WESTMARC - Key Persons


Alberto Guardado

Job Titles:
  • General Manager

Arizona Highway Users - VP

Job Titles:
  • Vice President

Arizona Public Service

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Banner Estrella - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Bobbi Magdaleno

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Executive Director Government & Community Engagement / Arizona State University

Bridget Schwartz-Manock

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Chairman ELECT

Claire Agnew - CFO, EVP

Job Titles:
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • EVP

Courtney Ophaug

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • SECRETARY

Diego Espinoza

Job Titles:
  • Government Relations

Dr. Joshua Baker

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Senior Vice President & Chief Academic Officer / Midwestern University

Dr. Rey Rivera

Job Titles:
  • President / Estrella Mountain Community College

Dr. Roger Freeman

Job Titles:
  • Superintendent / Littleton Elementary School

Dr. Tiffany Hernandez

Job Titles:
  • President / Glendale Community College

Emily Striffler - CFO

Job Titles:
  • Director of Finance & Operations
Emily Striffler is the WESTMARC Director of Finance & Operations. With an extensive background in finance, nonprofit organizations, board development and grants administration, she is dedicated to promotion of the West Valley, a region that has become home to this third generation Arizona native and Leadership West Class XXVII Alumna. A detail person, Emily was a Contract and Grants Officer at ASU, a "Jill-of-All trades" for ONE - The Organization for Nonprofit Executives, as well as serving as church Treasurer and Board member. Emily holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Arizona, but she is the lone Wildcat in a house of Sun Devils.

Estrella Mountain

Job Titles:
  • President 's Community Advisory Council

Freddie Bracamonte

Job Titles:
  • Partner

Hans Driessnack

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Chief Executive Officer / Abrazo West Hospital

Herman Orcutt - Founder

Job Titles:
  • Founder

Honorable Alexis Hermosillo

Job Titles:
  • Mayor

Honorable Ann Donahue

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Councilmember

Honorable Betty Guardado

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Councilmember

Honorable Clay Goodman

Job Titles:
  • Councilmember

Honorable Clint Hickman

Job Titles:
  • Supervisor / Maricopa County

Honorable Jason Beck

Job Titles:
  • Mayor

Honorable Juan Rodriguez

Job Titles:
  • Mayor

Honorable Laura Kaino

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Vice Mayor

Honorable Michelle Hess

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director
  • Member of the Ex - Officio Board

Honorable Mike Pineda

Job Titles:
  • Vice Mayor

Honorable Patrick Duffy

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Councilmember

Honorable Ray Malnar

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Councilmember

Honorable Rebecca Rovey

Job Titles:
  • Councilmember

Honorable Tommy Lee Sikes

Job Titles:
  • Mayor

Jeff Stuck

Job Titles:
  • Vice President, Operations

Jessica Dresang - VP

Job Titles:
  • Vice President

Jessica Perry

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Public Affairs Manager

Jill Hegardt

Job Titles:
  • Senior V.P. Entitlements, Legal Compliance, Public Affairs

Joe La Rue - CEO, President

Job Titles:
  • CEO
  • President

John Graham

Job Titles:
  • Chairman & CEO / Sunbelt Holdings

Jonathan Howard - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman
  • Chairman of the Board of Directors
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Chairman of the Board of Directors / Partner at Quarles
  • Legal Advisor and Team Leader
Jon Howard is a strategic negotiator, legal advisor and team leader who represents businesses - local startups to Fortune 100 companies - on middle-market transactions. Carefully assessing and focusing on the unique needs of each client, he works with executives and legal departments to help them complete: Mergers and acquisitions in a wide variety of industries, with a special focus on pharmacies and related health care entities, higher education organizations, technology companies and private equity transactions. Joint ventures, reorganizations and business formations to capitalize on the synergies of existing businesses as well as market opportunities. Commercial contracts, including high-leverage transactions involving multilayered payment, indemnification, ownership and service provisions. A 15-year veteran of Quarles, Jon has detailed knowledge of the experience of his fellow lawyers, which enables him to put together highly effective and efficient deal teams. Integrating, as necessary, the counsel of real estate, health care, employment, tax and intellectual property lawyers, Jon leads the team through negotiating, documenting and closing the deal.

Josh Stine

Job Titles:
  • V.P., External Affairs & Business Partnership / Boys & Girls

Kevin Dumcum

Job Titles:
  • Director for Regional Workforce Development
Kevin Dumcum has been the Director for Regional Workforce Development for WESTMARC since June 2022. Prior to that, he spent seven years as a Business Services Representative and Business Services Team Supervisor for Maricopa County Human Services Department / ARIZONA@WORK Maricopa County. Kevin has given numerous presentations on workforce development services, labor market information, and job search employability tips to government and private boards, service groups, and job seekers. In addition to stints at a couple of local-area non-profit organizations, Kevin had a long career as an account executive and data analyst for a global market research company. Kevin is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and looks forward to the day when they finally reach the Rose Bowl. He enjoys running, hiking, watching really bad movies, attending to his massive comic book collection, and is an avid Elvis Presley fan.

Kevin Knight

Job Titles:
  • District Director

Kimberly Jordan - EVP

Job Titles:
  • Executive Vice President
Kimberly Jordan is the Executive Vice President at WESTMARC. She is committed to the future, strategic development, growth & success of the West Valley region and has a passion for workforce and economic development: strategies, initiatives & outcomes. Kimberly has 27 years of experience in the healthcare industry within rehabilitative genres including mental / behavioral health and physical rehabilitation. She has also held leadership positions in higher education ranging from Director of Admissions, Assistant Dean of Students and Campus Director. In her role at WESTMARC she leads partner coordination and implementation of the regional workforce development strategy, West Valley Pipeline, manages 6 Issue Committees (Public Affairs, Economic Development, Education and Workforce Development, Healthcare, Infrastructure & Quality of Life), oversees organizational programming, the marketing team and leads WESTMARC's data acquisition and analytics.

Latasha Causey - President

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • President

Lauren Serrato

Job Titles:
  • Special Events & Media Relations Coordinator
Lauren Serrato is the WESTMARC Special Events & Media Relations Coordinator. With a background in journalism, she has been published, produced multimedia content, and edited for numerous national and local news media markets. With a passion for the West Valley, Lauren was born and raised in Arizona and has lived, worked and gone to school in 6 of the 15 communities WESTMARC serves. Lauren holds a bachelor's degree in English and Journalism from Wagner College in New York. She also earned her master's degree from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Luciano C. Oviedo

Job Titles:
  • Fellow
Luciano is excited to tackle a wicked problem around the future of learning and workforce, where he will craft and implement a strategy for leveraging AI and emerging technologies. He believes this project presents an opportunity to rethink education and learning systems to empower people and their communities to develop the skills needed to thrive in the new world of pervasive AI.

Marsha Brown

Job Titles:
  • V.P. Distribution, SW Region

Matt Clark

Job Titles:
  • Director, State & Local Government Affairs / Verizon

Mick Hoover

Job Titles:
  • Division Director, Physician & Business Development

Mike Bean

Job Titles:
  • Chief Executive Officer / Desert Diamond Casino

Mike Theile

Job Titles:
  • Managing Director Commercial Banking / CrossFirst Bank

Neil Terry

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Partner

Parker Froehlich

Job Titles:
  • Project Manager / Coe & Van

Penny Pew

Job Titles:
  • District Director

Rick Dircks - EVP

Job Titles:
  • Executive Vice President
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Rio Reimagined

Job Titles:
  • Partner Outreach and Economic Development Committees
Kimberly holds a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York, at Stony Brook and has completed masters level work in Industrial Organizational Psychology at Argosy University in Phoenix.

Ron Castro

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • West Valley Bank President / BNC National Bank

Ron Sites

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director / Fighter Country Partnership

Roxanna Pitones

Job Titles:
  • Public Affairs Advisor

Sebastian Porchini - Treasurer

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • TREASURER

Silvia Caro

Job Titles:
  • Digital Marketing & Graphic Design Coordinator
Silvia Caro is the WESTMARC Digital Marketing & Graphic Design Coordinator. She has designed for various clients and even painted a mural. Silvia was raised in Glendale Arizona and therefore looks forward to doing her part in helping WESTMARC progress the West Valley. She has an eye for design and enjoys a variety of creative mediums including illustration, digital art, and animation. Silvia has a degree in graphic design and looks forward to learning everyday! She enjoys going to concerts, watching action movies, and anything soccer.

Sintra Hoffman - CEO, President

Job Titles:
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • President
Sintra Hoffman is the President and Chief Executive Officer of WESTMARC, representing the West Valley of Metro Phoenix where she has the pleasure of working with 15 communities, over 3,000 square miles and home to 1.8 million residents. With 25 years of experience in federal, state, local and non-profit leadership, Sintra is a natural convener, bringing key stakeholders together to advance the region's economic vitality and improve the quality of life for her community. She previously served as Assistant Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) leading the Office of Public Affairs to build and sustain relationships in Arizona's cities, towns, counties, tribes and business community and support infrastructure investments statewide. Prior to her time at ADOT, she spent 10 years with the City of Surprise, serving as the Director of Intergovernmental Relations and Deputy City Manager where she focused on policy development and economic sustainability for the community. Sintra serves on several boards to focus on improving the quality of life and economic vitality in the West Valley and statewide.

Stephen Weltsch

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Superintendent

The Honorable Janice K. Brewer

Job Titles:
  • Governor - State of Arizona

Tom Dorn

Job Titles:
  • President / Dorn Policy Group, Inc.

Tom Sadler

Job Titles:
  • President & CEO / Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority

Tucker Macon

Job Titles:
  • Project Director, Building, Phoenix