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Phoenix Mayor-elect Greg Stanton has assembled a 24-person team of community and business leaders to help him put together a staff of policy advisers for the Mayor’s Office.
Stanton has tapped individuals from Phoenix’s LGBT and minority communities with backgrounds in business, arts, education and social services. They’re all volunteering to build the staff and work with city staff to refine Stanton’s plans during his first 100 days in office.
“We only have a small number of spots, and we have to make sure we get it right,” Stanton tells New Times about building his staff.
Karlene Keogh Parks and Paul Luna are leading his transition team until
Stanton takes office on Jan. 3. And Phoenix Community and Economic
Development Director Paul Blue, who is a liaison between the City
Manager’s Office and the incoming Mayor’s Office, has already been
slated to serve as Stanton’s first Chief of Staff.
Here’s the rest of his team:
- James K. Ballinger, Director, Phoenix Art Museum
- Rhonda Bannard, Owner, Inspired Connections
- Andrew Cohn, Pacific Companies
- Susan Copeland, Chair, Downtown Voices Coalition
- Angela Creedon, Assistant VP of Public Affairs at ASU
- Bob Delgado, President and CEO of Hensley Beverage Co.
- Flo Eckstein, Publisher, Jewish News of Greater Phoenix
- Linda Elliot, Executive Director, 1n10
- Silvana Salcido Esparza, Owner, Barrio Café
- Nicole Goodwin, Attorney, Quarles and Brady
- Josh Grabel, Partner at Snell & Wilmer/Arizona Contractor’s Association chief counsel
- Don Hamill, Community Activist
- Leezie Kim, Attorney, formerly with Department of Homeland Security
- Joe Larios, Maryvale Community Activist
- Marie Levie, Public Affairs Director, Torres Law Group
- Ann Malone, Co-Founder, Citizens for Phoenix
- Charles Mitchell, Owner, All About People Inc.
- Darlene Newsom, CEO, UMOM
- Deborah Dillon, Former city of Phoenix Director of Youth and Education
- Benjamin Thomas, Pastor, Tanner Chapel AME Church
- Greg Esser, Associate Director, ASU Desert Initiative
