About Us

Board of Trustees

	James D. Bruner For more than 35 years, Jim Bruner has been active in civic, political and professional leadership roles in the Greater Phoenix community. He has served as campaign chairman and board chairman of the Valley of the Sun United Way; chairman of the Scottsdale Healthcare Systems Board; president of the Scottsdale Boys and Girls Club; and founding board member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and the Scottsdale Cultural Council. He served as chairman of the finance committee for the Diocese of Phoenix and is past chairman of the Arizona State Retirement System. Currently, Mr. Bruner is a member of the board of trustees of Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, and serves as a member of the board of directors for the Arizona Sports Foundation. He also served two terms on both the Scottsdale City Council and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. He is executive vice president and director community banking and trust at 1st National Bank of Arizona.
	José A. Cárdenas José Cárdenas joined the Board of Trustees in March 2005. He is chairman of Lewis and Roca and is a partner in the firm’s Business Litigation Group. He serves as chairman of the board of the Translational Genomics Research Institute and as vice chairman of Arizona's Commerce and Economic Development Commission, and he is chairman of Greater Phoenix Leadership. Within the community, Cárdenas serves on the boards of Chicanos Por La Causa, Xicanindio Artes, Inc., the East Valley Partnership, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and the ASU Foundation. He is a past chairman of the board of the Valley of the Sun United Way.
	Paul N. Critchfield Paul Critchfield, nephew of Virginia G. Piper, devoted 30 years in corporate human relations and development to companies including Motorola, Ramada Inns, Disneyland and Scottsdale Memorial Hospital. In 1999, he retired as executive director of the Foundation of the Boys and Girls Club of Scottsdale. Born in Chicago, Mr. Critchfield graduated from the University of Tampa and has lived in Arizona for more than 30 years.
	Arthur W. DeCabooter Art DeCabooter has served as president of Scottsdale Community College since 1978. His civic leadership includes serving as chair of the City of Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission and serving as chair of the City of Scottsdale’s Ad Hoc Ethics Committee. He has served in leadership roles for myriad clubs and organizations including the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, the Scottsdale Rotary Club, the Scottsdale Charros, Community Celebrating Diversity, the Arizona Town Hall and Scottsdale Historymakers. At the national level, Dr. DeCabooter is a member of the board of directors of the National Catholic Educational Association and chairman of the board of the National Association of Boards, Commissions and Councils of Catholic Education. He holds degrees from St. Gregory’s Junior College, St. John’s University and Indiana University.
	Laura R. Grafman A close friend of Virginia G. Piper, Laura Grafman is the executive vice president of Scottsdale Healthcare Foundation. Her community activities include serving as a member of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, the International Association of Healthcare Philanthropy and the Arizona Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, and she is a founding member of Friends of the Foundation for Senior Living. A native of Chicago, Mrs. Grafman attended Grinnell College and the Art Institute of Chicago.
	Sharon C. Harper Sharon Harper is president and chief executive officer of The Plaza Companies, one of Arizona's premier developers of innovative older adult housing, medical-biotechnology facilities. Community activities include serving as past chairman of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, executive board member of Greater Phoenix Leadership, chairman of the board of trustees and a member of the board of regents for Brophy College Preparatory, and a board member of both the Arizona Community Foundation and the Banner Health Foundation. A native of Mankato, Minnesota, she is a graduate of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
	Stephen J. Zabilski Steve Zabilski has served as executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul-Phoenix Diocesan Council since 1997. He formerly was senior vice president with Transamerica Insurance Group and an audit manager with the accounting firm KPMG LLC. Mr. Zabilski serves on the Investment Committee for The Diocese of Phoenix, the Finance Committee for the Catholic Community Foundation and as a member of the board of directors of the Human Services Campus, LLC. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, Legatus, the Phoenix Community Alliance and the FBI Citizen's Academy. Mr. Zabilski is a past president of the board of trustees of Ville de Marie Academy and has served on a number of school and parish advisory councils.