Committee Member Bios

Mayor Elaine Scruggs, Glendale

Mayor Scott Smith, Mesa, Chair
Occupation:
Business, Financial and Legal Consultant

Professional Experience:
ExecuShare, Ltd. – Financial and Business Consultants, 1986-Present
K. Hovnanian Homes, Regional President, 2003-2007
Great Western Homes, President, 1994-2003
University of Phoenix, Accounting and Finance Instructor, 1988-1993
NWL&O, Manager, 1985

Community Organizations:
Mesa United Way, Board of Directors and Campaign Chairman
East Valley Partnership, Board of Directors
Esperanza, Inc., Board of Directors
Southwest Shakespeare Company, Board of Directors
Superstition Vistas Steering Committee, Member
Mesa Community Foundation, President
Mesa Building Board of Appeals, Member
Mesa Leadership Training and Development, Class of 1984

Education:
Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Brigham Young University, 1980
Master of Business Administration , Arizona State University, 1985
Juris Doctor, Arizona State University College of Law, 1996
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Mayor Marie Lopez-Rogers, Avondale

Councilwoman Peggy Neely, Phoenix, Vice Chair
Councilwoman Peggy Neely proudly represents the City of Phoenix, District 2, which encompasses most of north and northeast Phoenix and covers more than 110 square miles. Peggy was first elected to represent District 2 on the City Council in the fall of 2001 and was reelected for a second term in September 2005. Peggy currently serves on the Phoenix City Council Downtown & Aviation Subcommittee, the Seniors, Families & Youth Subcommittee and she chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee.

Peggy is a real estate broker with more than 10 years experiencepreviously. She has extensive experience in real estate, including serving on the board of directors for both the Arizona Association of Realtors and the Phoenix Association of Realtors. She also is a past president of the Women’s Council of Realtors Phoenix Chapter.

Peggy has long been active in the community, having served as chair of the Paradise Valley Village Planning Committee and the Phoenix Water and Sewer Rate Advisory Committee. She is currently Chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council and serves on the Phoenix Women’s Sports Association Board and the Greater Phoenix Convention Center & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors.

Peggy has been very involved in the education community as well. She is a current member of the Paradise Valley Community College President’s Roundtable and is a past president and current member of the Paradise Valley School District United Parent Council.

Peggy is married to her husband Brian Neely and is the mother of two daughters Gloria and Mackenzie.
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F. Rockne Arnett, Citizens Transportation Oversight Committee (CTOC)

F. Rockne Arnett, Citizens Transportation Oversight Committee (CTOC)
F. Rockne Arnett is a certified insurance counselor and the President of the East Valley Partnership.  As president, Mr. Arnett leads a non-profit business coalition on issues of regional significance.  As an insurance counselor, he has more than 38 years experience brokering risk and insurance services. His specific areas of expertise are construction and transportation risk and insurance services. Mr. Arnett attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. He is a member of the Arizona Tourism and Sports Authority and of the MAG Regional Council, and is Chair of the Citizens Transportation Oversight Committee. He also served on the MAG Governance Advisory Committee. Mr. Arnett is the past President of the Grand Canyon Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Mesa Rotary Club, and the past Chair of the Arizona Department of Transportation Board.
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Mayor Bob Barrett, Peoria

Mayor Bob Barrett, Peoria
Mayor Barrett was first elected to the City Council representing the Ironwood District in 2001 and was reelected to a second term in 2004. A resident of Peoria since 1993, Mayor Barrett served in the US Army and was awarded the Bronze Star in Vietnam in 1971. He graduated with honors from Arizona State University with a degree in Mass Communications-Journalism and worked for the Arizona Republic for more than 20 years as a magazine writer, reporter and editor.  He currently works in the Communications Department of Central Arizona Project. Mayor Barrett received the Meritorious Service Medal from the Army National Guard in 2001 for his work as the Media Relations Coordinator for the International Workshop for Emergency Response.  He is currently a member of the Peoria Sunrise Lions Club and is a Melvin Jones Fellow.
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Steve Beard, SR Beard and Associates

Mr. Steve Beard, HDR Engineering Inc.
Steve Beard is Senior Vice President and National Transit Director for HDR Engineering Inc. HDR is a professional services firm with more than 7,000 employee-owners. HDR is a national leader in transportation planning and engineering with more than 140 offices in the US. Prior to joining HDR Steve was managing principal for S. R. Beard & Associates, a local consulting firm with a national transportation plannng practice. His firm was the Program Management Consultant for the light rail line that serves Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. Steve lives in Tempe and has been active in community and business issues in the Phoenix area for more than 20 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management from Auburn University and a master’s degree in Urban Planning from Florida State University. He is a Deacon in the Catholic Church. Steve, as recognized by his Arizona veteran's license plate, "HELO," served as an Army infantry officer and helicopter gunship pilot in Vietnam.
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Dave Berry, Swift Transportation

Mr. Dave Berry, Swift Transportation
David C. Berry is the Vice President of Phoenix based Swift Transportation, the nation’s largest Truckload Carrier. Mr. Berry is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He has been a resident of Phoenix for 42 years and is an active member of the transportation industry. He serves as Director of the American Trucking Association (ATA) and Chair of the ATA Tax Policy and Communications committee. Other transportation activities include serving as Director of the Western Highway Institute, Chairman of the Arizona Highways Users Association, Director of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, and member of the Governor’s CANAMEX Trade Corridor Task Force.
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Jed Billings, FNF Construction

Mr. Jed Billings, FNF Construction
Jed Billings has been CEO of FNF Construction, Inc. for the past 15 years. His firm is currently involved in active transportation projects in Arizona, New Mexico and California. For the past four years, FNF Construction, Inc. has been ranked as the number one heavy highway contractor by the Arizona Business Journal. Mr. Billings holds a bachelor of science degree in construction engineering from Arizona State University.  He served as 2001 Chairman of the Arizona Chapter Associated General Contractors; 1994 Past President & Life Director of Arizona Rock Products Association; Board Member Emeritus of Rubber Pavements Association Asphalt Technical Institute; State Director, ARTBA, March 2001 (3-Year Term); State Director, National Asphalt Pavement Association, February, 1999 (3-Year Term); only Contractor Member, Transportation Research Board; 2003 Chairman, AGC  Transportation Committee; 2001 Chairman, ADOT-AGC Joint Cooperative Committee; Pi Kappa Alpha Alumni (ASU); ASU Alumni Association; and the ASU Del E. Webb Leadership Committee.
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Mayor James Cavanaugh, Goodyear

Mayor James Cavanaugh, Goodyear
Mayor Cavanaugh was elected to his third term as Mayor of the City of Goodyear in March of 2009.

Mayor Cavanaugh has been very active in Valley transportation issues as a member of the MAG Transportation Policy Committee and the National League of Cities Transportation Infrastructure & Services Committee and is credited with leading a precedent-setting, multi-city effort that achieved the four-year acceleration of the widening of I-10 along an eight-mile stretch in the Southwest Valley.

He serves on the Executive Committee of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns and on the National League of Cities University Communities Council Steering Committee.

Mayor Cavanaugh is active in efforts to protect Luke Air Force Base. He served in the United States Air Force for more than thirty years in command, management, logistics, and missile operations positions, retiring in the grade of Colonel.

The Mayor and his wife and business partner, Linda, have lived in Goodyear since 1993. They own Cavanaugh Realty, a real estate broker business.  Together, they have six grown children and seven grandchildren.

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Councilman Dick Esser - Town of Cave Creek

Councilman Dick Esser - Town of Cave Creek
Councilman Esser was elected in March 2009 to his third term on the Cave Creek Town Council. He was appointed by the mayor to serve as the MAG Regional Council and has done so for the past five years.

He has lived in Cave Creek for over 20 years with his wife Holly, and has two sons and 10 grandchildren. He has volunteered in many areas for the town since his retirement from the Arizona Department of Transportation. Prior to being elected to the town council, he served as Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission. He is a member of the town's Sewer Oversight Committee and is an active member of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. He volunteered to assist the Foothills Caring Corps to obtain funding for its transportation program grants. He was also appointed by the mayor to work with Maricopa County Solid Waste Department to help establish the new Cave Creek Recycling Center, which is now up and running.

Councilman Esser's professional background includes over 30 years experience with all aspects of transportation - state, county and local. During this period of time he worked for the Maricopa County Highway Department, the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Attorney General's office. As a senior right-of-way agent with the state, he was responsible for acquiring right-of-way in all 15 counties for various public works projects. As a manager in ADOT's highway development group for many years he administered the federal relocation program and oversaw the relocation of individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations impacted by public works projects. Prior to his retirement he served as a special assistant to the attorney general in the transportation division, coordinating and settling condemnation suits as one of a three-member litigation team. His responsibilities required extensive knowledge of real estate and land appraisals, in addition to state and federal condemnation laws. After his retirement from his career at the state, Councilman Esser also had a consulting firm for a number of years that involved public works projects.
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Mayor Hugh Hallman, Tempe

Councilmember Shana Ellis, Tempe
Shana Ellis was elected to the Tempe City Council in March 2006. She was raised in Tempe and graduated from Tempe High School and Arizona State University, where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Business/Computer Information Systems and a Master's in Public Administration. Ellis is chair of the Transportation Committee and Technology Sustainability Sub-Committee, and serves on the Housing Committee, Community Sustainability Committee, the Mill and Lake District Committee, Community Ad Hoc Committee on Long-Range Finance Planning, and the Papago Park Master Plan Committee. She has been appointed to the National League of Cities Transportation Infrastructure and Services Policy and Advocacy Committees.

Ellis' leadership experience includes serving on the Board of Directors of Tempe Leadership (President in 2004), the Tempe Human Relations Commission (Chair in 2000), Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council (Chair in 2001-2002), the Valley Metro/RPTA Board (Treasurer) and the Kiwanis Club of Tempe (President in 2002). Along with serving as an alternate to the Metro Rail Board, Ellis is also a Tempe Community Council board member and a member of the Community and Economic Development Policy/Advocacy Committee of the National League of Cities.

She also has volunteered for numerous organizations including Tempe Boys & Girls Club, Tempe Rio Salado Little League, Tempe St. Luke's Hospital, Tempe Cares, Tempe Diablos, Tempe Sister Cities, Childsplay, Broadmor Elementary School. Waggoner Elementary School, Marcos de Niza High School and Kyrene Middle School.

Shana most recently was the recipient of the Brian Mickelsen Housing Hero Award in the category of elected official.

Ellis is married and has two children. She retired from Tempe Community Council in 2006, after a 20-year tenure, where she worked with hundreds of non-profit organizations and community groups.
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Mayor Marie Lopez-Rogers, Avondale

Mr. Victor Flores, StateTransportation Board
Victor is a member of the State Transportation Board, having been appointed to a six-year term by Governor Napolitano in 2008.

In addition to serving on the MAG Transportation Policy Committee, Victor also serves as a representative of the MAG Regional Council, representing the Arizona Department of Transportation on transportation issues.

A second generation Arizonan, Victor was born in the former town of Ray and raised in the mining community of Winkelman. He graduated from Hayden High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Engineering from Arizona State University in 1976.

Victor’s professional career began as a design engineer at the same ASARCO copper smelting plant where his father, Joaquin, worked for more than 35 years. While construction and engineering have been integral to his professional life, Victor ventured into other areas as well. In the past, he was a partner in a small commercial contracting firm; he also owned and operated a retail bakery in the Town of Guadalupe.

Mr. Flores is currently employed as Director of Executive Projects & Support with APS. Responsibilities include governmental related duties plus direct links to non-profit communities, ethnic market entities and minority communities. In short, development and implementation of strategies, processes and special projects related to APS Community Development department and the effect on external stakeholders.

Victor has always maintained a strong desire to participate in civic matters. He was an elected member of the Hayden-Winkelman School District Governing Board; served as President of the Guadalupe Chamber of Commerce; the Arizona Housing Finance Authority; served as a member of the City of Phoenix Private Industry Council and the Industrial Development Authority; the boards of Valle del Sol, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the ASU Alumni Association.

Victor is a graduate of Valley Leadership, Class XXIII. In addition to the Transportation board, he is currently on the board of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Children’s Action Alliance, Vision Quest 20/20, Valley of the Sun United Way, President of the Arizona-Mexico Commission board of directors and a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Committee Southwest Border Task Force.

Victor resides in Phoenix with Lisa his wife and almost 6 year old daughter Elena.
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Eneas Kane, DMB Associates

Mr. Mark Killian, The Killian Companies/Sunny Mesa, Inc.
Mark graduated from ASU in 1981 with a degree in business administration. He is a partner/vice president of The Killian Company/Sunny Mesa, Inc. He makes his home in Mesa.
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Steve Beard, SR Beard and Associates

Mayor W.J. "Jim" Lane, Scottsdale
Mayor W. J. "Jim" Lane began his first term on the Scottsdale City Council in June 2004, and was elected Mayor in November 2008.

Mayor Lane served on the 2002 Scottsdale Fire & EMS Advisory Committee, which was convened to evaluate and make recommendations to the city regarding the desired level of fire and emergency medical services relative to cost. He now represents the City Council as a member of the National League of Cities Public Safety and Crime Prevention Steering Committee.

His community service also includes six years on the Scottsdale Paradise Valley YMCA Board of Management. He chaired the 1999 Kids Campaign annual fund raising effort.

He came to Scottsdale from New Jersey in 1973 to take a position with KPMG (Peat Marwick), an international CPA firm. He worked as an active CPA for twenty years with five of those years in public accounting as a financial statement Auditor.

Mayor Lane has owned and operated businesses in construction, mining, computer technology, telecommunications and regional aviation. He currently owns the financial consulting company of Chatham Hill Group LLC. Mayor Lane is also an Adjunct Professor of Business and Accounting at Scottsdale Community College.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

He and his wife Joanne have three adult children (Bill, Scott & Nancy) along with two grandchildren (Megan & Aislinn).
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Phillip K. Matthews, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community

Mr. Phillip K. Matthews, Assistant Director, Engineering and Construction Services, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
Mr. Matthews currently serves as Assistant Director of Construction for the Engineering and Construction Services Division of the Salt River Maricopa Indian Community.  In this position, Mr. Matthews provides oversight management of major construction projects on the community and manages the in-house construction and water resource departments.  For the past several years he has been extensively involved in project development for the community including multiagency project coordination, grant funding, and transportation planning.  Mr. Matthews joined the community in the late 1990’s rising from department manager to his current position.

Prior to join the community, Mr. Matthews was a successfully engineering consultant for over 20 years managing or working for several Consulting Engineering firms in the valley.  Mr. Matthews possesses a bachelor of science in civil engineering and is a registered professional engineer.
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Mayor Marie Lopez-Rogers, Avondale

Mayor Jackie Meck, Buckeye
Jackie Meck was recently elected to a four-year term as Buckeye Mayor.  A Buckeye native, Meck has served previously as Town Mayor from 1973 to 1975 and as a member of the Town Council from 1968 to 1975 and from 2002 to 2006.

The retired general manager of the Buckeye Water Conservation and Drainage District, Meck has also served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and WESTMARC, is a past president of the Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Gila River’s El Rio Restoration Project Executive Committee.

Meck is a past chairman of the town’s Pioneer Days Celebration, and is a member of the Buckeye Elks and Lions Clubs, the Buckeye Valley Museum, the West Valley Fine Arts, the Phoenix Art Museum and Heard Museum.

Meck and his wife of 47 years, Verlyne, have three grown children and four grandchildren.
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Mayor Marie Lopez-Rogers, Avondale

Vice Mayor Les Presmyk
Vice Mayor Les Presmyk was first elected to the Gilbert Town in 1999 after serving on the Gilbert Planning and Zoning Commission for four years.  He has been re-elected twice and is currently serving his third term.  He served as Vice Mayor in 2001-2002 and 2005-2006.

Vice Mayor Presmyk has been with the Salt River Project and is currently the Senior Mine Engineer in the Fuels Department.  He has been an active member of the Gilbert community for almost 20 years, serving as president of the Islands Community Association board of directors and chairman of its architectural review committee.  He currently serves as co-chair of the Mercy Gilbert Medical Center gala event (Gilbert’s first such event).

Vice Mayor Presmyk earned a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from the University of Arizona.  He has been married to his wife, Paula, for over 31 years.  They have lived in Gilbert for the past 21 years and were both born and raised in Phoenix.
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Mayor Marie Lopez-Rogers, Avondale

Mayor Marie Lopez-Rogers, Avondale
Marie Lopez Rogers was appointed Mayor of Avondale in January 2006 and had served as a Councilmember since January 1996.  She was elected to the position of Mayor in September 2007 for a four year term.  The Mayor has been appointed by Governor Janet Napolitano to several Governor’s Statewide Task Forces and Commissions. She serves on the Arizona Attorney General’s Latino Community Justice Council.  She is a member of the Maricopa Association of Government’s (MAG) Regional Council and its Executive Committee. Mayor Rogers has been instrumental in regional transportation issues and serves as Vice Chair of the MAG Transportation Policy Committee and as a member of the Regional Public Transportation Authority (Valley Metro). She also serves on the  State League of Arizona Cities & Towns Executive Committee.

On a national level, Mayor Rogers was on the Board of Directors for the National League of Cities and now serves on the NLC Advisory Council, is the President of the Hispanic Elected Local Officials, and Past President of Women in Municipal Government. Along with these elected positions, she has served on the Nominations Committee, Human Development Steering Committee, the Equity and Opportunity Panel, and the Council on Youth, Education and Families.

Mayor Rogers is the first Latina Mayor in Avondale and grew up in the migrant farm labor camps around the city. Her background is in social service and has been an active community organizer and assistant to residents seeking services and navigation through the government and educational systems. She has been married 40 years to Ed Rogers, has three sons, adores her six grandchildren, and of course, loves NASCAR racing!

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David Scholl, Westcor

Mr. David C. Scholl
A 37-year resident of Phoenix, David Scholl was associated with Westcor for 24 years as a senior vice president of development.

Scholl is active in many aspects of the shopping center development industry. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Urban Land Institute (ULI). Scholl serves on the steering committee of the Arizona District Council of ULI, a member of the Arizona ICSC Government Affairs Committee, and serves on the Board of Valley Partnership.

He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Arizona and master’s degree from Arizona State University. After graduating from the UofA, Scholl worked one year with Coldwell Banker in Phoenix as a broker-trainee. In 1984, he joined Westcor in the arena of income property acquisition.

Scholl and his wife, Cindy, have three children. His leisure activities include golf, skiing, biking and volunteering for his church and the University of Arizona Foundation. He serves on the board of Summit Adventure, a Christian mountaineering group.
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Mayor Elaine Scruggs, Glendale

Mayor Elaine Scruggs, Glendale
Elaine Scruggs has served as Mayor of Glendale since February 1993.  Mayor Scruggs is a member and past Chair of the MAG Transportation Policy Committee and the MAG Regional Council.  Mayor Scruggs has played an important role in the planning, policy making and implementation of Maricopa County’s regional transportation system.

Mayor Scruggs also serves as a member and past Chair of the Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) Board of Directors, and has served as President of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns and Chair of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA).

As Mayor of Glendale, which is home to Luke Air Force Base, Elaine Scruggs was selected to serve on the 15-member Arizona Military Affairs Commission, which evaluates and authorizes projects that sustain the missions of Arizona’s military facilities.

Fostering leadership is of great personal interest to Mayor Scruggs. Her desire for a program that would reinvigorate the public’s civic participation and their sense of ownership of local government led to the creation of Glendale University in 1997. Since the program’s inception, over 750 Glendale residents have “graduated” from Glendale University to become community leaders through service to non-profit organizations, appointment to municipal commissions and election to the City Council.

Mayor Scruggs' business career is marked with highly specialized management assignments within the communications industry. Positions held include Corporate Training Manager for a seven-state area and Arizona Administrative Manager with responsibility for a customer account base billing in excess of $25 million annually. Mayor Scruggs has been recognized by the National Association of Women Business Owners for her support of small business endeavors. She has been honored as one of Today's Arizona Woman magazine's Top 100, and in 2003, she accepted their Woman of the Year award.

Mayor Scruggs and her husband, Larry, relocated to Arizona from Pasadena, California in 1971. Their daughter, Jennifer, lives in Tennessee.
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David Scholl, Westcor

Councilmember Jack Sellers
Councilmember Jack Sellers has lived in Chandler since 1994. He began his tenure on the City Council in January 2009.

He is the former facilities manager for the General Motors Desert Proving Ground in Mesa. During his time here in Chandler, Jack has been active in the community and in the region with a strong interest in transportation issues. He has served as a member and chair of the Chandler Transportation Commission, and chaired the Chandler Transportation Bond Committee. He also served on the Chandler Airport Noise Compatibility Study Advisory Committee and as a member of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s South Mountain Freeway Citizens Advisory Team.

He has also been very active with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council serving on the International Leadership Committee and as a Board Member and Executive Committee Member. With the East Valley Partnership, he serves on the Economic Development and Transportation committees. Jack is a member of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce and participates on its Public Policy Committee. He also served as a Board Member and Chairman of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce -- having been named Business Leader of the Year in 2004.

Councilmember Sellers is a member of the Board of Directors for Arizona Town Hall. He has participated in three Town Halls, once as a Delegate and twice as Panel Leader. He also serves on the Maricopa Community College Commission on Excellence in Education. He has been High School Booster Club President, Elementary School PTO President, Little League Coach and Homeowners Association President.

He has a bachelor’s degree from New Mexico State University. Jack is married to Marie, has three grown children and eight grandchildren.
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Mayor Elaine Scruggs, Glendale

Ms. Karrin Kunasek Taylor, DMB Associates, Inc.
As the Executive Vice President and Chief Entitlements Officer, Karrin Kunasek Taylor is responsible for ongoing land use entitlement matters for DMB communities.  She serves as a member of the company’s Executive Management Team responsible for the strategic direction, growth and operation of the company.

Prior to joining DMB, Ms. Taylor was a principal with the law firm of Biskind, Hunt & Taylor, P.L.C., where she practiced in the areas of land use, development and zoning law.

Ms. Taylor holds a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Political Science from Arizona State University.  She also received her Juris Doctorate from ASU’s College of Law.  Ms. Taylor is admitted to practice in Arizona and before the U.S. District Court for Arizona.

Ms. Taylor’s professional affiliations include the State Bar of Arizona and the Maricopa County Bar Association. She’s been appointed by the Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives to serve as the business community’s representative on the Transportation Policy Committee of the Maricopa Association of Governments; and she also serves as the Governor’s appointee on the Arizona State Land Department’s Conservation Advisory Committee.

Her commitment to the local community includes and has included service on the Board of Directors for Valley Partnership, the Board of Directors for Greater Phoenix Economic Council, the Maricopa County Trails Foundation, the Phoenix Suns Charities Board and Great Hearts Preparatory Academies Board.  She is also an Advisory Board Member of the Arizona Aerospace Institute, dedicated to retaining and growing the aerospace industry in Arizona and a member of Charter 100 and Arizona Town Hall.

Nationally, Ms. Taylor serves as President of the Foundation for Environmental and Economic Progress (FEEP), which represents major landowners and stakeholders across the country in the advancement of balanced federal environmental law and policy on endangered species acts and wetlands issues.  She is also a member of the Corporate Leadership Advisory Council of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Advisory Board of the Dodie Londen Excellence in Public Service Series.

In 2005, Ms. Taylor was asked to serve as the Honorary Wing Commander of Luke Air Force Base, and the USAF Air Education Training Command Commander’s Group.  Since 2006, she has served on the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff’s Civic Leaders Group in Washington, D.C.
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Mayor Elaine Scruggs, Glendale

Mayor Lyn Truitt, Surprise
Lyn and his wife, Donna, moved to Surprise in 1997. They have two children and three grandchildren. Donna has worked at the Dysart Unified School District since 2000 and daughter-in-law, Nicole, is a music teacher in the District.

Lyn has been a self-employed businessman for the past 30 years. As national training consultant for a contract delivery systems company, he trained entrepreneurs in small business ownership, management and operations. Lyn is currently owner/broker of L.E. Truitt & Associates Real Estate Consulting and a Certified International Property Specialist.

Over the years, Lyn coached a youth soccer team to two City of Phoenix titles, obtained three scuba diving certifications and served as Crew Chief on a hot air balloon team.  He traveled to England as part of a Christian outreach opportunity and considers himself a life-long learner, taking classes ranging from Greek to photography.

Lyn is a graduate of Leadership West, Class IX and his commitment to effective and ethical leadership is demonstrated through participation in neighborhood and community initiatives, support for quality education, a willingness to volunteer and dedication to our City and residents.

Participation in neighborhood and community initiatives includes leadership on the Coyote Lakes HOA and work on various community initiatives.  He was presented the Arizona Golden Rule Award for volunteerism by Secretary of State, Jan Brewer. Lyn is active with the Salvation Army Board, organizes an annual drive for St. Mary’s Westside Food Bank, and serves on the Board of West Valley Art Museum.

His support for quality education includes service on committees that worked to pass school bond issues, membership on the Dysart Tax Credit Committee, Chair of the Dysart Wall of Unity Committee and the Community Advisory Team Board.

Lyn’s passion for our community is evidenced by successful campaigns to reduce the restaurant tax in Surprise, improve Bell Road and preserve areas around Luke Auxiliary Field 1.  He served as Surprise Planning & Zoning Committee Chair.
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Supervisor Don Stapley , Maricopa County

Supervisor Max W. Wilson, Maricopa County
Max W. Wilson was elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in 2002 and was reelected 2004 and 2008. He was elected Chairman of the Board for 2005 and 2009.

Mr. Wilson and his wife Judith of 43 years, have 4 daughters and eight grandchildren.

Max served four years in the United States Air Force and settled in Maricopa County in 1964. After working at Luke AFB, he established a successful Real Estate career and founded Design Master Homes.

Max is a member of the Arizona Board of Realtors, the Wickenburg, Northwest and Southwest Valley Chambers of Commerce and as a member of the Board for Westmarc. He also serves on the Fighter County Partnership Board and the Arizona Homeland Security Advisory Committee.

He has recently served on:

  • Litchfield Park City Council (Vice-Mayor)
  • State Military Airport Preservation Committee
  • Sun Health/La Loma Board of Directors

Within Maricopa County, he serves on:

  • Greater Phoenix Economic Council Board of Directors
  • Maricopa Association of Governments' (MAG) Transportation Policy Committee
  • Flood Control District
  • Stadium District
  • Library District
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