Tucsonans who have been moved, appointed or promoted in 2023
Check out people in our community who have moved up in their fields.
Tubutis hired for CCP director post
Tubutis hired for
CCP director post
Todd Tubutis has been selected to serve as director of the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona.
Tubutis has 20 years of experience in organizational leadership and management, strategic planning, fundraising and institutional outreach, as well as a record of innovative exhibition development and curatorial initiatives.
Since 2019 Tubutis has served as director of the Art Museum of West Virginia University. From 2015 to 2019, he was associate director at the University of Nebraska’s Sheldon Museum of Art. Earlier in his career, Tubutis was executive director of Blue Sky Gallery, the Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts in Portland, Oregon.
Brandon Michaels named president and CEO of OneAZ Credit Union
Brandon Michaels has been named president and CEO of OneAZ Credit Union.
Michaels brings nearly 20 years of executive leadership experience in the credit union industry. He’s previously served as president and CEO at two credit unions.
Most recently, Michaels served as head of corporate development with Allied Solutions LLC. Previously, he served as president and CEO of Wellby Financial in Houston, and president and CEO of Mazuma Credit Union in Kansas City.
Hyochol “Brian” Ahn named dean of the University of Arizona College of Nursing
Hyochol “Brian” Ahn has been named dean of the University of Arizona College of Nursing.
Ahn is a professor and associate dean for research at the Florida State University College of Nursing and founding director of the FSU Brain Science & Symptom Management Center.
Before joining the FSU College of Nursing, Ahn was assistant dean for research at the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Nursing and the Isla Carroll Turner Endowed Chair in Gerontological Nursing at UTHealth School of Nursing.
Ahn earned his PhD in Nursing from the University of Florida in 2012. He also holds a Master of Science degree in adult and elderly nursing, as well as a Bachelor of Science in nursing.
Olivia Miller named UA Museum of Art director
Olivia Miller has been appointed the director of the University of Arizona Museum of Art. Miller becomes the first woman to serve as the institution’s director.
Miller, a UA alumna, joined the museum as curator of education in 2012, overseeing the docent and education programs before becoming curator of exhibitions in 2014. She has curated more than 30 exhibitions during her tenure, overseeing the restoration and return of the stolen Willem de Kooning painting, “Woman-Ochre.”
She served as interim director for the past 10 months.
Vaughan, Cortez join Coldwell
Stephanie Vaughan and Stephanie Cortez have associated with the Tucson-Foothills office of Coldwell Banker Realty as affiliate agents.
For nearly a decade, Cortez has been a co-owner of Magical Cleaning Services LLC, a local family company.
Vaughan, Cortez join Coldwell
Stephanie Vaughan and Stephanie Cortez have associated with the Tucson-Foothills office of Coldwell Banker Realty as affiliate agents.
Most recently, Vaughan was an agent with another brokerage. Before that, she helped run her family’s successful retail business for 23 years.
Universal Avionics names Arfi GM
Universal Avionics, an Elbit Systems Company, announced the appointment of Fabrice Arfi as general manager of Universal Avionics International.
Arfi is based out of France and joins the company’s international division to support customers and growth in the EMEA and APAC regions.
Arfi has 28 years of experience with international customer support and business development in the aviation industry.
This includes various leadership positions with Eurocopter, Airbus Helicopters, Zodiac Aerospace Services, Safran Aerosystems, and Groupe ADF.
Arfi brings skills in strategic leadership, business operations, sales and intercultural relations to the company.
Notre Dame FCU hires Bolivar
Notre Dame Federal Credit Union has hired Ricardo Bolivar as a relationship manager at the Tucson branch.
Bolivar brings experience in sales and stewardship, having served as a country club service member while attending the University of Arizona.
He joins Notre Dame FCU after nearly three years with National Bank of Arizona, where he began as a teller and quickly progressed to a relationship banker.
Bolivar possesses a great understanding of lending and banking products while being well-versed in personal loans.
Hughes appoints president, CEO
Hughes Federal Credit Union’s long-time executive Andrew Britton has been appointed president and CEO.
Britton joined Hughes in 2003 following an extensive career in the industry and most recently served as the credit union’s executive vice president of lending.
Britton has helped Hughes increase loans from $290 million in 2010 to $1.8 billion in 2023.
Susan Derlein has been named sales manager.
Susan Derlein has been named sales manager at Long Realty Company at the Green Valley office.
Derlein has 20 years of industry experience, having served in various leadership positions.
Chris Patterson has been appointed the new branch manager
Chris Patterson has been appointed the new branch manager, in addition to her current role as branch manager of the company’s Sahuarita and Southwest offices.
With 28 years of experience in real estate, Patterson has demonstrated her expertise in various roles, including branch management, training, acting as the company’s backup broker and spearheading company initiatives.
Dr. Shah joins PHC of Tucson
Dr. Virag Shah joins Dr. Steve Wool as a partner in Personalized HealthCare of Tucson, a membership internal medicine practice.
Shah graduated from Northwestern University, in Chicago, medical school honors program in 1991. He has more than 30 years of experience in primary care, emergency medicine and academia.
He is board certified in family medicine and received specialized education in geriatrics and palliative care medicine at the University of Southern California.
Valdés promoted by Vantage West
Jimena Valdés has been promoted to senior vice president of member experience for Vantage West Credit Union.
In her new role, Valdés will provide strategic leadership and oversight of multiple channels, including the retail branch network, member solutions contact center, training and investment services.
Valdés first joined Vantage West in 2017 as assistant vice president of retail banking. In 2021, she earned a promotion to vice president of consumer banking and operations, before landing her most recent promotion.
During her tenure at Vantage West, Valdés has provided oversight of consumer banking operations, served as liaison and manager of Vantage West’s wealth management program, worked with brokers to secure branch locations, and served as a mentor to several of the credit union’s emerging leaders.
Prior to her career at Vantage West, Valdés worked for the University of Arizona as a graduate medical education data manager and held management positions with a major bank over a nine-year span.
UA Cooperative Extension names associate VP
Ed Martin has been named associate vice president and director of the University of Arizona’s Cooperative Extension.
Martin brings more than 30 years of experience as an irrigation specialist.
Martin first came to the UA in 1992 as an extension specialist in irrigation at the Maricopa Agricultural Center, a 2,100-acre research station located 30 miles southwest of Phoenix.
His work focused on the efficient and effective management of agricultural irrigation water and on developing the Arizona Irrigation Scheduling program that helped growers better apply and manage their irrigation water applications.
With more than 15 years of organizational leadership, Martin has served as associate director for Cooperative Extension’s Agriculture and Natural Resources mission area, and director of Maricopa County’s Cooperative Extension system, as well as interim director for the statewide Extension organization for the last two years.
Harry Law joins NAI Horizon
The Tucson office of NAI Horizon has hired Harry Law, a commercial real estate agent specializing in industrial properties.
Prior to joining NAI Horizon, Law gained experience in residential real estate, selling houses and residential land for a year. After a year in residential real estate, Law decided to pursue a career in commercial real estate.
St. Joseph’s names Powe for COO role
Megan Powe has been named chief operating officer for Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Powe joined Carondelet Health Network as the market chief strategy officer in November 2021 and has made significant contributions to the hospitals by spearheading growth, physician recruitment, marketing and business development initiatives.
Prior to joining Carondelet, she most recently served as chief strategy officer for The Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus in El Paso, Texas. Powe successfully led the strategic development and growth of key service lines, resulting in expanded services, certifications and performance in cardiology, orthopedics, inpatient rehabilitation and neurosciences.
Webb promoted at Vantage West
Keysha Webb has been promoted to senior vice president of strategy and market development for Vantage West Credit Union.
Webb will pursue new market opportunities that will increase and deepen member relationships and lead teams that support membership growth and engagement. This will involve driving initiatives that integrate and analyze diverse data insights to inform business decisions, including brand and community awareness, marketing, financial inclusion, community development, non-interest income and payment strategies.
Since joining Vantage West in 2011, Webb has held leadership roles in internal audit, branch administration, member experience, member solutions center (contact center), and digital banking.
Previously, Webb was a financial auditor for a publicly traded health-care company and at a local CPA firm specializing in government and nonprofits.
Big-D Construction adds to Arizona office
Big-D Construction announced it has expanded its presence in Arizona with the hiring of a director of preconstruction and a director of multi-family.
The general contracting firm’s Southwest office hired Theresa Schultz as director of multi-family.
Schultz will serve as director of Big-D Construction’s multi-family construction operations teams.
Schultz previously worked at Ryan Companies US for eight years, and at Opus West Corp. for 12 years. She served as senior project manager and director of construction at Ryan and as project manager and director of construction at Opus West.
Schultz earned a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from Kansas University and a master’s degree in construction management from Washington University in St. Louis.
Big-D Construction adds to Arizona office
Big-D Construction announced it has expanded its presence in Arizona with the hiring of a director of preconstruction and a director of multi-family.
The general contracting firm’s Southwest office hired Rod Miller as director of preconstruction.
Miller will be responsible for assisting the preconstruction team serve Big-D Construction clients in the early stages of a project. This includes pricing, scheduling, and assisting design teams in conjunction with its trade partners.
Miller previously worked at Ryan Companies US for seven years, serving as director of preconstruction and preconstruction manager.
Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management from Arizona State University. He is a member of the Arizona Builders Alliance (ABA).
Todd to lead AZ market with Breakthru Beverage
Breakthru Beverage Group announced Chris Todd has been appointed executive vice president of Breakthru Beverage Arizona. Todd will be responsible for sales, operations and all other aspects of market performance. Todd has had a 28-year-long career with Breakthru, most recently serving as vice president of Sales, Heritage Division and leading a 145-person sales team and more than 170 partner accounts contributing $168 million in revenue.
Before joining Breakthru, Todd began his career as a merchandiser for Brown-Forman and spent 10 years with the company.
C-Path appoints scientific leaders to executive posts
Critical Path Institute (C-Path) announced the appointment of Alexandre Bétourné, Ph.D., Pharm.D., as executive director of the rare Disease Cures Accelerator-Date and Analytics Platform (RDCA-DAP).
Dr. Bétourné previously served on C-Path’s RDCA-DAP team as scientific director. In his new role, Bétourné will work closely with the program team to expand the platform’s reach into new disease areas, access new data and enhance C-Path’s relationships within the rare disease community. Before joining C-Path, Dr. Bétourné led a team of senior U.S. scientists and regulatory consultants developing therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dr. Bétourné holds both a Ph.D. and a Pharm.D. from the University of Toulouse in France, has written multiple papers on several different rare disease areas and holds three patents.
C-Path appoints scientific leaders to executive posts
Critical Path Institute (C-Path) announced the appointment of Shu Chin Ma, Ph.D., M.Sc., M.Phil., EMBA, as vice president of Model-Informed Drug Development (MIDD) and the Quantitative Medicine (QuantMed) program.
Shu Chin Ma joins C-Path from PTC Therapeutics, where she served as Senior Director of Pharmacometrics, Clinical Pharmacology and DMPK, focusing on metabolic diseases, rare diseases, oncology, as well as viral and non-viral gene therapies to the central nervous system. Ma holds a master’s degrees in chemical and biomolecular engineering from Cornell University, a master’s in electrical engineering from Yale University, a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Yale, and an Executive MBA degree from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.
C-Path appoints scientific leaders to executive posts
Critical Path Institute (C-Path) announced the appointment of Cheryl D. Coon, Ph.D. as vice president for the Clinical Outcome Assessment (COA) program.
Coon brings 20 years of experience as a skilled psychometrician and consultant in the pharmaceutical industry and has been involved in developing patient-reported outcome measures, regulatory matters and statistical analysis of advanced clinical trials. Coon completed her undergraduate education in psychology and French and received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Miramonte selects a new president
Miramonte Communities, a subsidiary of Miramonte Homes, has selected Eric Entringer to serve as as president.
Entringer comes to Miramonte with over 20 years of real estate investment banking and transaction experience. In his role as president, he is responsible for multifamily strategy including site selection, planning, development, construction, leasing and disposition of properties.
He formerly served as chief financial officer of an Arizona-based vertically integrated real estate investment and development company, working primarily with multifamily and hospitality real estate.
Prior to joining Miramonte Communities, Entringer was vice president of capital markets and investor relations at Dornin Investment Group. Entringer’s experience also includes working in international real estate with Cerberus Capital Management in Frankfurt, Germany. He also spent 12 years with Ernst & Young, where his tenure as senior vice president of Ernst & Young Capital Advisors focused on equity placement for middle-market real estate companies throughout the U.S.
TAA names Allison vice president, CFO
The Tucson Airport Authority has hired Kim Allison as vice president and chief financial officer.
As Vice President, Allison will join the executive team in leading the oversight and administration of Tucson International Airport and Ryan Airfield.
In her role as CFO, Allison will oversee the finance department, including grant programs, regulatory compliance, accounting functions and financial planning and analysis.
Before joining the organization, she was the CFO for Gulfport Biloxi International Airport. Allison is also a Certified Public Accountant.
Crest Insurance hires Henderson
Chester Henderson has come on board at Crest Insurance as director of risk services.
A native of Tucson, Henderson served as a Navy SEAL, holding a multitude of leadership positions within Naval Special Warfare. Over his 22-year career within the SEAL teams, he successfully completed six deployments, four of which were combat deployments inside Iraq and Afghanistan.
Additionally, over his Naval career, he led and supervised the execution of risk management teams, which reduced operational training risk, increased training efficiency, established and promoted safety measures, and advanced the performance of the participants.
Bonasera joins Nesci & St. Louis
Joe Bonasera has joined the law firm of Nesci & St. Louis, P.L.L.C.
He is a litigator specializing in criminal and DUI offenses. At Nesci & St. Louis, Bonasera will continue to focus on pretrial litigation and trial work in DUIs, misdemeanors and felonies in courts throughout Arizona.
Bonasera speaks Spanish proficiently and can represent Spanish-speaking clients. Before joining the firm, Bonasera worked for four years as a lawyer at the Pima County Public Defender’s Office, representing clients in both misdemeanor and felony cases.
SALC names coordinator
Paula Toomey is serving as communications and membership coordinator at the Southern Arizona Leadership Council.
Toomey previously served as the communications and membership coordinator for the Arizona Hydrological Society. Before moving to Arizona in 2019, she was the communications manager for the Berks County Bar Association in Reading, Pennsylvania.
She has also worked as a graphic designer, art director, and production supervisor at the National Association of Colleges and Employers, based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and the Foster Wheeler Corporation, in Clinton, New Jersey.
SALC names VP
Allen Kinnison was named vice president of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council.
Kinnison will be responsible for the organization’s infrastructure-related efforts and advocacy.
Most recently, Kinnison was director of airside operations for the Tucson Airport Authority. Prior to joining TAA, Kinnison served for 29 years in the Air Force, including 19 years at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson.
Coldwell Banker adds new agent
Yves Carmelle Toby has associated with the Tucson-Foothills office of Coldwell Banker Realty as an affiliate agent.
Prior to working in real estate, she taught math to first- through third-grade students at the International School of Tucson. She was also a French substitute teacher at IST and is fluent in both French and Haitian Creole.
Johannes Loutsch joins Tubac Center of the Arts
Johannes Loutsch came on board to Tubac Center of the Arts in October as director of the Tubac School of Fine Art.
Loutsch has provided strategy, creative direction, operations and production guidance for organizations ranging from startups and nonprofits to advertising agencies and Fortune 100 companies.
He has a lengthy track record of accomplishments in digital content, advertising and entertainment.
Lisa Hastreiter-Lamb joins Tubac Center of the Arts
Lisa Hastreiter-Lamb is the new exhibits and programs manager at Tubac Center of the Arts.
Hastreiter-Lamb is a museum professional and artist with 26 years of experience in museums. She began her career at the University of Arizona Museum of Art where she was associate curator of education and later curator of education. In 2009, she became the associate director and education director at The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. In 2016, Hastreiter-Lamb was promoted to the position of executive director.
World View names revenue officer
World View has named Ian Thomas as the company’s new chief revenue officer.
Thomas has more than 30 years of experience in global business, working for The Boeing Company and the Clinton administration in the office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense. At Boeing he served as CEO of four of the world’s largest aerospace markets.
In his new role, Thomas will lead international business development operations to align with World View’s growing and diversifying remote sensing business.
Part of his focus will be to target new industries that stand to benefit from the unique advantages offered by remote sensing via the stratosphere and on delivering capabilities not available with traditional satellite imaging or fixed-wing aircraft monitoring.
The Drawing Studio promotes Russell
The Drawing Studio in Tucson has promoted Anton Russell to co-executive director.
Russell oversees programs, development and the external responsibilities of the organization. He is focused on building community, sustainability and centering racial justice and equity work. Russell was previously program director for three years, during which he co-founded The Drawing Studio’s Be R.E.A.D.I. program, which stands for Race, Equity, Access, Diversity and Inclusion.
The Drawing Studio promotes Brott
The Drawing Studio in Tucson has promoted Emiel Brott to co-executive director.
Brott was the sole executive director of The Drawing Studio starting in 2019, shepherding the community through the pandemic, building out sustainability, and centering equity and accessibility as an integral priority of the organization. As co-executive director, Brott directs finance, operations, human resources and grants.
The Drawing Studio promotes Avila
The Drawing Studio in Tucson has promoted Anthony Avila.
Avila has been promoted to development director, overseeing fundraising, membership, donor relations, and The Drawing Studio’s ongoing capital campaign. He also directs marketing and communications. Previously, Avila was development manager and program coordinator.
Santa Rita High hires football coach
Santa Rita High School has named Douglas Smith, Dysart High School (El Mirage) defensive coordinator, as its new head football coach starting next school year.
Smith spent the last four seasons with the Demons coordinating defense. Prior to his time at Dysart, Smith led defenses at both Barry Goldwater and Shadow Mountain, as well as serving as the head wrestling Coach at Bourgade Catholic, North Canyon, and Shadow Mountain high schools.
Conner joins Cox business team
Sheena Conner has been promoted to manager for market expansion within Cox Business’s government affairs unit.
In her new role, Conner will lead the public and government affairs activities of Cox’s growth throughout Arizona communities including Arizona City, the City of Maricopa, San Manuel, Oracle, Black Canyon City, Congress, Huachuca City, Sun Lakes, SE Sierra Vista, Eloy, Toltec, Desert Hills, Wickenburg, Douglas and Summit View.
With a background in construction planning, Conner most recently held a strategic partnership development role on the Cox Construction team in Southern Arizona.
Dr. Acuña joins UA College of Medicine
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine Dr. Josie Acuña has accepted the position of assistant dean for clinical competency in the Curricular Affairs Office at the University of Arizona College of Medicine — Tucson.
In her new role, Acuña will be overseeing the clinical education portion of the MD program, helping to ensure curricular coordination across the pre-clerkship and clerkship phases, and supporting the clerkship/course directors and their administration and the quality delivery of their courses for ensuring student success.
Acuña earned her medical degree at the College of Medicine — Tucson in 2013. She completed residency at Staten Island University Hospital in New York and returned for fellowship in Emergency Ultrasound at the College of Medicine.
In addition to her clinical research, she conducts research on the equity and inclusion within the field of emergency medicine.
Economic Initiatives hires Coronado
Gisselle Coronado has joined the City of Tucson’s Office of Economic Initiatives.
Coronado, who was named business navigator, has worked with various organizations around Tucson, most notably AmeriCorps and the Pima County Community Action Agency where she assisted people in securing financial aid to pay their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, Coronado worked with SWK Programs, helping migrant minors reunite with family in the US.
Economic Initiatives hires Vega
Jacquelyne Vega has joined the City of Tucson’s Office of Economic Initiatives.
Vega, who takes on the role of project manager, will focus on business retention and expansion, and economic and workforce development. She most recently served as lead budget analyst for the city. She also previously worked for the University of Arizona for several years in different areas, but mainly in international relations.
Reyna joins San Miguel High School
San Miguel High School has hired Marie Reyna as its new vice president of advancement.
After working for 25 years as a psychotherapist, Reyna decided to pursue leadership roles at nonprofits, serving as the associate director of Child Welfare programs for Pima and Pinal Counties at Catholic Community Services and director of development at St. Luke’s Home.
Quarles appointed at Land, Water Trust
Arizona Land and Water Trust has appointed Andrew Quarles to stewardship manager.
Quarles, who was promoted from being a conservation associate at the Trust, is now leading stewardship and restoration efforts across more than 30,000 acres of conservation easements. With a background in geography and urban planning, his prior work has focused on land use, energy and sustainability planning.
McDonald hired at Land, Water Trust
Arizona Land and Water Trust has hired Michael McDonald as executive director.
McDonald takes overall leadership of the Trust effective Feb. 13 following previous similar roles with Tucson Audubon, Community Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity Tucson. He has served the Southern Arizona nonprofit sector for more than 25 years.
Farmers Insurance gains an advisor
The Southern Arizona District Office of Farmers Insurance Group has appointed Sarah Fileccia-Haynie as the newest advisor to Tucson.
Fileccia-Haynie holds her property/casualty and life/health insurance licenses.
She focuses on auto, home, life and business insurance products.
Borderlands names executive director
Borderlands Restoration Network has a new executive director, Rodrigo Sierra Corona.
Sierra Corona is a conservation scientist with more than 20 years of experience researching and implementing conservation practices on endangered landscapes.
He most recently served as the director of ecological management at the Santa Lucia Conservancy in Carmel, California, where he oversaw biological monitoring and research, restoration and conservation grazing programs.
Humane Society hires 2 new vets
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona has hired two fulltime veterinarians thanks to a PetSmart Charities grant.
The hirings allow HSSA to increase spay/neuter efforts, pet vaccination rates and the overall health of pets in the community.
Dr. Tiffany Bryla joined the HSSA in August, serving as the vaccine clinic lead veterinarian.
Humane Society hires 2 new vets
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona has hired two fulltime veterinarians thanks to a PetSmart Charities grant.
The hirings allow HSSA to increase spay/neuter efforts, pet vaccination rates and the overall health of pets in the community.
Dr. Kelli Hamp worked at HSSA years ago and discovered her passion for shelter medicine and veterinary science. After graduating in 2021 from Iowa State University she moved back to Tucson and rejoined the organization in September.
She primarily performs spay and neuter surgeries on public and shelter pets. Hamp also offers low-cost wellness visits, which have included surgery rechecks, sick pets, and general prevention medicine.
Hotchkiss returns to Coldwell Banker
Scott Hotchkiss has returned to Coldwell Banker Realty Arizona as an agent affiliated with the Tucson-Williams Centre office.
Most recently, Hotchkiss was an agent with Re/Max Results. Before that, he was an operations manager with a cabinet manufacturer for 24 years. He is also an equity marketing specialist through the National Council of Exchangers.
Truly Nolen office gets new manager
Richard Rodriguez has been promoted to manager of Truly Nolen’s North Tucson service office.
He joined Truly Nolen in August 2021 and was most recently a manager-in-training.
Rodriguez previously worked in the grocery retail world for 36 years, with his most recent position being director of manager development for Sprouts/Sunflower Farmers Markets.
PMI appoints director of regulatory operations
Marnie Doctor has been named director of regulatory operations at Pima Medical Institute.
She has been with Pima Medical Institute for more than 12 years and began her career at the college as a physical therapist assistant instructor. She went on to serve as clinical director, program director, and most recently spent more than five years as regulatory operations manager.
PMI appoints corporate education director
Jordan Utley has been named Corporate Education Director at Pima Medical Institute, bringing more than two decades of higher education administrative experience.
Her previous roles in administration include program director, department chair, dean of health science, and director of teaching and learning. Clinically, she has nearly three decades of experience as a certified athletic trainer, working with athletes from high school all the way to professional sports.
Chester joins Trico Electric Co-op
Rachel Chester has been named the new supervisor of member accounts at Trico Electric Cooperative.
Chester will be responsible for maintaining member services by evaluating payment and billing programs, policies and procedures and regulatory compliance. This position oversees the call center and resolves escalated member service issues.
Chester has 15 years of experience in an emergency dispatch call center, where she answered and processed calls for service for a wide variety of public sector agencies. She has seven-plus years of supervisory experience within the emergency dispatch center.
Wells named CFSA member coordinator
Community Foundation for Southern Arizona has hired Sydney Wells to serve as member services coordinator for the Community Foundation Campus.
The campus offers nonprofit organizations multiple ways to convene, collaborate and grow. Wells will work to serve campus tenants and other nonprofit partners.
Wells has more than five years of experience in the nonprofit sector, primarily working with organizations committed to enrichment through education and disability program development.
Sundt promotes Hill
Sundt Construction’s Building Group recently promoted Mike Hill in the building group’s southwest district, Tucson region.
Hill has been with Sundt for 20 years and has been promoted to project director. He will be focused on aviation projects in the West and Southwest. Hill is a recognized industry veteran with over 44 years of industry experience, much of which has been spent managing large, complex projects. His expertise includes airport terminals, mission-critical operations, hospitals, community facilities and corporate office buildings.
Sundt promotes Hoyt
Sundt Construction’s Building Group recently promoted Courtney Hoyt in the building group’s southwest district, Tucson region.
Hoyt has been promoted to assistant project manager. She has served in the construction industry since her first internship in 2013 and has been with Sundt for four years as a project engineer and field superintendent. She has worked on multiple University of Arizona projects such as the Student Success District and the Chemistry Building renovations and additions.
Martinez achieves shareholder status
Joey Martinez achieved principal status with Cushman & Wakefield PICOR, joining the employee-owned firm’s 13 active company shareholders.
Martinez came to the firm in 2019, teaming up with multifamily brokerage veteran Allan Mendelsberg, specializing in the sale of apartment investment properties in the greater Tucson region. Fast forward to 2022, their team represented a record number of buyers and sellers of Tucson multifamily assets in 2022 closing over $120 million in sales volume.
ATC names August artistic director
Matt August is Arizona Theatre Company’s new Kasser Family artistic director.
An artistic leader, distinguished director and educator with more than 27 years of theater experience, August has worked in diverse markets including Broadway, Off-Broadway, and LORT (League of Resident Theatres) and Regional Theatres as well as with national tours, international venues, festivals and higher education.
Having directed more than 90 plays, productions and events in the last two decades, August’s work includes plays, musicals, contemporary classics, holiday spectacles, new works, theater for youth, opera and Shakespeare.
August most recently served as assistant professor of directing at Utah Valley University. He also previously served as staff repertory director for the Acting Company in New York.
Kobeissi joins Snell & Wilmer
Sarah A. Kobeissi has been elected to join Snell & Wilmer’s partnership, effective March 1.
Kobeissi focuses her practice in commercial finance. She primarily represents regional and national banking associations in commercial lending, finance and real estate transactions for acquisitions, development, long-term and construction (both upfront and pari passu equity funding) loans.
Specifically, Kobeissi assists with financing acquisitions and development projects for homebuilders, single-family housing subdivisions, condominiums, townhouse projects, apartment buildings and commercial buildings such as industrial and distribution buildings, shopping centers, office complexes and retail centers.
She has experience with refinancing, redevelopment and rehabilitating as well as build-to-rent financing, lot banking transactions and financing based on negative pledge facilities.
Casa de los Niños selects new CEO
Casa de los Niños announced Nora Navarro-Hernández as its new chief executive officer.
She brings 30 years of experience in behavioral health and social services, including 17 years at CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness, where she served on the executive leadership team, most recently as senior vice president of compliance and outcomes.
As CEO, Navarro-Hernández will help guide strategic planning and program development; lead retention and recruitment of high-quality staff and leadership; advocate at the local, state and national levels for policies and programs that will benefit the children and families Casa serves; participate in pursuit of contracts and grants, active fundraising, and endowment building; and nurture and build strong community partnerships.
BeachFleischman has promoted Meyer
BeachFleischman PLLC has promoted Victoria L. Meyer to principal.
Meyer is director of outsourced accounting and advisory services for the firm. With over 25 years of experience in public accounting, Meyer has provided accounting, auditing and business consulting services for numerous privately held companies. She has also been highly instrumental in planning and launching the firm’s client accounting services.
BeachFleischman has promoted Jones
BeachFleischman PLLC has promoted Travis T. Jones to principal.
Jones is a member of the firm’s accounting and assurance department. He provides assurance services for clients across several industries and consults on internal controls, processes and financial due diligence. Internally, Jones provides leadership for various initiatives, including the firm’s Inclusion Diversity Equity Action Committee, technology and technical accounting groups.
BeachFleischman has promoted Hunter
BeachFleischman PLLC has promoted Lydia Hunter to principal.
Hunter is a member of the accounting and assurance department and nonprofit segment team. She provides accounting, assurance and consulting services for various privately held businesses, nonprofit organizations and governmental entities.
BeachFleischman has promoted Cook
BeachFleischman PLLC has promoted Jason C. Cook to principal.
Cook is a member of the firm’s tax department and real estate segment team. He has spent most of his public accounting career focused on complex real estate transactions and partnership taxation, including multi-asset exchanges, mergers, consolidations, buyouts, cost segregation studies and transaction formation. Additionally, Cook is experienced with international issues related to real estate, including inbound and outbound transactions.
Easter joins Farhang & Medcoff
Farhang & Medcoff welcome paralegal Lauren Easter.
Easter will serve within the firm’s transactions group, where she will assist attorneys with matters of corporate law, corporate governance, real estate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, business law and litigation. Easter began her career as a paralegal at Thomae Law, and then worked as a teaching fellow at the James E. Rogers College of Law. She also started her own consulting business to provide grant writing and technical assistance for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bugden joins Farhang & Medcoff
Farhang & Medcoff welcome attorney Tyler Bugden.
Bugden will practice within the firm’s litigation group. He has worked as a law clerk in two federal district courts, as an appellate attorney before New York’s Appellate Division, Fourth Department, and as a litigation associate defending municipalities and white-collar criminal defendants.