground up.

“Having never worked in the beer business or, for that matter, at GED (Golden Eagle Distributors), everything was a learning curve for me,” she says. She rode with the company’s drivers, shadowed salespeople, even cleaned taps. She grilled the executive team with questions, networked with other women in business and became active in the National Beer Wholesal-ers Association.

Her children, Christopher and Kimberly, held minor positions at Golden Eagle at the time. They are now CEO and president respectively.

“Sometimes I had to speak to them as their boss, which probably, at times, was hard on them because they knew me as ‘Mom,’ but we did work well together,” says Clements, now retired from the daily activities of the fi rm but still chairman of the board and the majority stock holder.

Although she still keeps an eye on sales and expenses and voices her opin-ion, Clements says: “It hasn’t been hard for me to take a backseat.”

Did her early bout with breast cancer teach her any lessons she has drawn on in business?

“Nobody should have to go through what I experienced as a teenager. It has taught me to persevere, to be strong, to be the best I can be and to stand up for what you believe,” she says.

A

Ginny Clements

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“My children and grandchildren are here and I have a fabulous group of loving friends who reside here. My business is here as is my husband’s (Tom Rogers). And let’s not forget the beautiful mountains, wonderful sunsets and the near-perfect weather nine months of the year.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“We need to revitalize Tucson. To begin that process, I would bring together our business and city leaders to work together to stimulate job growth by creating a business-friendly environment.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“Meeting with an array of people on the many volunteer boards and advisory boards that I serve on.”

ClementsGinny



sk Dr. Carolyn Compton what makes up her day, and the fi rst word she uses is communication.

If she’s not talking to staff at the U.S. Food and Drug Administra-tion or non-profi ts in the drug industry, she’s touching base with her

own staff to fi gure out the next step in their fi ve-year plan. Or she’s heading for meetings, by car to Phoenix or by airplane to Washington, D.C., and, of-tentimes, Capitol Hill.

“My life is about communication on all levels, to the government, to pol-icy makers, lawmakers, other non-profi ts with similar goals and missions to ours.”

Compton took the helm as president and CEO of Critical Path Institute (C-Path) in February after founder Dr. Raymond Woosley retired. Woosley began the non-profi t in 2005 with just fi ve employees and an idea: to develop tools and methods to help medical therapies along the “critical path” of de-velopment and to being made available to patients.

Today, C-Path has a staff of 52 — physicians, scientists project managers and directors — with backgrounds in government, academia and industry. “We’re attracting more brainpower to Arizona,” says Compton, who has made it her aim to turn this well-established startup into a worldwide leader.

“I believe the organization has now matured to the point where it has a distinct value proposition and set of expertise. It has earned a reputation as a trusted third party. I want to take C-Path to a whole new level,” says Comp-ton, a graduate of Harvard, a pathologist and most recently a director at the National Cancer Institute.

And although moving to Tucson has been a culture shock for this East Coaster, she says she would have moved to wherever C-Path was — that’s how excited she is about its capabilities.

Next year will see “signifi cant new activity” for C-Path, as well as new hiring, says Compton. She also wants to take the company into new disease areas. On a personal level, she wants to explore Tucson and the desert. The Desert Museum and Tucson’s opera scene are high on her visitor list.

A

Carolyn Compton

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“This wonderful place where I work, the wonderful people I work with, and the spectacular promise of what we can accomplish for patients.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“Non-stop fl ights and a high-speed rail link with Phoenix. But also what I’d like to see happen is very much underway right now, which is building this critical mass of organizations who can inter-digitate and synergize, who can accomplish something together that’s more than the sum of the parts.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“I’ve been starting to enjoy the rich artistic community here — fi nding places to shop on Fourth Avenue, and the cultural offerings.”

ComptonCarolyn


By Kristen LodgeInside Tucson Business

alerie Diaz is the sales manager of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s Casino Del Sol where she works with international groups and travelers. While often traveling for work, when she is in Tucson she is building com-munity with her passion for people and the ancestry of the region.

“I have been blessed with being a conduit between the casino, the owner-ship (the tribe) and the community, and because of that I’ve been able serve with a unique role as a sales manager,” she said.

“When there’s an opportunity for a partnership with the community I ask how we (the casino) can help you, what resources do you have that you would be willing to expose, will it help support tribal youth and elders?”

Casino Del Sol is a presenting sponsor of El Tour de Tucson. The com-pany supports the organization and has taken on the idea of when they are involved in community organizations it’s an integrated partnership.

“We ask how we can best support the organization, provide resources, and now with the conference center we can. It’s very exciting to come up with concepts of creating a new event or existing event,” she said.

Diaz is humbled by her nomination as a Women of Infl uence but it’s about the community she serves and the work is never done, she said.

“I see myself as inclusive as possible. I realize that everyone is different from a cultural perspective, but we are so much more alike. I empower my children and want them to feel comfortable in their own skin in this day and age,” said Diaz.

She is part of a Hispanic Women’s national board that focuses on schol-arships for Hispanic women. Serving on national boards, job demands and family, Diaz fi ts it all in to make it work — to make a better community for everyone.

V

Valerie Diaz

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“Right now I live in Chandler, but I try to be as involved in Tucson with my work at the casino and with partnerships in the community.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“I would like to work with existing organizations to create a campaign that welcomes international visitors to Tucson because we are such a warm and welcoming com-munity. Also within that campaign, utilize it in our school system where we can use it as a tool for teaching the history; the real history of Tucson.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“At Cup Café inside the Hotel Congress. It has a good vibe, it’s a great representa-tion of what Tucson does so well. And Rigo’s restaurant in South Tucson. I grew up in Tucson.”

DiazValerie


By Christy KruegerInside Tucson Business

dvocating for small businesses is a smart move when you’re involved in a small business, as Colleen Edwards is. But her support is not motivated simply by a sense of self-promotion for Tucson Appliance and Tucson Wholesale Supply. She says she does it for the social interaction, a com-

mitment to her family and because she realizes the importance it plays in Tuc-son’s growth.

“In supporting small business, you support our community and it allows us to support non-profi ts,” Edwards said.

It’s no surprise then that Edwards has been actively involved with several local organizations that depend heavily on Tucson’s commercial sector, both in terms of time and money donations.

“We support the Humane Society’s Puttin’ on the Dog event. It was one of my dad’s favorites,” she says.

Her father was Bill Edwards, who started the company 40 years ago. He died in 2010.

Tucson Appliance is a preferred purveyor of Tucson Originals, the alliance of locally owned restaurants that Edwards strongly endorses.

“You’ll never fi nd me at a national chain restaurant,” she said.Edwards spent countless hours volunteering with Tucson Medical Center

Foundation. She co-chaired its 50th anniversary gala and helped with Rock ‘N Rodeo, its annual fundraiser for Peppi’s House hospice. Through these events she met Lori Banzhaf and Anne Fulton-Cavett, two women she calls her role models. Seeing them at work gave Edwards a great appreciation for the amount of effort that goes into a major fundraiser.

“I’ve been privileged to meet amazing people in Tucson and be a part of great events. Figuring out how to put on events was an eye-opener. It’s easy to go to them, but the people who plan them — I have a lot of respect for them,” Edwards said.

The Tucson Metro Chamber is fortunate to have Edwards on its board of directors where she serves as secretary, works on the First Impressions project to beautify the entryway into Tucson International Airport and last year helped secure the chamber’s new chief executive offi cer, Mike Varney.

One of Edwards’ proudest moments came when her company won the 2009 Wells Fargo Copper Cactus Award for Community Service, a demonstration that others are paying attention to the business-charity connection. And she’s proud that Tucson Appliance continues to be a vital part of the community, “doing a lot to support southern Arizona and giving back as much as we can.”

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Colleen Edwards

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“The weather; I hate being cold. I have extended family and friends and hope we can make Tucson a better place to live and do business.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“Beautifying the city. I think having pride in where we live is truly important. We have such beautiful surroundings - we need to keep it going.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“At a Tucson Originals restaurant is where you can fi nd me.”

EdwardsColleen



acquelyn Jackson supports Tucson’s teachers and children. As executive director of Tucson Values Teachers, her organization’s mission is to raise awareness for teachers and the importance of their contributions to Tuc-son’s future.

“Our teachers are undervalued. They work hard, aren’t paid enough, and of-ten use their own money to buy school supplies,” she said. “A child’s education is only as good as the teacher standing in front of the classroom.”

If Tucson is to have an educated workforce, Jackson strongly believes we must support teachers with better pay and benefi ts. Instead of waiting for Washington, D.C., or Phoenix to step up to the plate, Jackson works with area businesses to create community-based solutions. In the six years since she founded Tucson Val-ues Teachers, Jackson has made progress toward her goal.

In partnership with Offi ceMax, Tucson Values Teachers acknowledges excep-tional teachers each month with a $100 gift certifi cate.

“The best part is giving the teacher the award during the school day. The kids are thrilled when we walk into the classroom and tell their teacher how much we think of them,” Jackson said.

In a separate program, Walgreens supports Tucson Values Teacher with sup-plies.

“Walgreens donates tissues and paper and we’ve used their support to garner matching grants to pay for other back-to-school supplies,” Jackson said.

Making a difference is what motivates Jackson. She and her husband moved to Tucson nine years ago from Washington, D.C.

“We visited in June, and decided to come. We had no jobs lined up but made the plunge anyway,” she said.

Jackson quit her job as a media lobbyist with the belief she could be more ef-fectual in Tucson than in Washington.

Jackson’s values were further cemented Jan. 8, 2011. A one-time staff mem-ber for former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Jackson stopped by Giffords’ Con-gress on Your Corner event that day to say hello to friends and former co-workers and ended up witnessing the shooting that left six dead and 13 others wounded and nearly becoming a victim herself.

“It was a game-changer,” she said. “The shootings had a profound effect on my focus and what I want to get done.”

Making teachers feel valued is on top of her list.

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Jacquelyn Jackson

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“I can really make a difference here in Tucson, much more so than in Washington, D.C., where my husband and I moved from.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“I would eliminate poverty in Tucson and make sure our children have the best educa-tion they can have. Our community was ranked the sixth poorest among metropolitan areas in 2011. Poverty has a huge impact on our kids.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“Practicing yoga at Yoga Oasis or Yoga Flow or hiking along the Sabino Canyon’s Phone Line Trail or Summerhaven’s Aspen Spring Trail.”

JacksonJacquelyn



oundless energy and a philanthropic-based upbringing helped lead Rae-na Janes to the position she’s in now — as owner of La Paloma Academy, where she’s making a daily impact on hundreds of students and others who surround her.

“My parents instilled in me that there are a lot of needy people and you need to give back. It’s always been a part of my family structure,” said Janes.

As a result, she’s teaching the same to her charter school students, who each year select local causes to become involved in “to teach the kids the importance of giving back.”

Her school group includes three La Paloma Academy campuses in Tucson as well as schools in Phoenix, Williams and Douglas. She started Apex Charter Services in Tucson to manage the business aspects of the schools.

Janes’ selfl ess philosophy doesn’t just benefi t students. She’s also gives her employees opportunities for advancement and to learn different facets of school operations.

“I want them to be growing, so if they have an interest in other areas of the business, I let them explore. I advocate your own personal and professional de-velopment and to continue education and other interests.”

Jackie Trujillo, chief academic offi cer for the schools, said she’s worked with Janes for about 12 years.

“She’s the type to follow a dream. She has goals for her life that are bigger than herself. Whatever she does, she knows those around her will benefi t. She wants everyone around her to be more successful than she is,” Trujillo said.

The most important role model in her career, Janes said, has been Dave Rhodes. As principal of Grace Chapel, where Janes got her start, Rhodes taught her lessons that will always stay with her.

“He taught me what excellence looks like, so now everything has to be done the right way,” she said.

Outside of her schools, Janes works with Junior League of Tucson and Angel Charity because they impact so many different organizations, especially those that support children.

Her overall life goal is to instill a philanthropic mindset in today’s kids so they can have a bigger place in the community.

“I can see that if kids get it like I did growing up, the impact would be unreal. It should be that this is part of the responsibility of living in the great city of Tucson,” she said.

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Raena Janes

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“I was born here at St. Joe’s Hospital. I can’t imagine living anywhere else; it’s home. I love the people.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“A freeway across town would make my life easier.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“Doing things with my kids – sporting events. I love Mount Lemmon. I love being outside.”

JanesRaena


By Dezirae ArchuletaInside Tucson Business

athleen “Rocky” LaRose gives new meaning to the phrase “Wildcat for life.”

Since attending the University of Arizona where she earned both Bachelor of Science and Master’s degrees, LaRose has dedicated her-

self to all things Arizona. From leading UA softball to its fi rst conference championship title in 1979 to becoming the fi rst woman appointed as interim director of athletics in 2009, LaRose has made a name for herself in an oth-erwise male dominated fi eld.

She is currently serving her last year as Senior Associate Director of Ath-letics where she oversees all UA sports.

“I’m a little bit ambivalent. I always thought that once you reached the level to retire that it was just ‘show me the paperwork and show me the way’, but when you’ve been so honored and blessed to be a part of something so great, it is truly hard to walk away,” said LaRose.

LaRose’s hard work throughout the years has allowed her to shape her leadership style in such a way that she has become one of the most infl uential people to walk through the McKale Center doors.

“I think leadership style evolves over your career, and as you gain experi-ence you probably change. We’re part of an educational institution here so I try to take an educational stance and try to make the situation better here,” she said. “I have a little bit of everything in me. Sometimes I think of myself as Dr. Phil, a football coach, or sometimes even Mother Teresa. But mostly I want to work to contribute and make this the best place it can be.”

Along with trying to create a better athletic department for the univer-sity, LaRose also understands the infl uence she has, as a woman, to other women. She has enjoyed seeing more females in the department throughout the years.

“I hope I have been a role model for other women. Certainly, I’ve consid-ered that one of my major roles, and I do my best to mentor women,” said LaRose.

Although this is LaRose’s last year at the athletic department, her love of sports and the Wildcats will not be coming to an end.

“I think there’s a time for everything. I am now enjoying mentoring other administrators in our department and looking forward to following their great successes in the future,” she said.

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Kathleen LaRose

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“Oh, everything! The university, the people, the mountains, my family, my husband’s family, my friends. It’s the place I want to be and this is a place I’ll be forever.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“Let’s say full stadiums, how’s that? Everybody rooting for the Wildcats!”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“Sabino Canyon. I hike at least twice a week.”

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LaRoseKathleen



arbara LaWall is the top prosecuting attorney for Pima County. In 1996, she was the fi rst woman to be elected Pima County Attorney. And LaWall is only the second elected offi cial ever to have been hon-ored as Woman of Infl uence in Tucson.

LaWall has spent all but one year of her entire life in Tucson. That one year she lived in Los Angeles with her husband who was on a medical intern-ship.

Her passion: working on behalf of victims.“It keeps me motivated and keeps my energy up,” she said. “Every day

I make a difference. It’s a personal expression of myself, preventing young people from getting involved in the criminal justice process. I enjoy working on truancy issues and keeping kids off the street and out of delinquency.”

She is particularly proud of her offi ce’s initiative to place a juvenile pros-ecutor in the schools. The program allows a court offi cial to work with school administrators to assist students in the school environment who may be at-risk.

By sharing information with school administration about students who may be victims of a crime, or a student who may be on parole, LaWall hopes this program will keep students in school and keep them out of the system.

“If the student is prosecuted, or in court order back to school, the juvenile prosecutor helps by assisting the school and social services,” she explained.

LaWall’s position as Pima County Attorney is up for election every four years. And this year is one of those years, however, she is running unop-posed.

She is chair for the Arizona Methamphetemine Task Force and an adviso-ry board member for the Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center. Her position as a county prosecutor is to protect children and creating programs to benefi t them, and the residents of Pima County.

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Barbara LaWall

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“I love Tucson. I love the mountains and I love my job.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“I would eradicate crime. Imagine if all the resources we are spending on jail, criminal court, all goes to helping families, and schools. It would be used to make us a vital community. It would eradicate my job so it’s not needed. I would be the happiest person in the world. Think of what the world would be like without crime. Children could bike and play and not worry about being hurt. It would be so amazing.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“The Loft. I love movies and going to the movies.”

LaWallBarbara



t an age when many people would be settled in their career path, Lori Mackstaller entered University of Arizona medical school. She was 47.

“I always wanted to be a doctor,” said Mackstaller, who was raised on a homestead in Alaska and attended nursing school there. She moved to

Tucson and became affi liated with the UA Medical Center section of cardiology as a nurse in the 1970s. After her kids graduated from high school, she pursued the opportunity to become a physician.

Dr. Gordon Ewy, director of UA’s Sarver Heart Center, has always been a big supporter of Mackstaller, who is now an internist in the section of cardiology at Sarver. She specializes in women’s cardiovascular health.

Mackstaller also points to arts advocate Shirley Chann as a role model. “She guides me in my charitable donations,” which have been generous and wide-spread, primarily in the areas of health and the arts.

Twice a month, Mackstaller appears on KVOA 4’s weekday 4 p.m. newscast in a segment called “Living Younger Longer” talking about general medical is-sues. She holds an endowed lectureship with the UA that allows her to go into the community to speak about health and preventive measures.

“I’m proud that I’m respected enough that people listen,” she said.Shortly after the tragic shootings of Jan. 8, 2011, Mackstaller co-founded

the Friends of University of Arizona Trauma Center, raising money for the only Level 1 trauma center in Southern Arizona.

On the arts side, she is a counsel member of Arizona Theatre Company and loves to attend events through UA’s College of Fine Arts and UApresents, some-times underwriting performances.

“I believe that the arts is how we transmit our history; we must support the creativeness of our students. We need more arts in the community,” she said.

Angel Charity is another group Mackstaller supports, and she is an American Heart Association Go Red for Women member.

“I strongly believe if you live in a community, you should support it – it’s my personal philosophy,” said Mackstaller.

She attributes her drive, motivation and success to her upbringing in Alas-ka.

“I was raised in a log cabin with no indoor plumbing. We were taught to be independent and to believe in ourselves. My parents said you can do anything as long as you work hard for it. It was this belief that I have to earn it that has pushed me to work hard,” she said.

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Lori Mackstaller

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“The community, my friends, I love my job and the freedom to interact with the public and changing the health of citizens.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“I’d like to see the women of Tucson be empowered to make healthy decisions about their lives. As a result, it would also change the health of children, and the whole community becomes healthier.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“It would be socializing with friends at restaurants and doing spin class on weekends – every Saturday and Sunday.”

MackstallerLori


By Dezirae ArchuletaInside Tucson Business

eanette Maré, founder of the Ben’s Bell’s project, has been doing her part to try to keep Tucson kind since 2003 and does not plan to stop. With Ben’s Bells already widely recognized throughout Tucson, the non-profi t community art project can only get bigger.

“The headquarters will be here in Tucson. We will have chapters around the country and this network of kindness spreading groups that will help make this message national and international, but it will always have this grassroots feel to it. We want to keep the integrity of the project as we grow,” she says.

Making the decision to hang Ben’s Bells consistently throughout the year starting in August was a big step, along with the many other kindness pro-grams Maré has developed. However, Maré does not attribute the success of her decisions to her hard work alone, but to the community that has made it all possible.

“I very much believe that this thing that I’m doing has its own fl ow and energy and I don’t have to coerce or force anything on anybody. People are drawn to this on their own by being inspired by it. That makes my job as a leader to keep the people inspired.”

Although Maré is in the business of kindness, it’s still a business. She works hard to lead her business from among the people and is committed to taking Ben’s Bells and the message of kindness to the next level without pushing too hard.

“This sort of thing cannot be rushed, and the people have to really want it. In our case they responded way bigger than we imagined. It’s been us re-sponding to the demand, and not us creating the demand.”

Maré’s efforts to heal herself from tragedy in her own life have helped Tucson heal from its own tragedy in 2011. The nation has taken notice of Maré and her plan to change the world, and the people’s demand to get in-volved is growing.

“I never could have fathomed that this little effort that we started as a way to remember our son and a way to show gratitude could turn into something like this. To be honored in a business magazine and people respond to it is amazing to me. Creating this thing that is so meaningful to me and to the community is defi nitely what I’m most proud of,” said Maré.

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Jeanette Maré

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“The people keep me in Tucson. There is an energy here that is really special and things happen here because of it. There’s so much good here and so many good things here. There’s a lot of bottom-up stuff here.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“I would want everybody to be kind to each other! For everybody to realize the power in kindness and that it’s not a weakness and that kindness is an incredible strength characteristic. It doesn’t mean getting walked over but being really thoughtful about how we treat each other.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“Downtown, Meet Me at Maynards, swimming, running, riding my bike, or doing yoga.”

MaréJeanette



elle Maslyn is corporate affairs manager for Comcast in Tucson. She won the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for a Comcast Cares Day project with Rebuilding Together Tucson. Comcast employees refur-bished 12 homes in Barrio Hollywood west of Interstate 10 between

Speedway and St. Mary’s Road. “There is one day every year - Comcast Cares Day - where I leverage the

resources of the employees at Comcast and the community to help a non-profi t in a signifi cant way,” she said.

Other community action initiatives where Maslyn uses her community building skills is working with citizens on accountability issues in transporta-tion.

The secret to building community in Tucson? “Getting people with a sin-gular vision together,” she said.

“Everyone wants transportation to improve. Knowing that baseline, it’s easier to get everyone to work together to what it could be.” Part of her suc-cess has been to allow committees to think big and see what their vision is.

Another area of her life where she has recently needed “to think big” is her personal evolution in the sport of running.

“I love to eat. I ran a few days a week and enjoyed getting outside instead of going to a gym. A confl uence of events happened when I got a running magazine and learned about Team In Training. The organization trains peo-ple to run endurance events and supports you. Later, I got a brochure in the mail about the local Team In Training and how they help fi ght leukemia and lymphoma. It was one greatest experiences in my life.”

Maslyn and her teammates raised $6,000 for research on her fi st Half Marathon, which she ran the day before she turned 45. Her next Half Mar-athon with Team in Training is Jan. 27 in San Antonio. And another Half Marathon at the popular Oro Valley Distance Classic.

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Kelle Maslyn

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“I love the community. I’ve lived all over and I’m originally from western New York State. It wasn’t until I moved to Tucson that it felt like home. I have friends, here people are great, the restaurant scene is great. Tucson feels like home.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“I would make the Food Bank have so much money they could feed all the people who need it with healthy food. I would like the power to instill more nutritional wisdom to people. I would love to have a giant community garden where we learn to grow food from seed to table, and how to prepare it. I could see this happening here in Tucson – there is a local-food passion and a sense of community. We all want to make the community better.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“At a locally owned restaurant. Most people who know me, know I like to eat out. I am a fan and proponent of locally owned business, and I like to try new places. Jax Kitchen is a favorite and the food is consistently amazing. I have high expectations, and service is wonderful.”

MaslynKelle



ane McCollum is passionate about creating community, both in a physical sense of building places where people gather and in enriching their lives.

“I wear two hats,” she said. As general manager of the Marshall Founda-tion, McCollum manages the foundation’s commercial real estate holdings,

leasing, making tenant improvements, marketing property, and creating adaptive re-use plans. Her second responsibility is overseeing the foundation’s charitable donations.

Begun in 1930 by Louise Marshall to support education, the Marshall Founda-tion was the fi rst non-profi t foundation in Arizona. Today, nearly half of its annual giving is to the University of Arizona for student scholarships. The rest goes to fund youth-oriented educational programs for Pima County’s underprivileged children. To date, the Marshall Foundation has donated $16 million to the UA and more than 250 local non-profi ts.

“Our goal is to reduce the cycle of poverty,” McCollum said. Because of the foundation’s support, “Many young people living in Pima County experience the symphony, theater, opera, and ballet that otherwise would not.”

The Marshall Foundation is an asset-based foundation generating funds from real estate, primarily Main Gate Square, the lively commercial area with restaurants and retail stores along University Boulevard west of the UA campus.

Joining the foundation in 2003, McCollum became its fi rst general manager with a background in commercial property management. At the time, Main Gate Square was just an idea on paper. Working with the university and the City of Tuc-son, she transformed a hodge-podge of buildings and vacant land into what is now a cohesive shopping and eating district enjoyed by both university students and the community alike.

McCollum continues Louise Marshall’s legacy. Marshall, the UA’s fi rst female faculty member, began buying and managing

property near the campus in 1901, ultimately owning the majority of land on both sides of University Boulevard between Park and Euclid avenues, and the land on which the Marriott University Park Hotel now stands. Marshall built what in retro-spect was Tucson’s fi rst strip mall and used the rental income to create a scholar-ship program.

Nearly 90 years later, McCollum, a former teacher herself, has re-developed the area, investing in both the neighborhood and Tucson’s future by way of educational scholarships and supporting youth-oriented programs. McCollum has created a sense of place for students as well as helped them realize their dreams of higher education.

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Jane McCollum

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“I have the perfect job in the perfect city. Tucson has amazing culture with its ballet, theater, opera, and symphony. I love working with students and living in a college town where everybody knows everybody else. When I was a child my family vacationed in Arizona, and living in Tucson makes me feel like I’m on vacation every day.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“I’d snap my fi ngers and have downtown development done. We should stop talking about our city in negative ways; it makes us carry our baggage for longer than we need to, and prevents us from moving forward.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“I love being around people and eating, preferably both at the same time. I’ll be at Main Gate Square, eating at Pasco Kitchen or Wilco. Or I’ll be walking my dog near the university.”

McCollumJane



inda McNulty is a partner with the law fi rm of Lewis & Roca. In Febru-ary 2011, she was appointed to the fi ve-member Independent Redis-tricting Commission, which was responsible for establishing Arizona’s Congressional and Legislative Districts for the next decade as a result

of the 2010 Census. Despite being a volunteer position, the job took over her life and “really

turned into a full time job.” With more than 100 hearings all over the state, reading pages of transcripts, she wanted to serve because “we live in a democ-racy where we can vote and speak. We all should participate,” she said.

“We had a fabulous staff and great legal advisors who were very focused on the task at hand,” she said. What she got from the experience: “I met wonder-ful committed people. For every angry self-important person I met, I met a committed person participating in the exercise of democracy.”

McNulty also serves as chair of the Pima County Sports and Tourism Au-thority, whose mission is to expand opportunities for professional and ama-teur sports in Pima County.

“(The authority) was created by Pima County for two purposes,” she said. “To hold on to major league training and to strengthen youth and amateur sports in Tucson. We weren’t able to keep the spring training team, so we are focused now on a county-wide assessment of what people want and what we need here.”

By statute, in 2014 voters will choose whether to enact a small revenue measure to raise money, she said. McNulty believes this measure will help cre-ate economic development, and continue the success of popular soccer events that brought stars like David Beckham to Tucson last spring. These events stimulated the local economy.

“Plus, we’re good at putting on these events,” she said. An area within the organization she is hoping to improve is the opportuni-

ties to bring professional cycling to Tucson. While the improvement is for the racers, later, it’s an added bonus for recreation bikers with better roads and amenities, she said.

The ultimate goal is to fi nd answers to questions that improve the eco-nomic diversity of Tucson and to build on events so they not only bring in dol-lars to businesses, but improve the recreational opportunities for residents.

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Linda McNulty

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“The same thing that brought me here: the beauty and natural environment, the open-ness and friendly people, and interesting culture.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“To have an economy as diverse as the people and natural resources. That we would take advantage of the University of Arizona, the medical centers, sports, and our natural resources.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“Outside somewhere, especially where there is water, hiking and nature. I like to go to places like Mount Lemmon, to the Santa Cruz River area. Any place where you fi nd nature – it’s the desert at its best.”

McNultyLinda



aren Mlawsky learned a valuable lesson the couple of times she stepped away from healthcare operations and into consultancy roles: she missed a hospital’s patients and its staff.

“That connection is what drives me. If I don’t have those personal interactions I lose my mojo,” says Mlawsky, who makes talking to people, particularly patients, an important part of her day.

To say Mlawsky has had a busy couple of years would be an understate-ment.

With a background in fi nance and management information systems, she took over as CEO of University Medical Center in 2010, and CEO of the Hos-pital division of the University of Arizona Health Network last year. The new network saw the merging of University Medical Center and University Physi-cians Healthcare, and with it the creation of new GI labs, a Level III Trauma Center, and a Behavioral Health Pavilion.

Added to all of that there were the Jan. 8, 2011, shootings that thrust the UA Medical Center into the spotlight.

Mlawsky is currently serving as interim CEO of the entire University of Arizona Health Network while the search is on for a permanent CEO.

Did wearing two CEO hats take some persuasion? “There was no arm-twisting. When you have a series of interims like we

had it creates a level of anxiety (among staff),” she says candidly.Mlawsky had spent a decade in Tucson during and after college, returning

in 2006 after 15 years in Ohio, latterly as executive director of the Ohio State University Hospital East. Her predecessor there, Larry Anstine, remains an important infl uence in her career.

“He always took the time to stop, to say hello. He never gave the impres-sion that he had someplace else to go,” she said.

Her other mentor is her father, William Felix, a former teacher who taught her “ethics, knowing what’s right and wrong”.

Fairness is a key element in Mlawsky’s management style. When she talks about the Jan. 8 shootings when six people were killed and 13 others, includ-ing then U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, were injured, her pride lies not just in how well patients were cared for, but the way other individuals were treated.

“We treated the media like they were patients’ families. We made sure everybody was comfortable. We respected everybody’s privacy,” she said.

K

Karen Mlawsky

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“It’s a place where my husband and I have achieved a balance in our life. We both just worked and worked in Ohio. And we’re closer to family here.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“A bit more economic stability. Tucson to me has always been a bit on the verge of taking that one more step and not quite gotten there. Now there’s the biotech industry, what TREO is doing, attempts to bring manufacturing here. It’s an exciting time.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“On a trail or riding my mountain bike. I ride between 25 and 30 miles a week. My husband cycles 250!”

MlawskyKaren



t make take a village to raise a child, but Cindy Parseghian is the one to call upon to help save a child. Parseghian started the Ara Parseghian Med-ical Research Foundation for Niemann-Pick Disease Type C and related neurodegenerative metabolic disorders two months after three of her four

children were diagnosed with the fatal disease. “Our family was able to act quickly in establishing the foundation,” she said. Parseghian brought her business skills, husband Michael, a physician, devel-

oped a scientifi c advisory board, and father-in-law, Ara Parseghian, the former University of Notre Dame football coach, called upon his network of support-ers.

Niemann-Pick Type C effects how cholesterol is metabolized and early detec-tion is key to slowing neurological degeneration. Parseghian’s children, Michael, Marcia, and Christa, were diagnosed in 1994. At the time, doctors and research-ers knew little about the disease and offered few treatment options.

Originally established to help her children, Parseghian quickly widened the foundation’s viewpoint once she met other children who affl icted with the dis-ease.

Scientists on multiple continents now focus on Niemann-Pick Type C and the foundation is viewed as a model of how to foster research on rare diseases. The foundation has raised $40 million and funded 70 different organizations for medical research and therapeutic treatment.

“So many people have helped us,” Parseghian said. The foundation is a ve-hicle for people to pitch in, both fi nancially and by giving freely of their time. “We have volunteers that have been with us from the beginning,” she said.

Thanks to Parseghian’s boundless energy and focus, as well as the generos-ity of others, the foundation has made signifi cant progress toward understand-ing the disease. Researchers have identifi ed the genetic sequence that causes Niemann-Pick Type C and therapeutic drugs that slow the disease’s progression are being tested. While a cure is not on the immediate horizon, a test to screen newborns is, so children may undergo treatment as soon as possible.

Before they died, Michael, Marcia, and Christa taught Parseghian to take each day one at a time, and to do something that matters, regardless of how small or seemingly inconsequential.

“Even if it’s a smile at the grocery checker, because you have no idea what that person’s day might be like.” Parseghian acts on the lesson. “My kids lived in the moment and made something of each of their days.”

I

Cindy Parseghian

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“My home will always be in Tucson. I have such wonderful memories of my chil-dren in our home. I have been blessed by the help of so many people in Tucson. The close-knit community is what I love most.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“I’d like to see us give our children a well-rounded, high-quality education. If we want our community to have a high standard of living, then we must give our children the best education possible.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“I’m one of two places: oil painting or playing golf, usually at La Paloma.”

ParseghianCindy



ane Poynter fi rst visited Tucson in 1984 for a conference and made it her home three years later. She’s best known for the two years she spent inside Biosphere 2, and the book she wrote about the experi-ment titled “The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes

Inside Biosphere 2.” But she is also an advocate for science and sustainability and shares her

love of science with middle school students in Tucson. The Biosphere 2 project and all that was learned there carries into her

work today as co-founder and president of Paragon Space Development Cor-poration, a company that provides environmental controls for extreme and hazardous environments.

“We are part of the earth, and we need to take responsibility for our ac-tions,” Poynter said. She serves on the City of Tucson Climate Change Advi-sory Committee.

“We put together recommendations for the city to adopt. There are a number of ways the city, businesses, and governments can reduced CO2 car-bon emissions. Simple things like promoting bike routes,” she said.

Poynter also serves as president of the Blue Marble Institute, a program devoted to science and sustainability education.

“It’s about breaking down barriers for kids in science. Science is embed-ded in our lives, any time you use critical thinking. Science is not about lab coats. We work in middle schools and engage the students in topics that will interest them,” she said.

The goal is to show students what science can mean and apply hands-on projects with Tucson businesses.

“One student group measured electrical use of appliances and created a plan to qualify energy used and a plan to reduce use 10 percent the rest of school year,” said Poynter.

These student projects make science relevant. And Poynter, who is pas-sionate about sharing science lessons in her community, makes science rel-evant every day in her work.

“I get to work with some of the coolest people, like aerospace engineers who work with space ships. How can you not get excited about going to work, and thinking about all the crazy things we are going to design today?”

J

Jane Poynter

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“Downtown, there are such fabulous businesses.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“Tucson is the best kept secret. Some of the friendliest and diverse people live here. The science community is amazing; the University of Arizona has sent more missions to Mars. Tucson has the most innovative companies, a stunning dramatic town. Tucson is becoming a miniature version of Austin with its science and arts community.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“I would like to see Tucson become a model of education in the world by investing in the people who are teaching our future leaders. These kids are the future leaders of our city. It can be done, there are tough, complex issue but great innovative things are happening here.”

PoynterJane



arbi Reuter’s metaphorical cup is always half full, never half empty. She’s passionate about helping other women and girls achieve that same attitude. As a principal of Cushman & Wakefi eld|Picor Com-mercial Real Estate Services, Reuter is in charge of internal leadership

development as well as business development. She has served as a “rock” for many during the weak real estate market,

encouraging them to do their best. “I believe in making the most of a situation,” she said.Reuter is an expert at making the most of less-than-ideal circumstances.

The middle child of three girls, she fi nancially pitched in to help support her mother and sisters after her parents divorced when she was 12 years old.

“I was the one that negotiated a car loan, child support, and helped make money for my sisters and Mom,” she said.

To survive, Reuter’s family went without heat in the winter and depended on her grandparents’ vegetable garden for food.

“I suppose if you have to go without heat Tucson is the place to live, but it’s certainly not something I would want my kids to live through,” she says.

Understanding what living on the edge is like motivates her to stay posi-tive and help others.

“I don’t want to ever be poor again,” she said.Reuter is active in Picor Charitable Foundation which funds programs

serving underprivileged children. Since 1994, the foundation has given more than half a million dollars to Tucson organizations. The sole fundraising event is a pancake breakfast held at Reid Park. On Oct. 14, Reuter along with fellow Picor employees fl ipped fl apjacks toward their $48,000 goal.

Connecting to the community is important to Reuter. She encourages Pi-cor to be involved with local organizations.

“I tell my staff that when they take on charitable projects they should plan on being leaders,” she said.

The company supports volunteerism by granting time off and offering administrative support to organizations with staff involvement.

Reuter walks her talk. “I have a passion for seeing women in my industry advance and to help young girls grow their leadership potential,” she said. To that end, she’s active in Tucson Girls Chorus and Tucson Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).

B

Barbi Reuter

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“On the whole, there is no better place to live. I love the heat and the absence of natu-ral disasters. Tucson has been my home since 1978: Family, community, connections, climate are all factors grounding us here.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“Improve the business climate to attract and grow more quality employers to retain our local talent.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“Running on the northeast side or at one of many baseball fi elds and parks cheering my children on.”

ReuterBarbi



ver since she was a youngster growing up in her native India, Neelam Sethi has been an optimistic person. She credits this character trait to her parents, who were positive infl uences throughout her childhood and beyond.

“They instilled in me to be the best I can be, to look at the good in every-thing. There are two sides of the coin — it’s up to you what you focus on,” she said.

Her positive outlook and instinct for giving 100 percent to everything she tackles play signifi cant roles in the impact Sethi makes to this community; that and her love of old things, specifi cally historic buildings.

Sethi is Tucson’s queen of Bollywood and historic preservation. When the Fox Theatre was undergoing renovations in 2005, she felt a strong attraction to the project and jumped in to help, also becoming a member of its board of directors.

She then started the tradition of Bollywood at the Fox, a celebration of Indian culture, which raised funds for the historic theater. This was the per-fect way for her to express her love for the Fox and share with others the food, music and fi lm of her home country. Proceeds also went to support a spinoff of the event called BollyKids Presents F.A.M.E.: Family Arts and Music Experience.

Health is another passion of Sethi’s, as refl ected in her work with Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and with the American Heart Association, where she’s a Go Red for Women ambassador. Sethi is an Angel Charity do-nor and a member of the India Society of Southern Arizona.

No matter what cause she’s working toward, Sethi fi nds a wonderful sat-isfaction in helping others.

“I’ve learned it gives so much pleasure to give back to the community where you live. And when you give back, you feel more a part of it. It’s made me realize my own potential and the happiness it gives others.”

Being somewhat modest about her work, Sethi is quick to give credit to others who help pull off her substantial projects, especially the signature Bollywood celebrations. Included in that group is her husband, Dr. Gulshan Sethi, a cardiologist at University of Arizona Medical Center.

“My friends are such giving women who have achieved so much; they’re an inspiration for me. With my husband, we are a great team. We comple-ment each other.”

E

Neelam Sethi

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“I love everything about Tucson. I feel grounded; there’s something in the light that’s unbelievable, and I get such a spiritual feeling from the mountains. I love seeing how our downtown is being preserved and restored. I am in awe of the quality and work-manship that was present hundreds of years ago.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“I would love to see that all children are happy, healthy and educated because they are our future. What happens with them determines the future of Tucson.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“I love going places with my friends – for a cup of coffee, lunch, to a movie or a picnic or doing something with them in the community. My circle of friends is comforting to me. And being with my grandkids.”

SethiNeelam



ince becoming executive director of the Metropolitan Pima Alliance (MPA) in December 2009, Amber Smith has been able to grow the or-ganization exponentially and says the secret to her success is her abil-ity to identify rational people who want to make a change and bring

them together.“There are people out there who want to make a positive change, and be-

lieve in consensus building,” Smith says, adding her job is to help them fi nd a common ground in compromise and balance.

By blending the private and public sector, she says they they can pave a way for each to be successful.

MPA is dedicated to advocating for responsible development in the Tuc-son region. Part of its mission is to further the interests of real estate and the development industry through education, public policy advocacy and networking.

Smith has been involved in politics going back to when she was on the student council in high school. She interned for U.S. Sen. John McCain. She earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration. She has represented cli-ents in both the public and sector.

When the recession hit, Smith went to work for MPA as its public rela-tions director and worked to increase member benefi ts and add events.

“In these economic times, it is extremely challenging for everyone to suc-ceed. MPA has grown during this time. Tucson is a great example of working together to be more business-friendly; and the attitude is changing,” Smith said.

What motivates Smith to keep moving forward in a environment of con-frontation and compromise?

“The successes that we have had affected change, and it’s been positive,” she said. “We are making a difference here.”

S

Amber Smith

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

2012

WWOOiiWhat keeps you in Tucson?“My husband is a Tucson fi refi ghter.”

If you had the power, what one thing would you most like to see happen in Tucson?“We are divided politically, and there are so many business organizations that make the community fragmented, which divides our voice. There are so many chambers and land use organizations that could come under one umbrella to make the business community stronger.”

Outside of home or what you do, where are you most likely to be found in Tucson?“I love living in Tucson. I take advantage of the outdoor lifestyle. I have a great husband who is supportive and his job allows us to have fl exibility, but it’s a constant balancing act.”

SmithAmber

WOI 10/26/12 Inside Tucson Business

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