Gregory Russo: From baseball dreams to banking leadership.
Name: Gregory Russo Profession: Banking Age: 48 What do you do for a living? I serve as a regional president for OneAz Credit Union. In essence, I oversee the operations and strategic direction of our branches in the Phoenix ...
Heartbeat of Success: Eileen Spengler Inspires Cardiac Careers at the Arizona Heart Foundation
Name: Eileen Spengler Profession: Executive Director / Program Director / Cardiovascular Sonographer at the Arizona Heart Foundation Age: 53 What do you do for a living? Currently, I am the executive director and cardiac program director at the Arizona ...
Shaping Changemakers: Christina Spicer leads with passion at Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus-Pine
Name: Christina Spicer Profession: Co-CEO, Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus Pine Council Age: 41 What do you do for a living? I am the co-CEO of Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC), which serves over 12,000 girls grades kindergarten through 12th in ...
Leading with Purpose: Torrie A. Taj empowers Arizona’s vulnerable youth with Child Crisis Arizona.
Name: Torrie A. Taj Profession: Nonprofit leadership Age: 54 What do you do for a living? I am the chief executive officer of an organization called Child Crisis Arizona, which provides emergency shelter and residential housing for youth from ...
Building Custom Art: Brett Eichmann blends creativity and craftsmanship in woodworking
Name: Brett Eichmann Profession: Woodworker Age: 34 What do you do for a living? I am a professional woodworker and general manager of Indivisible Hardwoods + Creative Customs. Our team of talented woodworkers excels at making a myriad of ...
Bright Smiles, Brighter Futures: Maria Valenzuela, a global advocate for health and dental care education.
Name: Maria Valenzuela Profession: Chief Program Officer Company: Advance Community, a nonprofit organization that provides disease prevention, oral health, and nutrition education to under-resourced communities in Arizona and around the world. Age: 50 What do you do for a ...
Empowering Arizona’s Youth: Jennie Clausen’s journey from backyard teacher to JA Inspire program pioneer
Name: Jennie Clausen, Ph.D. Profession: Program Director – JA Inspire Company: Junior Achievement of Arizona (JA Arizona) Age: 42 What do you do for a living? I am the program director for the amazing Junior Achievement (JA) Inspire Program. ...
Eco-Explorer and Earth Defender: Jessie Pearl’s Quest for a Greener Planet as a Freshwater Scientist
Name: Jessie Pearl Profession: Freshwater Scientist, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Age: 32 What do you do for a living? I am a scientist for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). I think about big questions on how our Earth is ...
Sandwiches & Success: Mike Nelson’s Flavorful Journey as Mr. Pickle’s CEO
Name: Mike Nelson Profession: CEO and Foodie, Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop Age: 60 What do you do for a living? I am the CEO of Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop, a premier sandwich shop with locations across the Valley offering ...
Healing Hands: Dr. Peter McCunniff Transforms Lives as an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
Name: Peter McCunniff, MD Profession: Orthopedic Spine Surgeon Age: 37 What do you do for a living? I help people who have pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in their neck and arms, or back and legs. This happens when ...
Canvas of Dreams: Taylor Victoria Turns Imagination Into Art, One Mural at a Time
Canvas of Dreams Taylor Victoria turns imagination into art, one mural at a time. Name: Taylor Victoria Profession: Artist Age: 29 What do you do for a living? I am a full-time artist specializing in custom mural and canvas ...
Nature Protector: Aaron Mrotek Helps Preserve Arizona’s Natural Wonders
Name: Aaron Mrotek Profession: Preserve Manager Age: 34 What do you do for a living? I manage the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve for The Nature Conservancy in Arizona. The preserve is known for its high diversity in bird and plant ...
Children’s Book Author and Independent Publisher: Lin Hawthorne Writes and Publishes Picture Books
Name: Lin Hawthorne Profession: Children's Book Author and Independent Publisher Age: 45 What do you do for a living? I write children's picture books! I publish them myself under my company name 3+1 Publishing. Basically, (book) publishing is the ...
Monster Jam Driver: Armando Castro Gets Behind the Wheel for Rousing Motor Action
Name: Armando Castro Profession: Monster Jam Driver Age: 26 What do you do for a living? I am a competitor for Monster Jam. What type of training do you need to do your job? We go to Monster ...
Occupational Therapist: Brittany McFadden Turns Playtime Into Progress.
Occupational Therapist Brittany McFadden turns playtime into progress. Name: Brittany McFadden Profession: Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT) at United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona Age: I’m 37. I started working as an OT when I was 26. What do you do for ...
Fundraiser: Tim Thomas has a Passion for Law Enforcement and Fostering Community
Name: Tim Thomas Profession: President of the Phoenix Police Foundation Age: 52 What do you do for a living? I am the president and CEO of a nonprofit organization in the Valley called the Phoenix Police Foundation. The mission of ...
Coding Instructor: Former Software Engineer Sukhdeep Kaur Teaches Students New and Emerging Technologies
Name: Sukhdeep Kaur Profession: Coding Instructor Age: 51 What do you do for a living? I am a coding instructor at Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) and teach new and emerging technologies to high school students. I love this job ...
Planetary Geologist: Lauren Edgar Operates Mars Rovers, Trains Astronauts, and Much More!
Name: Lauren Edgar Profession: Planetary Geologist Age: 37 What do you do for a living? I work for the USGS Geological Survey. My work involves operating Mars rovers, training astronauts, and doing fieldwork here on Earth to understand what we’re ...