2007 Piper Fellows
Blase Bova has worked at St. Vincent de Paul for 10 years primarily in program management as the Director of Special Works Ministries, which serves the homeless and families facing homelessness. More recently, Mr. Bova has taken on responsibilities for development, a wholly new area for him. Away from the frontline, he now must transfer his leadership skills to a new environment of fundraising initiative and proactivity.
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Lisa Glow, a graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, had a distinguished career in state government and in private practice, before taking her dream job of running a nonprofit organization. Since mid-2006, she has been head of Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center. To date, Ms. Glow has addressed operational infrastructure at the Center.
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Theresa Leon was hired in 2001 as COO of Friendly House, an 85-year-old Latino social service agency, with the idea that she would be in line to lead the organization in the future. Ms. Leon holds a master’s degree in social work from Arizona State University and currently serves on the Catholic Social Service Board and the Arizona Personnel Board for the City of Glendale. Read More
Connie Phillips has been part of Sojourner Center since 1994, when there were 28 beds to offer women and children escaping domestic violence. There will be 324 beds at Sojourner in the next 18 months. Ms. Phillips would say that the state of Arizona responded, donors appeared and volunteers have come to help. In fact, she led Sojourner through a successful, all-consuming capital campaign. Over two years, the organization raised $11.8 million. Read More
Kurt Sheppard came to Valle del Sol after a 20-year career in the United States Air Force. Prior to becoming the organization’s Chief Programs Officer, he led many innovative and progressive initiatives at the behavioral health and leadership development agency that strengthened infrastructure during a period of tremendous change. Now, Mr. Sheppard sees an avenue to lead the organization toward greater social enterprise capacity and new sources of unrestricted revenue. Read More
2006 Piper Fellows
As CEO of the Life Development Institute for the last 24 years, Rob Crawford has responded to the immense community need for support services that allow young adults with learning disabilities to enhance their knowledge, skills and resources to live independently. LDI is recognized nationally for its exemplary literacy program for those with learning disabilities.
Mr. Crawford received a Masters in Education from Northern Arizona University and Bachelor of Science in business administration and marketing from the University of Phoenix. He has served on a variety of local and national boards including the Learning Disabilities Association of America and the National Adult Literacy and Learning Disability Center, National Institute for Literacy. Read More
Michelle Mac Lennan joined the Chandler Center for the Arts in 1999 and in 2005 was named assistant manager, where she supervises more than 200 volunteers and a staff of 11. In addition to her duties at the center, Ms. Mac Lennan serves as vice president for the Chandler Cultural Foundation and is the liaison for the City of Chandler and Chandler Unified School District for facility scheduling.
Ms. MacLennan has completed coursework at ASU, Mesa Community College and Phoenix College as well as through Landmark Education. Read More
After working in several family support services positions at Homeward Bound, Milon F. Pitts in 2004 took over as director of client services, where he oversees support services and programs that help families and children achieve economic independence and stability. Prior to joining Homeward Bound, Mr. Pitts worked at Chandler Gilbert Arc as a residential and community relations coordinator and at Sycamores-Pasadena Children’s Training Society as the day treatment coordinator.
Mr. Pitts holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix and an Associate of Arts degree from Pasadena City College. He also completed family studies coursework at Iowa State University. Read More
Marsha Porter’s career in social work spans three decades in the Valley. After working for 18 years in various positions at the Arizona Department of Economic Security program, Ms. Porter joined Crisis Nursery as executive director in 1994. Since that time, Crisis Nursery has expanded its services to offer programs to children living at home with their parents and will be initiating a new program to recruit, train and supervise family foster homes in 2007.
Ms. Porter holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Bachelor of Arts degree in social welfare and sociology from the University of Nebraska. She serves on several children’s welfare committees including the Arizona Healthy Families Steering Committee, the Greater Phoenix Child Abuse Prevention Council and the Arizona Children’s Justice Task Force. Read More
As Phoenix Shanti Group’s executive director/CEO for the past four years, Keith A. Thompson has led the agency to expand services, double the annual budget and increase the number of clients served. He is responsible for the fiscal, programmatic and development operations of the agency, which provides housing, education and direct client services to individuals, families and loved ones infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Mr. Thompson also served as executive director of TERROS Behavioral Health Services for five years.
Mr. Thompson received a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and a bachelor’s degree from Monmouth College in Illinois. He is a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor in Arizona. Read More
2005 Piper Fellows
Joe Baker (Delaware Tribe of Indians) joined the Heard Museum in 2003 as Lloyd Kiva New Curator of Fine Art after a one-year term as dean of the Center for Arts and Culture Studies at the Institute of American Indian Arts. Prior to that, he worked as outreach manager at the Heard Museum for three years, and he also was director of the Art-in-Education Grants Program at the Phoenix Office of Arts & Culture.
An accomplished painter and beadworker, Mr. Baker has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Tulsa and has completed post-graduate studies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. Read More
Richard M. "Mike" Bell for the past 18 years has worked as director of shelter services at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Ozanam Manor, a transitional housing program for homeless elderly and disabled people.
He completed coursework for a Ph.D. in social-environmental psychology from Arizona State University, and he holds a Master of Arts degree from Michigan State University. Read More
Since 1999, Michelle R. Dionisio has served as president/CEO for Interfaith Community Care, which operates a network of six West Valley adult day centers as well as educational services, in-home care and care-management programs.
She holds a bachelor's degree from Brockport State University in New York and has worked in the field of adult day and senior healthcare for 23 years. Read More
A registered nurse, Juanita Howard serves as director of quality management and deputy director of Clinica Adelante, Inc., where she facilitates process improvement, staff development and organizational change. Clinica Adelante is a community and migrant health center dedicated to providing primary healthcare services to residents of Maricopa County.
With more than 20 years' experience in nursing and healthcare, Ms. Howard holds a master's degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix in addition to a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Arizona State University. Read More
Kathy Nugent has served as finance director for Fresh Start Women's Foundation for the past three years. In her position, she coordinates financial activities, oversees facility operations of the Women's Resource Center and manages human resources.
She has completed courses at the University of Phoenix, Maricopa Community Colleges and ASU's Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Read More
2004 Piper Fellows
Robin Dunn Marcos provided refugee relief and resettlement services for more than nine years in Africa during the late 1980s and early 1990s and has been the regional director for International Rescue Committee's Arizona office since 1996. IRC is the largest resettlement agency in Arizona and has helped resettle more than 6,800 refugees in Maricopa County.
Ms. Dunn Marcos holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from Eckerd College and a Master of Arts degree in intercultural administration from the School for International Training in Vermont. Read More
When Laura Larson-Huffaker began her fellowship, she was director of clinical services for EMPACT-SPC, where she provided oversight of all agency clinical services and programs including program development, licensing preparation, development of agency policies and procedures, utilization management, risk management and clinical program review. Since her fellowship, Ms. Larson-Huffaker has been named executive director for the organization.
Ms. Larson-Huffaker is a certified professional counselor with experience in nonprofit behavioral healthcare and the private practice of psychotherapy. She holds a Master of Science degree in counseling from Arizona State University. Read More
Katrina Mueller has been with the Chandler Center for the Arts since 1988, serving as its general manager since 1998. The center presents performing and visual art programs year-round and was named the outstanding organization for the 2005 Governor's Arts Awards "Community" category.
Along with managing daily operations, Ms. Mueller oversees a staff of 30 and more than 200 volunteers. She holds a bachelor's degree in arts management from Northern Arizona University. Read More
Luz Sarmina-Gutierrez is president and CEO of Valle del Sol, Inc., a community organization that provides a variety of behavioral health, social services and Latino leadership development to the community. She has led Valle del Sol since 1995, and during the last decade the agency has increased annual revenues from $3 million to $10 million and has grown from 56 employees to more than 170.
Ms. Sarmina-Gutierrez holds a Master of Science degree in social work from Arizona State University. Read More
2003 Piper Fellows
Since 1992, Pamela Martin has served as the president and executive director of Phoenix-based Homeward Bound, where she leads a staff of 40 in administering a national model program for homeless and domestic violence families with children.
A 25-year nonprofit executive veteran, she holds Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science degrees in psychology as well as a Ph.D. in organizational development from the University College of London. Read More
As executive director, Ken Schutz directs a staff of 80 and more than 500 volunteers who operate the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, which features a living collection of 52,000 desert plants, a 50,000 specimen herbarium and a 6,500-volume research library. Since Mr. Schutz joined the organization in 2001, he has doubled local attendance at the garden and successfully completed a $17 million capital improvement project.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, a Master of Science in education/administration from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and an MBA in general management from Darden Graduate School of Business Education, University of Virginia. Read More
2002 Piper Fellows
Since 1993, Janice Ertl has served as the clinic director for the St. Vincent de Paul Virginia G. Piper Medical and Dental Clinic, where she leads a staff of 19 and more than 160 volunteers.
A registered nurse, Ms. Ertl holds a master's degree in health services administration from Arizona State University. Read More
As executive director of the Foundation for Blind Children, Chris Tompkins directs an agency that serves more than 1,700 clients annually with a staff of 100. The agency provides a variety of services in education, early intervention, individual and parent counseling, Braille literacy training and other assistance programs. Previously, he served as the executive director of Dallas Services for Visually Impaired Children.
Mr. Tompkins holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Master of Arts in clinical psychology. Read More
2001 Piper Fellows
Santino Bernasconi serves as president & CEO of Centro de Amistad, Inc., a community-based behavioral health agency that strives to involve Indo-Latino communities in empowering themselves to be healthy communities - physically, mentally and spiritually. Its programs include outpatient behavioral and mental health therapy; wellness services; immunization clinics; perinatal support/education for pregnant women; well baby clinics; diabetes screening; and exercise/education-related activities with an organizational/leadership component. Centro De Amistad also develops policy, advocacy, training, and experiential models relating to the Indo-Latino population in various areas.
An ordained deacon, Mr. Bernasconi has worked in Guadalupe since 1968. He began working with the Guadalupe Organization, Inc. to improve education for the Indo-Latino youth of Guadalupe. In addition to assisting the youth in his community, Mr. Bernasconi was a driving force in motivating the community to vote to incorporate the Town of Guadalupe on February 4, 1975. Read More
Chevy Humphrey serves as the executive director for the Arizona Science Center, which features more than 300 hands-on exhibits, a state-of-the-art planetarium, a five-story giant-screen theater, live demonstrations, traveling exhibitions, and exciting science programs for people of all ages. Ms. Humphrey served as the center's executive vice president at the time of her fellowship and has since been named executive director.
Before joining the Science Center, Ms. Humphrey served as the director of development for The Phoenix Symphony and held similar positions at the University of Houston, the University of Texas at Austin Performing Arts Center and The Houston Symphony. Read More
Mary Lynn Kasunic has been with the Area Agency on Aging, Region One since 1980 and has served as its president & CEO/executive director since 1990. During this time, she has been instrumental in the development of many innovative and client-responsive programs to address the needs of the agency's four major client populations: the elderly; caregivers of the elderly; adults 18 to 59 with disabilities; and long-term care needs and persons of all ages with HIV/AIDS.
Ms. Kasunic is the co-founder and co-chairman of the Maricopa Elder Abuse Prevention Alliance (MEAPA), a 100-plus member group that was established in 1993 and is dedicated to the prevention of elder abuse and domestic violence. She also developed the Aging Services Management and Administrative Training (ASMAT) program, a cooperative effort between Phoenix College and the Area Agency on Aging. ASMAT is a nationally recognized certificate and associate degree program in gerontology. Ms. Kasunic is also the president and CEO of three other organizations that she helped establish: ELDERfriends, A Foundation for Older Adults; Antigua and Los Ancianos. Read More
In 1972 at age 23, Linda Searfoss became the executive director of Valley Big Sisters. The agency had two employees, a budget of approximately $11,000 and 30 matched volunteers and children. The Big Sister program grew to more than 300 matched volunteers and children by the time the Valley Big Brother and the Valley Big Sister programs merged in 1986. Since the merger, the agency has grown to be one of the largest of the 504 agencies in the country. Ms. Searfoss retired from Valley Big Brothers Big Sisters in 2003 and serves as a consultant for nonprofit leaders and boards.
Ms. Searfoss grew up in Scottsdale and attended Coronado High School. She received her Bachelor of Science in sociology and psychology from Northern Arizona University and her Master of Arts degree in sociology from Arizona State University. Read More
Tamara Woodbury has more than 25 years of management experience in nonprofit organizations and is currently the executive director of Girl Scouts - Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, Inc., one of the largest Girl Scout councils in the country. The Arizona Cactus-Pine Council has been recognized nationally and locally for its innovative programs and business practices.
Ms. Woodbury finds the time and energy to improve the quality of life for others locally and nationally. She has been a guest lecturer at Arizona State University in Tempe and American University in Washington, D.C. Woodbury also served as chair for the National Senior Management Conference for the Association of Girl Scout Executive Staff. Read More