PCDIC - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Board Director and Advisory Board Chair
• Superintendent of the Isaac School District
• Superintendent, Isaac School District / Board Director and Advisory Board Chair

Dr. Mario Ventura is the Superintendent of the Isaac School District in Phoenix, Arizona. Having served as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning from 2009 to 2012, Dr. Ventura was selected for the role of school Superintendent. During his service in the district, he provided the leadership to create and grow school improvement and innovation initiatives by developing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) programs, increasing technology integration and providing Chromebook laptops for all middle school students, increasing pre-school opportunities, and developing a student-centered Family Engagement program. Before joining the Isaac School District, Dr. Ventura was the principal of Keller Elementary School in Mesa, Arizona where he developed and implemented the district's first Spanish Dual Language program and implemented research-based practices to increase inclusive practices for special student populations. In 2001, Dr. Ventura served as principal of Cheyenne Traditional School in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Ventura serves on the Wisconsin Center for Educational Research, Minority Student Achievement Network Executive Board and the Arizona Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents Board. He was a member of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Model Code of Educator Ethics Committee.

Job Titles:

• Chairman Emeritus of the Board
• Deputy City Manager, City of Phoenix / Board Chair Emeritus

Ginger Spencer was named Deputy City Manager for the City of Phoenix in May 2021. Prior to that she had served as director of the city's Public Works Department since 2017. During her 23 years of service with the City of Phoenix, Ginger has served in various leadership positions including Assistant Public Works Director, Deputy Public Works Director, Family Advocacy Center Director, Arts and Culture Administrator, and Special Assistant to the City Manager. She serves on the board of directors for Phoenix Community Development & Investment Corporation, Arizona Science Center and the Arizona City/County Management Association. A native of Phoenix, Ginger holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Arizona State University and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. In 2013, she was named by The Phoenix Business Journal as one of the "40 under 40" Top Business Leaders in Phoenix and was also named by the Engaging Local Government Leaders in 2018 as a Traeger 100 Top Influencer in Government. In 2021, Ginger was recognized by the American Public Works Association as one of the Top 10 Public Works Leaders in the nation. Ginger is a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), Arizona City/County Management Association (ACMA), and the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Solid Waste Advisory Committee. She is also a graduate of the NFBPA Executive Leadership Institute (2003-04), ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy Community Fellows Program (2004-05), and the City of Phoenix Management Academy Class XV (2006).

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Board
• CEO / Founder, Southwest Human Development / Advisory Board Member
• Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Human Development

Ginger Ward is the founder and chief executive officer of Southwest Human Development. Founded in 1981 with a staff of only six serving 175 children and families, Southwest Human Development has grown to be Arizona's largest nonprofit dedicated to early childhood development with 900 employees, serving 140,000 children, families and professionals each year. Under Ginger's direction, the agency has established a national reputation for leadership and high-quality services in the early childhood fields of education, mental health, family support, disabilities services and professional development. Ginger has made a significant contribution to the early childhood field in Arizona by ensuring that the latest best practices and research are used to create programs and educate parents, professionals and policymakers about the importance of children's earliest years to later development. Ginger sits on a variety of boards and committees charged with forming policy and improving services for children and families, including the Alliance for Early Learning Success, Arizona State Alliance Team, Child Care Advisory Committee-State of Arizona, Educare Arizona Board of Directors, Educare Governance Council, Governor's Council on Child Safety and Family Empowerment Prevention Subcommittee, Healthy Families Steering Committee, and the Maricopa County Family Support Alliance Steering Committee.

Job Titles:

• Vice Chair of the Board
• Director of the Phoenix Convention Center & Venues
• Director, Phoenix Convention Center & Venues, City of Phoenix / Board Vice Chair

John Chan is the Director of the Phoenix Convention Center & Venues and is responsible for the management of one of the premier convention center venues in North America. He oversees a staff of 250 employees with an annual operating budget of $47 million. Under his leadership, the Phoenix Convention Center has hosted some of the largest and most high-profile conventions and special events in the city's history including the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting & Exhibits, US Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, Veterans of Foreign War National Convention, General Council of the Assemblies of God, Phoenix Comicon and Major League Baseball's 2011 All-Star Fan Fest. Most recently, Chan was involved in planning and coordinating major events for the city of Phoenix as a host to Major League Baseball's 2011 All-Star Game, NFL Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship and the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. Chan began his career with the City of Phoenix in 1992 and since that time he has held executive management positions in the city's Downtown Development Office and Community & Economic Development Department. He currently serves on the City Tourism and Hospitality Advisory Board, and is a member of the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau. He was named the 2009 Economic Developer of the Year by the Arizona Association for Economic Development; and under his leadership, the Downtown Development Office received a 2009 DREAMER award for Outstanding Organization from the Downtown Phoenix Partnership. In 2017, he received the Facilities & Destinations ELITE Award for excellence and leadership in the meetings and events industry. Chan is a native of Phoenix and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Arizona State University in 1982.

Job Titles:

• Board Director
• Member of the Advisory Board
• CFO, Human Services Campus / Board Director and Advisory Board Member

Joseph Losada, CPA, MBA, serves as chief financial officer (CFO) of the Human Services Campus, a collaborative force of 16 partner organizations in Phoenix with the shared goal of ending homelessness. In FY2022, the Human Services Campus served 12,180 unduplicated individuals experiencing homelessness. Prior to this role, he served as CFO of Valle del Sol. Mr. Losada also spent four years serving as comptroller for the Phoenix IDA, overseeing all accounting and financial reporting for PCDIC's New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) business. He holds an MBA and bachelor's degree in accounting from Arizona State University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and also serves on the board of directors for Exito, Inc.

Job Titles:

• Board Director
• Member of the Advisory Board
• CFO, Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health ( NOAH ) Board Director and Advisory Board Member
• Chief Financial Officer for Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health

Julia Karl serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health (NOAH), a federally qualified health center dedicated to serving the low-income population of Maricopa County. As the CFO, Ms. Karl oversees fiscal operations assuring alignment with strategic direction and goals of the health center. In this role, she also ensures compliance with federally-funded grant programs, receiving perfect scores on the previous site visits from the granting agency. In 2017, Ms. Karl successfully negotiated capital funds and executed four major capital projects totaling approximately $8.5 Million. She has served in this position since June 2014. Prior to her current role, Ms. Karl served as the Controller for Mountain Park Health Center and was in charge of all financial activities, reporting, budgeting and compliance. Ms. Karl brings more than 15 years of experience with risk assessment, policy and procedure design, non-profit financial management and leading organizations through various developmental phases. Before joining the FQHC and healthcare industry, Ms. Karl served as the Regional Finance Director, stationed in Mozambique, and Internal Auditor for a large federally-funded, international development organization. Earlier in her career, Ms. Karl served as Director of Finance for the Arizona Opera Company. She also served as a Senior Auditor at a CPA firm in Bethesda, Maryland which specializes in not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Karl holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting from Colorado State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in Virginia.

Job Titles:

• Treasurer of the Board
• Chief Financial Officer for the City of Phoenix
• Chief Financial Officer, City of Phoenix / Board Treasurer

Kathleen Gitkin was appointed Chief Financial Officer for the City of Phoenix in July 2021. Kathleen began her career with the City of Phoenix Finance Department in 2004 as an Accountant II. Since then, she has held many positions within the Finance Department such as Accountant III, Accountant IV, and Debt Manager. She became Deputy Finance Director/City Treasurer in November 2014 and was promoted to Assistant Finance Director in July 2020. Throughout her career she has managed financial planning, city controller functions, real estate, risk management, banking and cashiering, investments, and debt issuances to fund capital expenditures. Kathleen serves on the board of directors for the City of Phoenix Employees' Retirement System (COPERS), the Long-Term Disability trust, the Medical Expense Reimbursement Plan trust, the Audit Committee, and several Housing Department instrumentality boards. Kathleen has a bachelor's degree in accountancy and an MBA. Her husband, Jason, works for the City of Phoenix, Aviation Department and they have a ten-year old son, Jacob.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Advisory Board
• Executive Director / Founder, Million Dollar Teacher Project / Advisory Board Member
• Executive Director and Founder of Million Dollar Teacher Project

Lloyd Hopkins is the Executive Director and Founder of Million Dollar Teacher Project (MDTP), an organization aimed at increasing support for teachers inside and outside of the classroom, raising the profile of highly effective teachers and drastically improving teacher compensation to bring the teaching profession to the prestigious level it deserves so ALL students are able to receive excellent instruction every day. Lloyd has worked in and around the education system in various capacities. He has worked with youth offenders, dropout prevention and after-school recreation programs. But it was his time spent as a teaching assistant in the Alhambra School District that impacted him the most. The combination of these experiences led to the creation of MDTP because he recognized that if we truly want to help students reach their full potential, we must have amazing educators in every classroom.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• Member of the Advisory Board
• CEO, MariSol Federal Credit Union / Advisory Board Member

Robin Romano currently serves as CEO (or, as she likes to say - Chief Cook and Bottle washer) of MariSol Federal Credit Union (MFCU), a Community Development Financial Institution in Phoenix, Arizona. She is proud to work for MFCU for over 24 years. In her spare time, Ms. Romano is the Vice Chairman of Inclusiv, an advocacy organization for community development credit unions, and serves as Treasurer for Human Services Campus Board. Prior to MariSol, Robin spent 8 years as a regulatory examiner for the National Credit Union Administration after being the Loan Manager for Western Horizons Federal Credit Union in Mesa, AZ. In addition to over 35 years in the Credit Union movement, Ms. Romano has worked in the banking and real estate industry while serving on the Arizona Credit Union League, Local First Arizona Foundation, and the Mesa Tripartite boards. MariSol's mission is empowering our members through financial inclusion by access to affordable and equitable financial solutions. Robin truly believes in this mission and is proud to be a part of the team at MariSol that helps individuals and families become financially empowered.

Job Titles:

• Board Director
• Director of the City of Phoenix Housing Department
• Housing Director, City of Phoenix / Board Director

Titus Mathew is the Director of the City of Phoenix Housing Department. Titus has worked for the City of Phoenix for 21 years spanning four City Departments. In his newly appointed role, Titus oversees 126 full-time staff, 51 contract staff and an operating budget of $113.5 million to provide housing programs to Phoenix residents. The Housing Department facilitates public housing, Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV), affordable rental apartments and single-family homes to more than 35,000 area residents including housing for special populations inclusive of those experiencing homelessness, homeless/disabled Veterans, human trafficking survivors and their families. The Department also partners with non-profit and for-profit community organizations on the preservation and development of affordable housing units. Titus and his staff manage the City's Housing Phoenix Plan, which has a goal of creating or preserving 50,000 homes by 2030 to address the housing shortage in Phoenix. Titus began his career with Deloitte & Touche and has over 25 years of experience in finance/accounting, operations and general management in the private sector and municipal government.