GPEC Announces New Board Director Leadership

(Phoenix, Arizona) – The Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) announced the appointment of its Board of Directors for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

The Board of Directors will be led by Chair Michael Bidwill, president of the Arizona Cardinals; Vice-Chair Sharon Harper, president and CEO of The Plaza Companies; and Vice-Chair William Pepicello, president of the University of Phoenix. Board officers include Treasurer Donald E. Brandt, president and COO of Pinnacle West and president and CEO of APS; Secretary Ivan Johnson, vice president, community relations & televideo, Cox Arizona; and Immediate Past Chair, R. Neil Irwin, partner at Bryan Cave.

IIt is certainly an honor to be elected chairman of such a distinguished organization,” said Bidwill. “I look forward to continuing GPEC’s work with regional leaders in bringing top-flight companies and high-paying jobs to Greater Phoenix. In particular, Arizona has a unique window of opportunity to land a number of solar technology companies in the coming months and GPEC is working diligently to bring them to the region which will help diversify our economy.”

New appointments to the Executive Committee include Richard C. Adkerson, president and CEO of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold; Steve Betts, president of SunCor Development Company; Dr. Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University; and William Pepicello, president of the University of Phoenix.

New Board Directors include David Bentler, statewide economic development manager for APS and chair of GPEC’s Economic Development Directors Team; Dr. Ángel Cabrera, president of Thunderbird School of Global Management; Jeffrey Crockett, partner at Snell & Wilmer; Dr. Debra Friedman, dean and vice president of Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix; G. Todd Hardy, associate vice president of corporate engagement at Arizona State University; Tom Johnston, senior managing director of Cushman & Wakefield of Arizona and chair of GPEC’s Community Building Consortium; Andy Kunasek, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for District 3; Jeff Lowe, president of MidFirst Bank Arizona; Paul Luna, president and CEO of Helios Education Foundation; Jackie Meck, Town of Buckeye Mayor; Denise D. Resnik, president of Denise Resnik & Associates; and Anthony Smith, City of Maricopa Mayor. A complete Board Director list is included below.

“GPEC’s role in driving a high-performance economy is more crucial now than ever and our new and returning Board leadership will help us achieve success in the current economic downturn,” said Barry Broome, GPEC president and CEO.

Mayors from GPEC’s member communities and the organization’s Nominating Committee are responsible for appointing Board Directors. The one-year terms are approved annually during GPEC’s September Board meeting.

GPEC FY 2009 Board of Directors (in alphabetical order) Bold Denotes Executive Committee Member

• Richard C. Adkerson, President and CEO, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold
• Jason Bagley, Government Affairs Manager, Intel
• Dennis Barney, President, Landmark Property
• The Honorable Robert Barrett, Mayor, City of Peoria
• David Bentler, Statewide Economic Development Director, APS
• The Honorable Steven M. Berman, Mayor, Town of Gilbert
• Steve Betts, President, SunCor Development Company
• Michael Bidwill, President, Arizona Cardinals
• Donald E. Brandt, President and COO, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation and President and CEO APS
• The Honorable Fulton Brock, County Supervisor, District 1, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
• Ángel Cabrera, Ph.D., President, Thunderbird School of Global Management
• Brian J. Campbell, Attorney, Wilkins Campbell Mahoney Chartered
• José Cárdenas, Chairman, Lewis and Roca
• Bradley Casper, President and CEO, The Dial Corporation/A Henkel Company
• Jeffrey W. Crockett, Partner, Snell & Wilmer
• Dr. Michael Crow, President, Arizona State University
• Rick Dietz, Councilmember, City of Apache Junction
• Mark Dobbins, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and General Affairs, SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
• Rich Dozer, President, GenSpring Family Offices
• The Honorable Boyd W. Dunn, Mayor, City of Chandler
• Robert Enderle, Director of Community Relations, Medtronic
• Peter S. Fine, President and CEO, Banner Health
• Debra Friedman, Ph.D., Dean and Vice President, Downtown Phoenix Campus, Arizona State University
• The Honorable Adolfo F. Gamez, Mayor, City of Tolleson
• Kevin Gillette, Senior Vice President, Arizona Market Executive, Bank of America
• Rufus Glasper, Ph.D., Chancellor, Maricopa Community Colleges
• Kathleen H. Goeppinger, Ph.D., President and CEO, Midwestern University
• MaryAnn Guerra, Chief Business Officer, TGen and President, TGen Accelerators, LLC
• The Honorable Hugh Hallman, Mayor, City of Tempe
• Barry Halpern, Partner, Snell & Wilmer
• G. Todd Hardy, Associate Vice President, Corporate Engagement, Arizona State University
• Sharon Harper, President and CEO, The Plaza Companies
• Jim Hartman, Chairman, Economic Development Advisory Commission, Town of Wickenburg
• Jon Held, Executive Vice President and CFO, The Arizona Republic
• C.A. Howlett, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, US Airways
• R. Neil Irwin, Partner, Bryan Cave, LLP
• Ivan Johnson, Vice President, Community Relations & Televideo Cox Arizona
• Paul Johnson, CEO, Old World Homes
• Tom Johnston, Senior Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield of Arizona
• Don Kile, President, Master Planned Communities, The Ellman Companies
• David Krietor, Deputy City Manager, City of Phoenix
• The Honorable Andy Kunasek, County Supervisor, District 3, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
• The Honorable Georgia Lord, Councilwoman, City of Goodyear
• Jeff Lowe, President, MidFirst Bank Arizona
• Paul J. Luna, President and CEO, Helios Education Foundation
• Jim McDowell, CEO, AAA Arizona
• Jeff McElfresh, Vice President and General Manager, AT&T Mobility
• The Honorable Jackie Meck, Mayor, Town of Buckeye
• William Pepicello, Ph.D., President, University of Phoenix
• Denise D. Resnik, President, Denise Resnik & Associates
• Steve M. Shope, Ph.D., President and Acting COO, Cognitive Engineering Research Institute
• The Honorable Anthony Smith, Mayor, City of Maricopa
• Donald A. Smith, Jr., President and CEO, SCF Arizona
• Joseph Stewart, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase Arizona
• Victor Trastek, M.D., Chairman, Board of Governors, Mayo Clinic
• Gena Trimble, Manager, Communications and Community Relations, Salt River Project
• Gerrit van Huisstede, Regional President, Desert Mountain Region, Wells Fargo
• Richard B. West, III, President, Carefree Partners
• Candace Wiest, President and CEO, West Valley National Bank
• Dan Withers, President, D.L. Withers Construction
• Kate Zanon, Assistant to the Town Manager and Economic Development, Town of Fountain Hills

GENERAL COUNSEL
Bryant Barber, Attorney at Law, Lewis and Roca

About the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC)
A true public/private partnership, GPEC is the regional economic development organization for Greater Phoenix. Working with its 18 member communities, Maricopa County and more than 140 private investors, GPEC attracts quality businesses to this dynamic region. By creating a high-performance economy through capital investments and jobs, Greater Phoenix companies enjoy a business climate where they can compete and thrive in today’s global economy. Since 1989, GPEC has worked to achieve an economically sound and sustainable region. For more information, visit www.gpec.org.