AZBL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Vice President Connections
My family includes my wonderful wife, Reta Miller. Reta and I enjoy golf, hanging with family and our friends and church. My son is a Digital Producer for a major CA tech company and his wife is an Engineer for Disneyland. My daughter is a Cardiology Nurse at Mayo in AZ. Following Army Afghanistan duty, my son-in-law Steve has built his Junk King business and is a finalist for the AZ House of Representatives. They have three delightful boys whom we enjoy.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Chief Operating Officer for FSL
Carrie A. Smith is the Chief Operating Officer for FSL (Foundation for Senior Living); a leading health care, human services and affordable housing nonprofit organization in Arizona. Carrie provides executive leadership of the organizations core health and human service programs. She leads a team of 300 + employees with an annual operating budget of over $20 Million. For over 25 years she has implemented cost-effective ways to meet the needs of Arizonans so they may continue to live as independent and safe as possible. She does this by working with community stakeholders to create innovative community based care solutions that improve the quality of life for thousands. Carrie understands the connections between housing, the environment and health outcomes. She is an advocate for changing the way we think about health care delivery. Carrie actively participates in several national and local boards and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and a Masters of Business Administration.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- President
- GPEC 's President & CEO
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
- DIRECTOR
- Business Development Manager for the Phoenix Financial Services Division of CBIZ & MHM
Deborah is the Business Development Manager for the Phoenix Financial Services Division of CBIZ & MHM, a top 10 accounting firm.
Deborah is an integral part of CBIZ's philanthropic efforts including their annual food drive. She also supports a number of not-for-profits across the Valley.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Vice President Programs
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- President
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Vice President Partnership
I am currently an equity member of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., a full-service law firm that has been in business since 1942 and is deeply rooted in the Arizona business community. Born and raised in Philadelphia, I came to the Valley in 1995 and have been practicing law for the past 25 years in Arizona. While I originally focused my practice in complex product liability cases, I later shifted my practice to focus primarily on business litigation. I have been rated as an AV Preeminent attorney through Martindale-Hubbell's attorney peer review ratings system. I have won million-dollar verdicts for business clients, successfully defended businesses against claims seeking millions, and have briefed and argued cases for clients before the Arizona Court of Appeals. I also enjoy assisting clients with their contractual and estate planning needs.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Secretary
- Treasurer
In our 17-year history, Alliance Bank of Arizona has grown from a de novo bank to a significant portion of Arizona's largest locally headquartered bank, Western Alliance Bancorporation. I had the pleasure of starting my career with Alliance Bank in early 2005 after graduating with a degree in Finance and Business Administration from the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management, and 17+ years into my career, I now serve as the Managing Director of Commercial Banking for Alliance Bank. In my role, I oversee our bank's commercial and industrial banking groups operating in Central and Northern Arizona, with a focus on serving our commercial clients' banking needs by delivering tailored credit structures, cash management and depository products.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Vice President Communications
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Co - Founder of Wheels Up
Justin Firestone is a pioneer & proven leader in the global private jet industry. Justin is the co-founder of Wheels Up, which he helped launch in 2013. In 2021, Wheels Up became a publicly traded company and currently trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker UP.
Firestone is a regular guest lecturer for ASU Aviation students. Justin and his wife, Natalie, launched a scholarship program in 2021 for entrepreneurial students working on disrupting the aviation industry with an innovative product or service.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Vice President Education
Job Titles:
- Executive VP & Chief Investment Officer, BNY Mellon Wealth Management
After a challenging year of volatility and negative market returns, Leo Grohowski, chief investment officer at BNY Mellon Wealth Management will provide his insights on what's in store for 2023 including the path of monetary policy, the risk of a recession, what it will take for markets to find a bottom and the importance of remaining invested.
Leo Grohowski leads all investment strategy and investment management functions for the Wealth Management organization. Leo joined BNY Mellon in 2007 and has more than 30 years of industry experience with US Trust, Bank of American and Deutsche Bank Private Banking. Leo is also a national speaker on issues of investment strategy, the financial markets, and the economy. He has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Barron's, Fortune, Bloomberg, and CNBC.
Mark your calendars to attend this event! Mr. Grohowski will take your questions, so don't miss this opportunity AzBL is offering to meet with, and learn from, a truly incredible business leader!
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Alliance Bank 's Chief Credit Officer
Nancy Zezza, Alliance Bank's Chief Credit Officer, introduced me to AZBL, and while I have known several members prior to joining, I have really enjoyed being able to reconnect with them and getting to know many other community leaders. I believe AZBL will continue to be a great place where I can continue to develop my network of friends while growing professionally together and relying on each other as our own peer group of trusted advisors.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Vice President Membership
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
- Senior Account Manager
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Vice President
- Vice President for Waymo Operations
We are excited to welcome Ryan McNamara, Vice President for Waymo Operations on September 8, 2022 for our first program of the 2022-23 season. Waymo's journey started over a decade ago with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they're going by building the world's most experienced driver.
Ryan will provide us with a history and overview of Waymo's enterprising technology. This includes an update for us on Waymo One - the world's first fully autonomous commercial ride hailing service, which is transforming ride hailing in the East Valley and Phoenix. He will also enlighten us on Waymo Via -- their autonomous trucking and local delivery solution.
Following a 10-year career as a Navy pilot and a decorated combat veteran, Ryan has been a leader in tech for 13 years, holding a variety of operating roles at Apple, Nest, Google, and Waymo.
Job Titles:
- Member of the OFFICERS Team
Job Titles:
- CHRO, Shamrock Farms
- Shamrock 's Chief Human Resources Officer
Vince Daniels, in his role as CHRO for Shamrock Foods Company, is a well-respected and trusted advisor in building organizational excellence, aligning HR strategies with business objectives and focusing on talent management as a key differentiator. Vince is instrumental in championing Shamrock's Associate Value Proposition including the company's highly successful holistic approach to total wellbeing.
He has worked in various industries including distribution, government, and engineering. Prior to joining Shamrock Foods Company, Vince worked for Reinhart Foodservice, The Martin-Brower Company, Morrison-Knudsen Corporation, and the United States Office of Personnel Management.
Job Titles:
- Board Chair of Thrive
- Board Chair, Goodwill of Arizona & Thrive, Inc
- Vice Chair of GCNA
Founded in 1947, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona (GCNA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to ending poverty through the power of work. GCNA operates more than 100 thrift retail stores and employs over 5,000 individuals in its territory alone. The revenues from GCNA's thrift retail operations fund its mission services, which include job placement with employers throughout Arizona, as well as skills training and professional certificate programs. Most recently, GCNA opened The Excel Center, a first-of-its kind adult high school that awards high school diplomas-and not GEDs-while providing on-site child care and transportation vouchers, all at no cost to students. GCNA also diverts millions of pounds of material from Arizona landfills annually, giving them second life through reuse or recycling.
Driven to expand the scope and reach of social services for those in need, in January 2022 key GCNA leaders established a 501(c)(4) non-profit called Thrive Services Group, Inc. Thrive will focus on addressing issues of homelessness, K through 6 education, and workforce housing, and will fund those initiatives through traditional business lines such as real estate and food services. Although GCNA and Thrive are separate and distinct companies, they share a common cause and vision in ending poverty through social enterprise and innovation.
On April 6, we welcome Will Fischbach, Board Chair of Thrive and Vice Chair of GCNA to discuss the history, mission, and future of both companies.
Will is an Equity Shareholder in the Phoenix, Arizona office of Tiffany & Bosco, P.A. He is an experienced trial attorney who concentrates his practice in commercial and civil litigation, with an emphasis in real estate, contract disputes, condemnation/eminent domain, and select catastrophic personal injury/wrongful death cases. Will's first courtroom experiences were in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps, where he served with the 101st Airborne Division and 82nd Airborne Division and completed tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and the Republic of Korea. Will was honorably discharged in 2008 at the rank of Major and is a recipient of the United States Army Combat Action Badge and the Bronze Star Medal.