Introducing the Great 48 class of 2024.
We think you’ll agree: They’re a dynamic group of Phoenicians.
From athletes and educators to artists and entrepreneurs, these superlative Valley dwellers are raising the proverbial bar.
By Colton Cagle, Alison Cutler, Jessica Dunham, Fatima Gabir, Marilyn Hawkes, Jason Keil, Leah LeMoine, Craig Outhier, Madison Rutherford & Geoff Spears
Original photography by Camerawerks & Mirelle Inglefield
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Jason Raducha, 40
As a kid growing up in Chicago, Jason Raducha religiously watched cooking shows on PBS with his grandmother. He keenly observed that food brought people together and that family events always centered around a meal with bread as its cornerstone. Raducha tucked that observation away and, after a brief IT career, started baking bread. In 2012, he launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund Noble Bread, which ultimately evolved into the Valley’s most popular and ubiquitous artisanal bakery. He started by selling bread at a farmers market, and has since grown the company into a veritable carb empire, supplying farmers markets, restaurants, hotels and his own Noble Eatery, a Phoenix lunch spot where he showcases his inimitable bread and baked goods. Raducha, who estimates he works about 100 hours a week, takes pride in the “honesty” of his products because he uses all organic ingredients and a natural leavening process. “One of the definitions of ‘noble’ is having outstanding qualities, and that’s what we try to do with everything we make, one loaf at a time.”
Fun Fact: As a kid, he wanted to be a garbage man when he grew up. “I thought it was the coolest thing they got to hang off the back of a moving vehicle.”
Samuel Hom, 90
Ninety years. Half a century. Twelve hundred pounds. For Samuel Hom, these numbers reflect, respectively: his age, how long he’s owned Phoenix Produce Co. and the largest batch of noodles he’s made in a single day. Born in China, the self-made businessman and noodle-maker bought Phoenix Produce in 1970, turning it into the state’s most successful – and for a time, the only – wholesaler providing local markets and restaurants with Asian fruits, vegetables, imported goods and traditional Chinese noodles. He makes the latter on a commercial-grade machine that he purchased in Taiwan and taught himself how to use. He also taught himself English and Spanish and how to build radios, televisions and refrigerators, and he studied bookkeeping on the GI Bill after serving in the Army for three years. “All I wanted was to learn, learn, learn,” he says. Thankfully, age hasn’t slowed him down a bit. At 90, Hom starts each day playing tennis in Encanto Park, where he learned the sport by taking free lessons in 1960.
Fun Fact: Loves Westerns, cowboy shows and “old actors like Glenn Ford, James Stewart, John Wayne.”
Donald Hawk, 38
The food at Valentine – the popular un-diner-y diner in Phoenix’s Melrose District – has been praised by national outlets as playful, innovative, bold, inspired and progressive. The conception of dishes like ribeye with huitlacoche butter and elote spaghetti, where an Italian staple is spiked with the flavor profiles of Mexican street corn, comes from the wildly creative mind of chef Donald Hawk. And his team’s near-perfect execution of these plates has earned the Valentine crew accolades like James Beard Award nominations and placement on Esquire’s list of Best New Restaurants in America. Though Hawk’s résumé includes pivotal stopovers at culinary darlings like Pizzeria Bianco, The Gladly and Citizen Public House, he cites a local chain as the origin for his love of cooking. “Barro’s Pizza was my first job, and I was hooked,” he says. “I was a 16-year-old kid skipping school to make pizza. It was the best.”
Fun Fact: First concert: the Spice Girls. “Still one of the best concerts.”
Joey Maggiore, 49
As the son of the late, great Phoenix chef and restaurateur Tomaso Maggiore, Joey Maggiore always dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps. “Since I was a little boy, I was taught the art of hospitality and Italian cooking,” he says. The younger Maggiore has scaled his father’s culinary empire to new heights, growing The Maggiore Group to 16 restaurants in three states and publishing his debut cookbook, Brunch King: Eats, Beats and Boozy Drinks, this past September. Despite his astronomical professional success, he says his greatest source of pride is his home life. “It’s all about family,” he says of his wife and business partner, Cristina, and their two kids. “I love being a good husband and father.” After his own father’s passing in 2021, he started plotting a new restaurant in his honor. In late September, he opened The Italiano, a tribute to Tomaso’s status as a titan of Italian cuisine in the Valley. “I’m going back to my roots with this one – it’s a classic East Coast, red sauce restaurant, but in a formal setting,” Maggiore says. “I want to leave a legacy for my family.”
Fun Fact: Has one tattoo: the Sicilian Trinacria, on his shoulder.
Kyla Hein, 34
She may be known for her award-winning mixology skills (she nabbed the Foodist Award for Top Mixologist/Bartender in 2023) and her ever-growing TWP Hospitality Group cocktail empire (Whining Pig, Pigtails, Rough Rider, Teddy’s Preserve and Coabana), but Kyla Hein insists her true passion is teaching. “Education is my real love,” she says of the monthly cocktail classes she teaches for the public, the ongoing education she provides her teams, and the master class on bar business she’s currently teaching in Texas and Las Vegas, all with an emphasis on “classic, well-balanced drinks made with great base spirits and fresh ingredients.” Generosity is as important to her as hospitality. “I just love sharing all of the knowledge I’ve collected over the years,” she says. “When I first started out, no one wanted to help anyone, and it was very gatekeep-y. I really strive to create a new way of community where we all share what we know. Firm believer in that a high tide raises all ships.” We’ll drink to that.
Fun Fact: As a child, she dreamed of being a teacher or a social worker.
Dwayne Allen, 48
Affectionately known as Chief Bubblemaker (a self-adopted moniker because he felt CEO was a bit much for his small organization), Big Marble Organics founder Dwayne Allen first made ginger beer for The Breadfruit and Rum Bar, a restaurant he co-owned for many years in Downtown Phoenix. When his distributor stopped importing his preferred Jamaican ginger beer, Allen experimented with ingredients until he nailed his own formula in 2018, and then founded Big Marble. “I’ve always been a tinkerer, so figuring out how to make it was really quite satisfying for me,” he says. Now, Big Marble bottles ginger beer along with three other flavored beverages at its Phoenix facility, and the company is positioned to grow globally. Allen reveals that the key to a good ginger beer starts with top-notch organic ingredients, but the secret weapon is in the Champagne-quality bubbles. “The first sip should make you want to sneeze and tickle your sinuses,” he says. Big Marble Organics recently won a coveted platinum medal at the L.A. Spirits Awards, an accomplishment that delights Allen. “It’s an acknowledgement that we’re doing something special here in Phoenix.”
Fun Fact: “Grew up loving movies like Rambo,” he says of his childhood dream of being a soldier.
BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
Melissa Lenberg, 42
Melissa Lenberg knew from a young age that she wanted a career in the beauty industry. “I was giving my friends makeovers at 10 years old,” she says. In 2012, Lenberg’s childhood dream was realized when she opened Citrine Natural Beauty Bar at Biltmore Fashion Park, where she helps women celebrate their inner and outer beauty by empowering them to “put their best foot forward every day.” The 42-year-old entrepreneur has created a community centered around clean, holistic beauty encompassing skin care and makeup, along with overall health and well-being. She carries only clean beauty products, free from toxins, endocrine disruptors and carcinogenic ingredients. “Once I went into clean beauty, I realized that I wasn’t just talking to women about makeup or skin care, but about an overall lifestyle and being conscious of what they’re putting in and on their bodies, which has a ripple effect on everything,” she says. Lenberg, who has a 6-year-old daughter and busy family life, feels honored to help women on their beauty journey. “I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”
Fun Fact: Last book she read: Atomic Habitsby James Clear.
Thomas Porter, 43
Thomas Porter’s love of woodworking started when he was a little boy watching his grandfather build things. Decades later, the Phoenix native founded Porter Barn Wood, Porter Iron Works and Our Block Co., where he transforms reclaimed materials into functional art. His passion for woodworking evolved into solving complex design challenges. “Just when I think we’ve done the most difficult project, they throw us a curveball, and we get to come up with solutions for things we’ve never tried before,” he says of fulfilling his customers’ unique requests. Porter values sustainability and authenticity, adding that there is “something exciting about taking materials that might have been disregarded and turning them into something desirable.” When he’s not splitting his time between his multiple creative businesses – his latest, The Coffee Builders coffee shop, opened in 2023 – you can find Porter nurturing his own creativity by playing with local bluegrass bands.
Fun Fact: Speaks Spanish and is learning French, German and Mandarin.
Charity Tovar, 40
When you think of industries deeply in need of disruption, plumbing might not be top of mind. Charity Tovar believes otherwise. “Plumbing, like a lot of skilled trades, has gone from customer-centric to corporate agenda, turning tradespeople into salespeople,” she says. “Customers are tired of this. They want to trust someone to come in and give them a solution to their problem, not a sales pitch.” Hence, the driving force behind Tovar’s recently launched business, Charity’s Plumbing Solutions, a full-service plumbing company with both commercial and residential licensure. This licensure is important. It means that Charity’s Plumbing operates on a business model where big commercial accounts free up Tovar’s team of tradespeople to handle residential clients from a purely service perspective – no hard sales tactics, ever, she says. In addition, Tovar advocates for service trade education, especially for women, working with local schools and community groups and speaking at events like this year’s annual Industrious Women’s Summit.
Fun Fact: Speaks American Sign Language.
Jason Rose, 53
Jason Rose didn’t set out to become a “public relations guru,” a title given to him by one of the clients of the firm he started when he was 26, Rose + Allyn Public & Online Relations. Since then, he’s worked with sports teams and presidential candidates, but it’s the projects that succeed despite the odds that give him the most satisfaction. “Anyone can make a layup,” Rose says “Fadeaway jumpers at the buzzer are more difficult and rewarding.” Rose has been draining three-pointers ever since, including a slew of other enterprises. In 2011, he co-founded the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships, the country’s most-attended polo event. He also created Quixote Productions, which brought ¡Americano! The Musical to New York City in 2022 after its premiere run at The Phoenix Theatre Company. In March, he will unveil Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week, which he envisions as the Barrett-Jackson of contemporary art, modeled after Art Basel, Frieze and other elite art fairs. (PHOENIX magazine parent company Cities West Media is also an investor.) “You must learn from the greatest shows in the world… but ultimately, all of us involved want to carve our own niche on the global art calendar that you can only find in the Southwest,” Rose says.
Fun FactFirst concert: Mötley Crüe and Quiet Riot.
Chris Kearney, 49
Growing up in Chandler, Chris Kearney had dreams of becoming an engineer at the city’s Motorola campus. “Little did I know that one day, I would lead the credit union that grew out of Motorola’s employee group,” says the president and chief executive officer of TruWest Credit Union, which was founded in 1952. Since joining the Tempe cooperative in 2012, Kearney has steered TruWest toward advancements in financial technology while upholding its core value of “people helping people.” As newly appointed CEO, Kearney says his vision centers on supporting his team as they protect credit union members and enhance the user experience. “The best ideas come from those closest to the member,” Kearney says. “I want to put a technology-driven Iron Man suit around every team member, empowering them to be the hero for our members.”
Fun Fact Current TV obsession: Ted Lasso. “The show doubles as entertainment and leadership consulting.”
Lachele & Kurt Mangum, 61 & 65
Phoenix Sky Harbor touts itself as America’s Friendliest Airport. A huge contributing factor to that friendliness is the top-notch service visitors receive when they enter any of the shops and restaurants conceived by Kurt and Lachele Mangum’s LAM Holdings, which include Terminal 4’s The Refuge Coffee Food and Wine and Terminal 3’s PHOENIX Magazine’s Best of the Valley Market. While that last shop may reveal a slight bias, it’s also important to note that these concepts are likely the first place someone stops when they come to Phoenix, giving travelers a taste of what sets the fifth-largest city in the nation apart. “Our team hears all the time, ‘We’ve never experienced anything like this in an airport setting, where everyone’s so friendly and accommodating,’” Lachele says. “People can tell that our team cares, and that’s what we want to exude.”
Fun Fact First concerts: Chicago (Lachele) and The Jackson 5 (Kurt).
Adam Skiver, 46
Adam Skiver comes from a lineage of firefighters – there’s even a photo of 5-year-old Adam wearing his grandfather’s fire helmet – so it’s safe to say the groundwork was laid for Skiver’s nearly 25 years with the Phoenix Fire Department (PFD). Since 2018, Captain Skiver has served on the department’s technical rescue team. These are the crews that put their lives on the line to save ours – from flash floods, or confined spaces, or desert trails on a hot day. “When we get a mountain rescue, especially if it’s heat-related, we know it’s critical,” Skiver says of the latter. The real danger of these situations, for both rescuer and rescuee, was the genesis of PFD’s social media campaign earlier this year where Skiver was photographed near a trailhead holding a sign reading: “Stop hiking in the heat.” The post went viral. “It’s a serious message that we wanted to convey in a humorous way,” he says. Skiver is also the canine coordinator for Arizona Task Force One, a FEMA urban search and rescue team, with his dog Jessie. “I’m always asking: ‘What else can I do to offer my services to the public?’”
FUN FACT!
Current TV obsession: “I’m binge-watching Suits. I’m halfway through and I love it.”
Lelia Adams, 43
While growing up in a small Nigerian village, Lelia Adams dreamed of becoming a nun. “I believed with all my heart that my path was to serve, love and bring light to the world,” she says. When she was 16 years old, Adams and her family immigrated to the United States on the Green Card Lottery, as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is colloquially known, settling in Rhode Island. But when her mother was deported due to an administrative snafu, Adams’s path to the convent suddenly became a path to law school – she graduated from Stetson University College of Law in Florida – and the day she received her law license was the day she began petitioning for her mother’s return. Now, Adams is a Phoenix-based immigration lawyer and principal attorney at Essien Law Firm, where her family’s own immigration story fuels her work helping others who seek refuge. Adams’s first successful case? Securing her mother’s permanent visa and bringing her back to the United States.
FUN FACT!
Speaks Ibibio and “basic Korean.”
Thomas Collins, 48
Voters receive plenty of political mail during an election year, but not all of it is junk. The Voter Education Guide, published by the non-partisan Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, was created by voters in 1998 to promote participation in the democratic process. Executive director Thomas Collins says in addition to educating voters through guides, debates and even comic books, the organization works to answer voter questions and share with citizens how campaigns are being financed. “We have candidates spending 20 or 30 hours a week on the phone with donors, which is corrosive to our democracy,” Collins says. “[The voters] want a transparent and responsive government. It’s a tall order for voters to stay engaged in a process that some days seems toxic at best, but voter engagement at the ballot box and asking for more from candidates and campaigns are the only ways to go through our current climate.”
FUN FACT!
Current TV obsession: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.
Victor Riches, 52
The late Arizona Republican Senator Barry Goldwater believed that liberty gave Americans the opportunities they needed to thrive. However, the one-time United States presidential candidate also thought a bloated government could obstruct that freedom. As president and CEO, Victor Riches leads the institute that bears Goldwater’s name, which works to keep government in check and positions scrutiny and legal action on state governments in the areas of tax reform and diversity, equity and inclusion statements at public colleges. Riches, who served as former Governor Doug Ducey’s deputy chief of staff for policy and budget, says the organization is currently focusing on education and local wrongdoing. “We’re going to ensure that taxpayers are not left footing the bill when municipalities refuse to address the growing crime epidemic in Arizona’s cities,” he says. “And that school choice continues to flourish in our state so that all kids can receive the education that best fits their needs.”
FUN FACT!
As a child, he dreamed of becoming a pro boxer.
Kado Stewart, 39
While growing up in Wisconsin and navigating the challenges of coming out as LGBTQ+, Kado Stewart found refuge in the outdoors. The sense of peace offered by nature sparked a lifelong passion for creating safe spaces and led him to found Camp OUTdoors in 2008. It is now one of the country’s largest LGBTQ+ summer camps. “I wanted a space where LGBTQ+ youth could feel safe, express themselves and find community,” Stewart says. The camp has offered nearly 2,000 young people a place to connect and grow. But Stewart’s work extends beyond the camp – at Phoenix nonprofit one-n-ten, he leads programs focused on housing, workforce readiness and community support for LGBTQ+ youth across Arizona. “My drive comes from a desire to help break down barriers and create access to affirming spaces.” Stewart’s vision continues to foster inclusive environments that celebrate young people for who they are.
FUN FACT!
First concert: Rusted Root.
SPORTS
Zalaya Dupre, 17
At just 17, Zalaya Dupre is making waves as a track and field athlete at Copper Canyon High School in Glendale. After playing basketball for more than a decade, she discovered her passion for long and triple jump, leveraging her athletic background to excel in track. “My proudest moment was winning the long jump in front of my mom at the state championships,” she says, reflecting on her journey. She’s already plotting her next move: studying kinesiology in college to help others through their recovery journeys. “As an athlete, ups and downs are bound to come,” Dupre says. “Helping people in any way I can has always been a desire.” She also aims to compete at the collegiate level and dreams of qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. “The most rewarding part is people being inspired by my hard work paying off,” she says.
FUN FACT!
Last book she read: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.
Rocco Ríos Novo, 22
Any sport is a team effort, but if it weren’t for goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo saving two of the five attempts in the penalty shootout in the 2023 USL Championship Final game against the Charleston Battery, the Phoenix Rising wouldn’t have won a trophy and a title. “It was a very beautiful moment,” Ríos Novo says. “Being able to have made history for this great club is an immense joy for me and my teammates.” Earlier this year, the team re-signed the young Ríos Novo, who is on loan from Club Atlético Lanús of the Argentine first division. He’s even sported an armband this season, signifying his status as a team captain. It’s a win-win situation for both parties, as he has taken a liking to the Valley and his team. “I see [Phoenix] as my second home,” he says. “I know that every time I need someone, every member of Phoenix Rising will be willing to help me, whatever it is.”
FUN FACT!
First concert: Bad Bunny.
ASU Women’s Triathlon Team
Coach Cliff English, 53
In the world of collegiate sports, men’s football and basketball dominate the headlines, but in terms of championships, the best team at Arizona State University is the women’s triathlon team. While they run and wear helmets like football players, they’re not heading toward the end zone. They’re swimming a half-mile, then cycling 12.4 miles, then running a 5K, and they’re typically first to the finish line. They’ve claimed NCAA national championships in seven of the nine years since coach Cliff English started the team (the NCAA added it as an emerging sport in 2014) – making them pound-for-pound the most successful athletic program in school history. “They make me look good,” English says. “They’re so driven.” Some team members aspire for a gold medal someday, and collectively, they boast a 3.9 GPA, one of the highest among the sports teams on campus. It exemplifies their dedication to preparing for their futures. “We work with academic advisors and our coaches to make sure that we can fit everything into the day,” says Amber Schlebusch, a South African graduate student and 2022 individual national champion. “It becomes a routine. Actually, it helps me thrive.”
FUN FACT!
English is a four-time Olympic coach.
Jason Lynn, 39
After graduating from Massachusetts’s Babson College with a business degree, Jason Lynn fully expected to enter the corporate finance world, but a summer internship in 2007 with a Boston Red Sox minor league team changed everything. Fluent in Mandarin, Lynn began translating for a Taiwanese player and, before long, secured a job with the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), where he spent 12 years working in player development and scouting. He moved to Arizona in 2017, and five years ago he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as a professional scout covering major league, minor league and professional players from Japan and Korea. The job, while enviable, requires eight months of travel a year away from his growing family. He’s logged close to 2,500 hotel nights over 17 years. “One of the most rewarding things about this job is when you’re able to contribute in some way to the major league club, whether it’s signing or trading a player, or providing a recommendation the team follows through on,” he says. Lynn recently had a hand in signing a highly sought-after pitcher, 25-year-old Yoshinobu Yamamoto, to a 12-year, $325 million contract. “It’s an awesome job,” he says. “I’m very grateful.”
FUN FACT!
Expecting his second child as this issue hits newsstands.
Bradley Beal, 31
As a precocious lad growing up in St. Louis, Bradley Beal was more interested in tibia shears and ligament reconstruction than pick-and-rolls. He wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. But that jump shot was too buttery, the court awareness too keen. Ultimately, the University of Florida product was simply destined to light up scoreboards in the NBA. After the Phoenix Suns acquired him from the Washington Wizards in the summer of 2023, the 6-foot-4 sharp-shooter set a career high in field goal percentage (.513), logged his most games since 2020-21 and finished the season injury-free, looking more than ever like the final ignition piece to help blast the Suns into a championship orbit under new coach Mike Budenholzer. “[I feel] a lot more confident and settled this season with my feet on the ground,” Beal says. “I’m super excited about the new staff and an opportunity to build on what we did last year.” Off the court, the three-time All-Star and father of three is learning to enjoy Phoenix like Phoenicians do. “Besides the weather, the food is awesome,” he says. “A lot of great Mexican food… It’s just a beautiful place to live and great for families. My boys and my wife love it.”
FUN FACT!
Favorite tattoo: “Probably Jesus on my chest or my family tree on my right arm.”
LAND & REAL ESTATE
Amanda Hofmann-Handy, 47
Fueled by a constant drive to learn – she reads 70-80 books a year – Amanda Hofmann-Handy has built a career at the intersection of education, conservation and community engagement, with stints as a zookeeper and the executive director of a children’s museum. “Each step of my journey has been inspired by my own recognition of a lack of knowledge in a particular area,” the Ed.D.-holding educator says. As CEO of the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, Hofmann-Handy emphasizes the role of volunteers in addressing that knowledge gap for the community, and for their environmental stewardship of the more than 30,500 acres of Sonoran desert habitat in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Hofmann-Handy says she sees herself as “someone who brings people together, helps to set the tone and creates the vision for the whole.” Looking toward the future, “partnerships are what I am most excited about – [ones] that will further support our conservation and research efforts.”
FUN FACT!
First concert: the Lollapalooza music festival.
Jay Donnelly, 45
Other universities have begun to take notice of the Novus Innovation Corridor that sprouted on Arizona State University’s Tempe Campus and Tempe Town Lake, which is still taking shape. The development may look like another office park when driving along the 202, but look closer. You’ll see an innovative ecosystem where students live, work and play in a pioneering “mixed-use education” neighborhood that is funding ASU athletics at no expense to taxpayers and without increased student tuition. ASU’s vice president of university real estate development Jay Donnelly’s role in the project, a partnership with the private development firm Catellus, was to ensure that the institution’s educational interests were intact while attracting tenants that meet the needs of students. “If you just have an office building with no amenities around it, it sits there fallow,” he says. “So, it’s a movie night or concert in the park and pregame events, those types of things, that give people a reason to congregate here. With that, you start looking around and going, ‘I am looking at new office space. Maybe this is a good location.’ That’s what we’re really trying to foster.”
FUN FACT!
First concert: Rob Zombie. “I grew up on a ranch in eastern Montana, so concert-going options were a little limited.”
Mike Ebert, 59
After working with restaurateur Sam Fox on The Global Ambassador hotel, the centerpiece of the 15-acre development The Grove – located on the corner of 44th Street and Camelback Road, it also includes the practice facilities for the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury – Mike Ebert and RED Development are taking on another iconic Valley property: Paradise Valley Mall. The $2-billion, 100-acre redevelopment project is the company’s most significant undertaking in its 30-year history, and it will include beloved Fox Restaurant Concepts like Flower Child, retail shops, apartments, Whole Foods and office tenants like guitar manufacturer Fender. “This carefully curated blend will create inviting gathering places for families and the community to come together,” says Ebert, RED’s founding and managing partner. He sees RED Development playing a part in the Valley’s continued evolution. “We are fortunate to live in an area poised for continuous growth, which creates opportunities for companies like ours to build innovative new developments,” he says.
FUN FACT!
As a kid, he dreamed of becoming a farmer.
Thamarit (Tommy) Suchart & Szu-Ping Patricia Chen Suchart, 49 & 50
In the deft hands of Tommy Suchart and Patricia Chen, Phoenix’s architectural landscape becomes a thing of beauty – and one of form and function. “We feel that architecture should be of its place and culture,” the couple says. The duo owns Chen + Suchart Studio, an architecture and design firm whose works range from single-family residences to large-scale urban design. Sourcing inspiration from artistic disciplines as varied as fashion (Brunello Cucinelli), cars (Porsche) and furniture (Paola Lenti and Hans Wegner), the two note that the common thread between their projects is the integrity of the design, which transcends style. As for how they envision their role in shaping Phoenix’s cityscape: “We see ourselves as incremental contributors to the city’s built landscape. We want our work to both fit into the existing urban fabric and stand out just enough that people happily notice.” Case in point: the striking, minimalist tasting room at Los Milics Vineyard in Elgin.
FUN FACT!
The couple’s shared first concert: The Weeknd – “because of the kids,” Tommy says of their two children.
MEDICINE & HEALTH CARE
Jaziel Olmeda Macías, 25
Every day, Phoenix Children’s nurse Jaziel Olmeda Macías walks the very halls that he received treatment in when he was a child. Since his initial leukemia diagnosis at age 7, Olmeda Macías has battled cancer three times. By the third round of chemotherapy, his perseverance was wavering, but a good friend he’d met during treatment urged him to keep fighting –and encouraged him to become a children’s nurse himself. Between his friend’s hopes for him and seeing nurses who had previously been treated in the hospital, Olmeda Macías knew what his next steps would be after he went into remission – he wanted to be a nurse to help children like him. “I work in the same rooms where I had trauma, where I had happiness, where I had every emotion,” he says. “It makes me happy knowing that these families are allowing me to be part of the journey.” As a native Spanish speaker, Olmeda Macías also helps bridge the language barrier for Hispanic families during their most challenging hours. “I don’t always share my story with my patients,” he says. “But for families that are struggling and just need that extra sign of hope, I wanted to be that.”
FUN FACT!
Current TV obsession: Emily in Paris.
Michael Gordon, 63
They say no one can hear you scream in space, but thanks to innovative research, now you can get a blood test there. In 2021, the all-civilian crew of the SpaceX Inspiration4 experimented with the Vertical Flow Immunoassay in near-zero gravity, producing immediate results without additional laboratory analysis. Back on Earth, HonorHealth Research Institute chief medical officer Dr. Michael Gordon and his team are now finding practical uses for this galactic test, including detecting medical issues stemming from biological warfare or discovering antibodies in blood cancer treatments at a patient’s bedside rather than waiting days for lab results. “We muse about the fact that the HonorHealth Research Institute has been the best-kept secret for many, many years, but what we’re really working hard to do is break out and focus our efforts on letting people, patients [and] physicians be aware of the cutting-edge technology that we bring in our battle against a range of diseases,” Gordon says.
FUN FACT!
Last book he read: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.
Terra Schaad, 48
Terra Schaad has loved horses since she was a young girl in Illinois, from the moment a neighbor let her “claim” a horse in exchange for work. “Horseback riding gave me a feeling of freedom and hope,” she says. Schaad carried that equine love to Texas A&M University, where she was a member of the equestrian team. Today, Shaad is executive director of Hunkapi Programs in Scottsdale, an equine-assisted therapy nonprofit she founded in 2008, where the goal is “teaching the world to fear less and love more.” Schaad serves around 300 clients each week with a variety of diagnoses including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and autism spectrum disorder. “Everybody is a lot more isolated and technology-based these days, so we’re losing that sense of relationship and sense of obligation, accountability, empathy and hard work,” she says. “That’s what I learned through horses, and I feel that all children who want to experience horses should have that opportunity.”
FUN FACT!
Schaad is a three-time Ironman.
Rahul S. Rishi, 49
Allergy and immunology specialist Dr. Rahul Rishi would never advise a patient to get rid of a pet because of an allergy. The Chandler physician is a pet lover himself, and allergic to the dogs he grew up with. “I just dealt with those allergies as a young person because I didn’t know what it was like to feel normal,” the D.O. says. Because he focuses on eliminating triggers and using immunotherapy to help patients with their symptoms, they develop a tolerance to environmental and food allergens, improving their asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis and food allergies. While he does so much for his patients (and their pets), including playing an integral part in community health initiatives, he firmly believes they do more for him. “My daughter Sofia has special needs,” Rishi says. “I had a patient who mentored me and provided information on attaining the resources my child would need to help live a healthy and happy life. I’m eternally grateful to her to this day.”
FUN FACT!
Current TV obsession: Love Island USA
EDUCATION
Steve Schumacher, 73
Users don’t typically visit the ’gram for history lessons, but Steve Schumacher’s account (@phoenix_official_historian) offers a respite from the usual self-indulgent photos and doom-scrolling with beautiful and illuminating images from the city’s past, like a pic from the D-backs’ inaugural season or a print of folks square-dancing at the Saddle Club. But there’s more to Schumacher’s job as the Phoenix mayor’s office official historian than updating the socials. It includes giving lectures, writing articles and working with the city’s communication department to make fun yet educational videos. He’s even hoping to introduce some of Phoenix’s history into local classroom curriculums at some point. “The future of so many things rests on the shoulders of our schoolkids,” Schumacher says. “I’ve been trying to focus on getting young schoolchildren engaged so they’ll develop an interest [in history], and when they become adults, they’ll make higher-quality decisions around our history and heritage.”
FUN FACT!
First concert: “Creedence Clearwater Revival, with Linda Ronstadt as the opening act.”
Beth Maloney, 46
Beth Maloney did not always want to be a teacher. But when she started working with kids during college, she realized she’d found her calling. “I’m very glad I changed my major, even though someday I still want to be a park ranger,” the doctorate-holding educator says. After 20 years as an elementary teacher – during which she was named Arizona Teacher of the Year in 2014 – Maloney is now the executive director of Act One, a nonprofit organization that makes it possible for students from Title 1 schools to go on field trips. During the height of the pandemic, Act One had to shift its model, and it brought Maloney on board to create a virtual reality program “where geography would no longer be a barrier.” The VR field trips have taken students to see murals in Chicago and female mariachis in Tucson. Back home, students visited Desert Botanical Garden and saw the Tetra String Quartet at Orpheum Theatre – IRL. “It’s truly amazing watching kids have these arts and cultural experiences, sometimes for the first time,” Maloney says.
FUN FACT!
Has eight tattoos. “My favorite one is my nod to my favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time.”
Upmanu Lall, 68
Upmanu Lall might just save the world. As the founding director of the Water Institute at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University, Lall has dedicated his life’s work to anticipating and solving major global challenges. Specifically, water. “Water is fundamental to life, the economy and the well-being of people,” the Ph.D.-holding researcher explains. “It is the great connector.” Lall and his team created the Water Institute to bring intellectual efforts and innovation to solve water-related problems at scale, focusing on many aspects, including how to predict extreme weather and ways to disrupt the insurance industry to better protect businesses and people from the impacts of extreme climate events. But, like any hero, Lall is humble, devoted to the work and not the spotlight. “I’m eager to learn from others to broaden my knowledge and to translate what I learn for the benefit of all.”
FUN FACT!
Current TV obsession: America’s Got Talent.
Betsy Fowler, 38
As head of schools for ASU Preparatory Academy, Betsy Fowler oversees the program’s seven Arizona campuses, which offer a tuition-free college preparatory school education for grades K-12. A three-time Sun Devil alumna (BA, M.Ed., Ed.D.) Fowler has been with ASU Prep for more than 12 years and has held many roles in helping students fulfill the school’s abiding principle: “Prep for college. Prep for careers. Prep for life.” Fowler started her own career as an English teacher and taught several years in the Midwest before returning to Arizona to teach at ASU Prep and take on other responsibilities. She misses teaching, so to get back in the classroom, Fowler will be co-teaching a poetry workshop to return to her English teacher roots. “ASU has afforded me so many opportunities to grow both in my education and my professional life. It is an honor to serve in my role.”
FUN FACT!
First concert: Paula Abdul.
PHILANTHROPY & NONPROFITS
Kim Humphrey, 63
During his time as a commander in the Phoenix Police Department, where he served for 32 years, Kim Humphrey grappled with the shocking discovery that both of his sons had spiraled into dangerous and life-altering opioid addictions. “I will never forget when a commander called to tell me they were both in custody for major charges and asked me what I wanted him to do. Technically, they didn’t have to be booked – they could be released if we would come and get them,” Humphrey says. “I told him, ‘Do what you think will save their lives.’” After years of treatment, arrests, support and heartache, Humphrey and his wife found a small local group, Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PAL), that they attribute with helping them through the darkest of times. As the group supported Humphrey’s family, he found his calling and reciprocated, leading the board of directors as it became a nonprofit in 2015. Humphrey was named CEO/executive director in 2018, and helped scale the organization to 38 states. Now, with his sons each maintaining more than 10 years of recovery, Humphrey helps other struggling families. “We can say, ‘We understand, we were there. You are not alone. There is hope,’” he says. “We are blessed to see people find joy again.”
FUN FACT!
As a kid, he dreamed of being a doctor.
Missy Pruitt, 47
Emails from Missy Pruitt are fun and light-hearted, peppered with cat puns – “purrfect” in response to a question, “I’m free meow” in answer to scheduling a phone call – but the work of this passionate cat advocate and educator is serious stuff. Pruitt is the former owner of Arizona’s first cat café and the founder of She’s All Cat and Arizona AdvoCATs, two organizations committed to improving the welfare of felines, a crucial need given that there are an estimated 250,000 of them roaming Maricopa County, according to the Arizona Humane Society. Pruitt’s mission is multi-pronged: finding homes for these animals; legislating for animal-protection laws; and educating the public on how to be responsible cat owners. “I’m trying to make noise about the fact that cats are suffering every single day,” Pruitt explains. “This is a community issue. It can’t just be a ‘crazy cat lady’s’ problem.”
FUN FACT!
Last book she read: All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks.
Carla Vargas Jasa, 49
Carla Vargas Jasa’s commitment to social justice was shaped by her parents’ courageous activism against a dictatorship in Paraguay. Her father was jailed, forcing her family to flee to the U.S., where they continued their fight for human rights. “Our dinner table discussions were about standing up for what is right,” Vargas Jasa recalls. Since becoming the first Latina to lead Valley of the Sun United Way – a nonprofit that fundraises for health and human services programs – in 2019, she has channeled this legacy into her work by advocating for greater access to education, housing and health care for its constituents. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she united nonprofits, businesses and donors to mobilize critical resources. “You do not have to have all the answers, but you have to show up, listen and be flexible,” she says of the guiding principle that continues to shape her transformative leadership. MC2026, an enterprising plan to bolster community health, is her next goal for Valley of the Sun United Way.
FUN FACT!
First concert: “Violent Femmes, if you don’t count all of the wind ensemble and marching band concerts I was actually in!”
Renee & Bob Parsons, 57 & 73
All philanthropy has the power to change lives. But the level of giving The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation has reached – $1 million every other week – has the power to change the world. “We knew that we wanted to make a difference, and we knew in order to do so, we needed to focus on our core values to leverage our dollars,” says Renee Parsons, who co-founded the organization and PXG with husband Bob. “We thought, ‘What do we stand for? What are we trying to do? What are the kind of communities we want to serve?’ And the tagline, ‘We deal in hope,’ really exemplified what we wanted to provide to organizations and also the individuals they serve.” Their giving has focused on women’s and children’s issues, homelessness, the LGBTQ+ community and veterans – “the ones that have a hard time raising money,” she says. Some local organizations that are nearest to GoDaddy founder Bob’s heart: one-n-ten, Child Crisis Arizona and Hushabye Nursery, which helps infants born to mothers in addiction. “You know, all these things just…” he begins, then shakes his head, visibly moved. “I have a hard time not crying.” The couple’s latest endeavor: The Parsons Research Center for Psychedelic Healing in New York City.
FUN FACT!
Current TV obsessions: Nobody Wants This (Renee) and Real Time with Bill Maher (Bob).
THE ARTS
Jason Carney, 53
From the moment you meet Jason Carney, it’s clear he’s passionate about cinema. His affection for the medium manifests every spring when the Phoenix Film Foundation hosts the Phoenix Film Festival at the Harkins Scottsdale 101 in North Phoenix. “We want to have films that will play well for an older audience,” CEO and executive director Carney says. “We want films that will play well for a younger audience. There’s more crossover than most people believe.” But the Phoenix Film Foundation is more than its annual event. It also puts on summer camps for kids to familiarize themselves with filmmaking techniques. “It’s really cool for [students] to have that experience, and it also shows them that you don’t have to have a ton of money to produce content,” Carney says. “Not every kid is going to be a filmmaker, but they’re going to want to produce content, and this way, it will be better.”
FUN FACT!
Current TV obsession: “Shrinking. I didn’t know I needed Harrison Ford cursing and being hilarious.”
Marilyn Szabo
In the pantheon of Phoenix photographers, Marilyn Szabo is our Richard Avedon, our Henri Cartier-Bresson, our Annie Leibovitz. Her fine-art lens has captured icons including Allen Ginsberg, Ray Manzarek and George Bush, as well as classic Arizona locations and personalities. With her photos for At Work in Arizona: The First 100 Years, she became a historian and documentarian of the state’s past. “Photography is my obsession,” she says. And, unlike many of her contemporaries, her motivation isn’t driven by likes on social media. “I come from a different mindset,” Szabo says. “During the first half of my career, social media didn’t exist.” For her, validation and gratification come from the thrill of capturing moments that will live forever. Szabo is also a passionate advocate for the Valley’s arts community, supporting local organizations like Artlink Phoenix and individual artists. “The world would be a very boring place without artists and their work,” Szabo says. “They deserve our support.”
FUN FACT!
“I lived in Paris, France, for three years.”
Logan Brown, 12
Logan Brown has packed more into his 12 years on the planet than most people do in a lifetime. The multi-talented seventh grader grew up listening to “everything, from Pearl Jam to pop music like Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran.” He started playing piano at age 4 with “no pressure on all the details of reading music or playing traditional music, just play as much as I wanted and what I felt like playing.” Now, he also plays guitar and drums and writes and sings his own songs, which he performs regularly at venues and events around the Valley. Brown is also a published model for Rowdy Sprout, Free People and Uptown Hippie, trains weekly in Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and is part of breakdancing crew Blessed Fresh at The Studance Lab in Avondale. He already has several songs streaming on Spotify and will release two new singles early next year. “I try to capture the energy or feeling of a moment or experience and create a song that best reflects that,” he says. “If I had an interaction or experience that impacted me, I will sit down at the piano or grab my guitar and play chords that sound like the emotion I felt.”
FUN FACT!
Goes on an annual scuba trip with his dad and grandpa. Favorite diving destination: Belize.
Rob Halford, 73
Leather-clad rock god Rob Halford remembers the exact moment he first laid eyes on Phoenix. “It must have been the late ’70s,” the genteel Judas Priest frontman says. “I remember stepping off the tour bus and just being blasted with this wall of hot, burning air. You never forget that feeling.” A man of complex sensitivities, Halford connected with the Valley on a cellular level, visiting on the regular beginning in the early 1980s. Today, as one of Arizona’s three or four most globally famous residents, he and his husband, Thomas, split the year between their home in Paradise Valley and another in Sutton Coldfield, the English town where he grew up – but he’s no snowbird. “I actually spend the winters [in England]… visiting my family for holidays and such. But I’m usually in Phoenix during the summer.” And he’s no retiree. Currently touring in support of Judas Priest’s 19th studio album, Invincible Shield, the indefatigable Halford belts out “Breaking the Law” with every bit of anti-social ardor as the old days. “The biggest difference for me, touring now versus the 1970s, is my paycheck,” he laughs. “Withholding tax, insurance, trucking costs, air freight, it’s just insane mate.!”
FUN FACT!
First concert: “British pop act Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mitch and Tich in Wolverhampton. I would have been 16 at the time.”
Zamaya, 23
With WWE RAW playing in the delivery room the night she was born, Zamaya was destined to be a wrestler. To win a belt herself, though, the big-haired Phoenix Championship Wrestling superstar needed her trainers to confirm that they saw her potential and believed she could hold her own in the ring. “It made me finally realize that I was the badass they were all saying I was,” Zamaya says. It’s been quite a ride for the Mesa High School graduate, including appearing on the beloved streaming program Ring of Honor Wrestling. Despite the sport being more welcoming to women these days, she acknowledges it still has a way to go. “I hit as hard as a guy,” Zamaya says. “I train like a guy. When I wrestle, I get told I move like a guy. As nice as that is to hear, it also frustrates me. I don’t want to do it like the guys. I just want to do it like a professional wrestler.”
FUN FACT!
Last book she read: The Power of One More by Ed Mylett.
MEDIA
Briana Whitney, 31
When 3TV & CBS 5 News reporter Briana Whitney was a kid growing up in Southern California, she began reading mysteries and writing about them for school projects. As an adult, she became interested in true crime interviews and programs, so creating True Crime Arizona, which encompasses a podcast, TV specials, documentaries and case investigations, was a natural fit for the five-time Emmy award winner. While the subject matter can be grim at times, Whitney takes solace in knowing she’s helping the families of victims move their cases forward. “I also find myself diving into evidence files and looking at it from the investigation standpoint. How do the puzzle pieces fit together to answer why something happened? It’s fascinating to me.” When not investigating true crime, Whitney is checking out the newest Valley restaurants, bars and coffee shops and attending concerts. Something she doesn’t like and finds ironic? “I love true crime, but hate scary/horror movies. I know. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
FUN FACT!
Current TV obsessions: Presumed Innocent and Only Murders in the Building. “Suppose this is fitting for my career, haha.”
Robert Anglen, 57
At a time when politicians call journalists “enemies of the people,” Robert Anglen’s work is a reminder of why local news is vital, no matter which side of the aisle you’re on. The Arizona Republic investigative reporter – who was named reporter of the year by the Arizona Press Club and has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist – and his colleague Elena Santa Cruz sifted through hours of video to establish a gang of teenagers known as the Gilbert Goons was tied to the murder of 16-year-old Preston Lord last Halloween. They also showed the gang was responsible for a series of violent beatings in the East Valley that went underneath the noses of police for more than a year, all while teaching journalism at Arizona State University. “I’ve always been interested in accountability,” Anglen says. “From my earliest stories, I enjoyed figuring out what happened and piecing it together, but also using the completed puzzle, or at least as complete as you can make the puzzle, to hold people answerable for what they do.”
FUN FACT!
Childhood aspiration: “I wanted to be reporter Carl Kolchak from the TV show The Night Stalker. Because who doesn’t want to hunt monsters for a living?”
Susie Timm, 46
Leaving a successful career in banking to start a marketing and PR firm may not be an obvious evolution, but for Susie Timm, it made perfect sense. With Knife & Fork Media Group, “I get to do what I love to do, which is work with businesses to help them figure out how to make their lives easier,” she says. “That’s what I did when I was a business banker and bank president… I was used to working with small businesses, and I think that actually has given me a nice advantage in this industry, because I understand the financial side of a small business.” Even through the turmoil of the pandemic, Timm maintained a core roster of clients – LDV Winery, Cosanti, Arcosanti, Scottsdale Gallery Association and Scottsdazzle, among others – and continues to grow, adding hot spots like Chula Seafood and Bar Cena to the Knife & Fork family. The thing making her life easier? Tennis, a childhood love she rediscovered in 2016. Timm now captains three teams and plays on five. “There’s a ‘thing’ for all of us,” she says of finding fulfillment beyond work. “You don’t have to go as fanatical as I do, but if you find your thing, you might be surprised at how much better your life gets overall.”
FUN FACT!
Has “roughly 27 tattoos.” Her fave? “Pepperoni pizza slice with heart-shaped peps.”
Gaby Cardenas, 48
It’s a point of pride for Gaby Cardenas that the company she founded in 2017, The Colibri Collective, was the first Latina-owned digital marketing firm in Phoenix – something she hopes encourages other women and girls of color to follow their dreams. “That’s my whole journey in my life, is to be able to have others see themselves in me and to inspire others,” she says. Cardenas comes from a family of entrepreneurs and wanted to create a firm defined by its values. “Colibri is ‘hummingbird’ in Spanish,” she says. “The hummingbird carries many traits, like having the base proportionate to its body. So, we always say the work is led by the heart and the hummingbird moves in every direction.” The firm has assisted progressive advocacy groups like the ACLU and political campaigns by providing services in Spanish. Closer to home, Colibri won the contract to provide PR and Spanish translation for Super Bowl LVII in Arizona in 2023. It was a “we made it” moment for her family – Cardenas’s father had also worked a Super Bowl, but as a day laborer in the ’80s. “It was beautiful to reflect on how your parents worked so hard and had to make so many sacrifices as immigrants,” she says. “From [coming to America with] nothing on their backs, to hear their daughters are working on the Super Bowl.”
FUN FACT!
Last book she read: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek.
John Hook, 64
After more than 30 years in front of the camera at FOX 10, anchor John Hook says he still gets excited about coming to work every day. His enthusiasm feeds into the Arizona State University graduate’s curiosity about the world and the Valley, which is apparent on his Emmy-award-winning program Newsmaker Saturday, which goes in-depth into topics that don’t quite fit into the evening news broadcasts, like road construction and political ads. It’s a refreshing platform in local journalism, especially at a time when opinions are presented as facts. “Even if you might have personal disagreements over the people you might be interviewing, you owe them a fair hearing,” Hook says. “That’s what I try to do on that program, and just in general, in my job.” Hook knows another secret to his success is never selling viewers short. “I give viewers a tremendous amount of credit for their smarts and intuition,” he says.
FUN FACT!
“As a child, I wanted to play in the NFL. Later wanted to be a hockey play-by-play announcer.”
Our Process
In Summer 2024, we solicited our subscribers and social media followers to nominate superlative Valley dwellers in the realms of business, sports, the arts, media, philanthropy, politics, et al.
Criteria:
- Candidates must live at least part of the year in Maricopa County.
- Candidates must demonstrate “brilliance or exceptional accomplishment in their field.”
- Candidates must avail themselves to a brief interview and questionnaire.
PHOENIX editors culled their favorites and added their own nominees, ranking their favorites in several broad fields (e.g. law/politics, the arts, etc.). A final list of Great 48 inductees was drawn up (actually slightly more than 48, since we grouped some colleagues into collective “spots”). Enjoy getting to know them. We did.
