annual Members Meeting
Thursday, May 25, 2023
Dorrance Hall | In-person only
Check-in | 5:30 – 6 p.m.
Program | 6 – 6:45 p.m.
Ken Schutz, The Dr. William Huizingh Executive Director and Amy Flood, Board President, will make opening remarks, followed by a members-only presentation unveiling exciting new construction projects: Phase II of Hazel Hare Center for Plant Science and Christensen Garden.
Reservations required.
A recorded program will be available for all members following the event.
For questions related to your membership or to register for the in-person event, please contact the Garden’s Membership Helpline at 480.941.3517 or email: membership@dbg.org.
class of 2026
trustee candidates
Full Bios Below
Voting concluded as of May 14, 11:59 p.m.
Thank you for voting
For questions related to the ballot or voting, please contact Alana Turner, Executive Assistant, aturner@dbg.org.
Luis Avila
President + Founder
Iconico
Avila is the President of Iconico, a public engagement firm that helps organizations genuinely engage communities. He is also the founder of Instituto & ALL in Education, two organizations working to build political power with low-income and communities of color in Arizona. A long-time community organizer, Avila has led multiple campaigns to advance civil rights in the US. He has served as Vice-Chair for UnidosUS, the largest Latino civil rights organization in the US and currently serves on the boards of The New Teacher Project, Stand for Children and Equis Labs. He’s a Pahara and NextGen Google Fellow and an advisor to several national nonprofit organizations.
Quintin Boyce, ed.d.
Associate Vice President, Educational Outreach
Arizona State University
Boyce was born in Chicago and has been an educator since 2002. He attended Arizona State University, where he earned multiple degrees including his Doctorate. In 2005, Boyce began working in the Phoenix Union High School District as a science teacher. In 2012, he became the Principal of Bioscience High School and later Camelback High. In 2016, Dr. Boyce became the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning. In 2019, he joined the Roosevelt School District as Superintendent. In 2022, Boyce joined the Educational Outreach team at ASU to lead K-12 school partnerships.
John Burnside
Counsel
Snell & Wilmer L.L.P
Burnside is an attorney with Snell & Wilmer LLP’s environmental and natural resources law practice in Phoenix. He rejoins the board following 12 years of service since 2009. Burnside has served four years as a Vice President and participated in numerous committees including Executive, Strategic Planning, Operations Support and Research, Collections and Horticulture, which he chaired for five years. Burnside chaired committees that addressed several important projects for the Garden, including the renovation of Ullman Terrace, the design and construction of Gertrude’s restaurant and the expansion of the retail shop. He also served as the workgroup leader for the “Environmental Sustainability” prong of the 2019-2023 Strategic Plan.
Joe Colianni
President
1834, a Division of Old National Bank
As president of 1834, a division of Old National Bank, Colianni leads a tenured team of high-net-worth advisors throughout Old National Bank’s footprint. Colianni is a results-driven leader known for building successful client partnerships and executing highly effective growth strategies that involve complex financial products. His significant industry contributions include having served as: Head of Private Banking and Executive Vice President at Abbot Downing (a Wells Fargo company), which served the wealth management needs of ultra-high-net-worth, multigenerational families, family offices, foundations and endowments.
harold c. dorenbecher
Community Volunteer
Dorenbecher is a recently retired managing executive from Northern Trust Company, having served more than 45 years working with families and individuals to determine their financial, estate planning and philanthropic goals. He has served two terms on Desert Botanical Garden Board from 2011-2019. During that time, he served on the Executive Committee, CFO Search Committee, Finance, Marketing Committee, Planned Giving Committee and as a co-chair of the Strategic Planning Committee.
Linda Elliott
Community Volunteer
Elliott is the former Executive Director of one.n.ten, former Chief Information Officer for Voya in Denver and a current board member of Lambda Legal. She has also served as a board member for Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS and was a Research Associate at University of Denver Research Institute. Elliott holds a masters in Political Science and Public Administration from University of Denver. Elliott has contributed to the Fund the Farm Committee for the past six years.
Ann Ewen, PH.D.
Executive Coach
Sky’s the Limit
Ewen grew up as the fifth generation on a 4,000-acre family farm in North Dakota. Her mother created a community garden that enthralls people across the upper Midwest and enhanced her passion for gardens and land stewardship. Her main focus is on technology and software companies. She was president/co-owner of TEAMS International, which invented the 360º Feedback process and she co-authored the bestseller “360° Feedback”. Her education includes a masters from Arizona State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado-Denver. Ewen was a founding partner of Social Venture Partners in Phoenix, serving on the Executive Committee and chairing the Re-investment Committee. She currently serves on the Fund the Farm Committee.
Chris Kline
President/CEO
Arizona Broadcasters Association
Kline is the President and CEO of the Arizona Broadcasters Association. In the role, he leads all shared services, training programs and advocacy for 200 radio and TV stations in Arizona, focusing on future-proofing local media for the digital future. Kline previously spent 15 years working in Arizona local media at radio, TV and print operations at CNN in Washington, D.C. Kline serves on boards at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, University of Arizona’s Journalism School, Arizona’s Emergency Communications Committee and the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Timothy Long
Professor and Biodesign Institute Center Director
Arizona State University
Long received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Virginia Tech and he joined their faculty in the Department of Chemistry, where he also served as the Director of the Macromolecules Innovation Institute until 2019. In 2020, Long accepted an interdisciplinary faculty position across the School of Molecular Sciences (SMS) and the School for Engineering at Arizona State University where he launched and now leads the Biodesign Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing (SM3). In addition to more than 430 peer-reviewed publications, his recent research awards include the 2022 Paul J Flory Award, 2020 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award, 2015 Virginia Scientist of the Year and the ACS POLY Mark Scholar Award.
David Martinez, III
Director, Community Engagement
Vitalyst Health Foundation
Martinez serves as a Director for Vitalyst Health Foundation where he oversees grantmaking that supports efforts to improve the health of individuals and communities throughout Arizona. Martinez has served in roles with the Center for the Future of Arizona and St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and is a Flinn-Brown Fellow. He has been involved with the Center for LGBTQ Philanthropy and the Garden’s Monarch Council for emerging leaders. Born and raised in Marana, he is a first-generation graduate from University of Arizona.
Geri Mingura
Associate General Manager and Chief Human Resources Executive
Salt River Project
Mingura is the Associate General Manager and Chief Human Resources Executive at Salt River Project (SRP). SRP is the nation’s third-largest public power utility. She has over 25 years of experience in Human Resources developing innovative people strategies for multiple industries, including utility, technology, manufacturing, and wellness. She has led global HR strategies around Culture, Employee Engagement, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Organization Development & Effectiveness, Succession Planning, Talent Acquisition and Learning and Development. Most recently, Mingura served as Vice President for People & Culture at ON Semiconductor, where she helped elevate the HR organization for the company’s 36,000 employees located around the world. Mingura holds a masters degree in business administration from W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
Paul J. Mountain
Vice President, Finance and Treasurer
Pinnacle West Capital Corporation
Mountain, CFA, is Vice President of Finance and Treasurer for Pinnacle West Capital Corporation and its primary subsidiary, APS. He has 20 years of finance experience, a masters degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor of science in business from Bowling Green State University. Mountain is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder. He currently serves as treasurer on the Board of Native American Connections.
Robert S. Reder
Owner
Blythe Grace PLLC
Reder was raised in New York City before becoming a permanent resident of Phoenix in 2005. After completing his Juris Doctorate at Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts and Master of Laws at University College London in London, England, Reder practiced law for 10 years in Arizona with two of the largest law firms in the country before forming Blythe Grace.
Edgardo Rivera, MD, FACP
Medical Director Oncology Services
KRMC WL Nugent Cancer Center
Rivera is the Medical Director of the Cancer Center and former Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the Kingman Regional Medical Center (KRMC) Cancer Center where he specializes in medical oncology. His prior experience includes positions at University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, Bristol Myers Squibb and Banner M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert. He has served on several nonprofit boards including Susan G. Komen – Phoenix chapter and Phoenix Art Museum.
Bill Rubin
Managing Director – Investments
Wells Fargo Advisors
Rubin has been a Financial Advisor since 1994 and has been with Wells Fargo since 2004. Previously, Rubin served in the same function at both UBS (Union Bank of Switzerland) and Prudential Securities. Rubin is a Registered Investment Advisor. He has served on the boards of Arizona’s Children Association and Valley Hope. He currently serves on the Garden’s Art Advisory Committee.
Joette Schmidt
Managing Director
J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Schmidt joined JPMorgan’s Private Bank in 2006 after a successful 25-year career in the commercial airline business, retiring from senior management in 2005. She believes in giving back to her community and has been involved with several nonprofits, including Arizona Humane Society, Women Investing in Science & Health, The Heard Museum, Planned Parenthood, Homeward Bound and others.
Julie Williams
CEO & President
MacKinnon Products
Williams is the CEO & President of MacKinnon Products, which manufactures therapy products for horses. Prior to founding Mackinnon, Williams was the Director for Citi Capital Strategies and Co-founder of McColl Garella which focused on providing capital solutions for women and minority-owned businesses. Williams has served on numerous boards including Trustee and Finance Chair for the Williston Northampton School, Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Leadership Board and Women President’s Organization. Currently, Williams serves on the Education Committee and the Fund the Farm Committee.
FISCAL YEAR 2022 | AUDITOR’S REPORT
The fiscal 2022 financial statement audit was completed by Mayer Hoffman McCann, P.C. The auditors issued an unmodified opinion on the consolidated financial statements of Desert Botanical Garden, Inc. and Affiliates as of and for the year ended Sept. 30, 2022 and reported no material weaknesses in internal control. Desert Botanical Garden’s Audit Committee accepted and approved the audit as presented by the auditors. The audit was issued on Jan. 25, 2023, and is available to view at: dbg.org/financials.
For questions, please contact:
MARGIE BURKE
Desert Botanical Garden,
Chief Financial and Operating Officer
mburke@dbg.org
DAVID MILLER
Shareholder,
Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C.
DgMiller@CBIZ.com
