[August 27, 2015]

2015 Flinn-Brown Fellows Named by Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership has selected 33 Arizonans with significant leadership accomplishment and potential for the 2015 cohort of the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy.

The newest Flinn-Brown Fellows come from urban centers and rural communities throughout the state, and represent many leadership and professional experiences. They share a commitment to pursuing public service as state-level elected officials, state agency and public-policy organization executives, policy advisors or members of state boards.

Fewer than five years after opening, the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership and its flagship program, the Flinn-Brown Academy, have become known throughout the state for developing Arizonans from all walks of life and perspectives for state-level public service. There are now 224 Flinn-Brown Fellows.

Among the newly selected Fellows are a volunteer at the Soldier-Centered Clinic at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista; the 2012 Apache County Teacher of the Year; the founder of a Chandler semiconductor firm; and the director of Hispanic outreach for U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake.

"We look forward to welcoming the 2015 Fellows and introducing them into the dynamic Flinn-Brown network of leaders working throughout the state," said Nancy Welch, who directs the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership as a vice president of the Flinn Foundation. "Flinn-Brown is an exciting opportunity for leaders across Arizona to increase their knowledge, skills and networks for state-level public service."

The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership, administered by the Foundation, was launched in 2010 to strengthen civic leadership throughout Arizona. The Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy is sponsored in partnership with the Tucson-based Thomas R. Brown Foundations.

The Flinn Foundation, a Phoenix-based private, nonprofit, grantmaking organization, in 2015 is celebrating 50 years since its founding. Dr. Robert S. Flinn and his wife Irene P. Flinn created the privately endowed organization in 1965 with a mission, "To improve the quality of life in Arizona." Along with the Arizona for Civic Leadership, the Foundation supports the advancement of Arizona's bioscience sector, arts and culture in Arizona, and the Flinn Scholars Program. The Thomas R. Brown Foundations supports solutions to community and state issues through strategic grants and educational programs. For more information about the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership and its programs, visit azcivicleadership.org. For more information about the Flinn Foundation, visit www.flinn.org.

2015 Flinn-Brown Fellows
(Listing includes name, position and city of residence)

NORTHERN ARIZONA
Sarah Benatar: Treasurer, Coconino County, Flagstaff
Ande Burke: Marketing Director, Mountain Heart Health Services, Flagstaff
Stuart Noggle: Instructional Coach, Sanders Unified School District, Sanders
Marie Peoples: Chief Health Officer, Coconino County Public Health Services District, Flagstaff

CENTRAL ARIZONA
Cynthia Aragon: Constituent Outreach Director and Policy Advisor, Arizona House of Representatives, Phoenix
Auggie Bartning: Director of Educational Programs, Quincea Social Enterprise Initiative, Phoenix
Kathryn Blades: Assistant Attorney General, Arizona Attorney General's Office, Phoenix
Steve Elliott: Editor in Chief, Embryo Project Encyclopedia, Arizona State University, Phoenix
Angelica Garcia: Legislative Principal Managing Analyst, Arizona Department of Economic Security, Phoenix
Jonathan Gelbart: Director of Charter School Development, BASIS.ed, Tempe
Ryan Gregg: President, Gregg Global Group, Scottsdale
Matt Gress: Senior Fiscal Analyst, Joint Legislative Budget Committee, Phoenix
Kim Hartmann: CEO, KCH Solutions LLC, Phoenix
Barb Lang: Behavioral Health Administrator, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Phoenix
Mattie Lord: Chief Program Officer, UMOM New Day Centers, Phoenix
Michael Meaney: Project Manager, Arizona State University, Phoenix
Sarah Michelsen: Executive Director, Arizona Wins, Phoenix
Celeste Plumlee: Vice Chair, Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, Phoenix
Nate Rhoton: Officer and Director of Operations, SKY Construction & Engineering, Inc., Phoenix
Daniel Ruiz II: Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Maricopa County Recorder's Office and Elections Department, Goodyear
Nandini Srinivasan: COO, Cactus Semiconductor, Inc., Chandler
Denise Taylor-Sands: Tribal Health Care Administrator, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Phoenix

SOUTHERN ARIZONA
Alesia Ash: Council Member, City of Sierra Vista, Sierra Vista
Kara Egbert: Council Member, Town of Sahuarita, Sahuarita
Kristel Ann Foster: Governing Board Member, Tucson Unified School District, Tucson
Peter Huisking: American Red Cross Volunteer, Soldier Centered Clinic, R.W. Bliss Army Health Center, Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista
Amanda Lomayesva: General Counsel, Casino Del Sol Resort, Tucson
Jeff Ratje: Associate Dean and Treasurer, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson
Lisa Reed: Special Assistant, Director of Strategic Partnerships, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Joint Task Force West, Arizona, Tucson
Chris Stoller Michelena: Director of Hispanic Outreach, U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, Tucson
Amanda Stone: Director, Southern Regional Office, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Sahuarita
Mary Venezia: Assistant Director, Enrollment Initiatives & Special Events, University of Arizona, Tucson
Jennifer Wong: Chief of Staff, Pima County Board of Supervisors, District 4, Tucson

Editors: Photos of 2015 Flinn-Brown Fellows available here: https://app.box.com/2015FlinnBrownFellows

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150827005965/en/

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