Dr. John M. Baracy was appointed Superintendent of the Scottsdale Unified School District in 2004. He has been an educator for 36 years, including more than 23 years in Arizona. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he holds an undergraduate degree in business administration and management and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University. He received his doctorate from Arizona State University in 1992.

Dr. Baracy previously has served as deputy superintendent of the Phoenix Union High School District and superintendent of the Roosevelt and Tempe elementary school districts. He also served in management positions at Eastern Michigan University and at county and K-12 systems in Michigan before moving to Arizona.

Dr. Baracy has won a variety of awards and recognitions from Valley education and community groups, including All-Arizona Superintendent of Large Districts in 1995-1996 from the Arizona School Administrators Association. He was inducted into the Arizona State University Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Phoenix Gazette Hall of Fame in 1993. In addition, he is an adjunct professor at Arizona State University and teaches and guest lectures elsewhere.

As Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Consero, Inc. John leads a team of marketing, advertising, and public relations experts who connect local and national clients with relevant consumer and business market segments.

He has an extensive marketing, advertising and public relations background from work in non-profit, education, government and the corporate sector. Prior to forming Consero, Inc. John served as a Senior Business Segment Manager at Salt River Project, the nation's third largest public utility, where he managed all marketing and advertising programs for the SMB segment. While at SRP, John previously managed marketing, communications and events for the Hispanic consumer segment.

John received his Bachelor of Science in Communication from Arizona State University and earned an MA in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. He also holds Executive Certificates in International Marketing Management and International Marketing Strategy from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Father Carlson is Associate Rector of The Episcopal Parish of Saint Barnabas on the Desert, Scottsdale Arizona. He was ordained an Episcopal priest June 8, 2003. In addition to his work as a priest, he consults with organizations in the areas of public policy, public relations, and organization strategies.

Prior to ordination and joining the staff of Saint Barnabas, Carlson was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce having served in that capacity from 1989 until his retirement in 2003.

Carlson came to Scottsdale from Peoria, Illinois where he was President of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce for 11 years. He also worked in Peoria as Chief Counselor for the Court Counselor Program and as Assistant to the City Manager. He was ordained in the United Methodist Church in 1965 relinquishing his Orders in 1972 following pastorates in five Central Illinois communities.

Carlson received his B.S. degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1961 and his Master of Divinity from Garrett Theological Seminary in 1965. In 1979 he received a John J. McCloy Fellowship in Urban Affairs for study in Germany. In 1989 he received his Certified Chamber Executive designation.

He is a member of the Scottsdale Leadership Advisory Board and is a Grande member of the Scottsdale Charros. Carlson is a past president of the Rotary Club of Scottsdale, the Scottsdale Artist’s School and the Illinois and Arizona Associations of Chamber Executives. He has served on the boards of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Arizona Humanities Council, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley YMCA, American of Chamber of Commerce Executives and the ACCE Retirement Trust. In 2004 ACCE honored him with the Life Member Award. He has also served on the St. Barnabas Vestry.

pcarlson@saintbarnabas.org
480-355-9752

Dr. DeCabooter is a servant leader and demonstrates this in his professional capacity and in his volunteer work. As students have found out, it is difficult to beat Dr. D to the campus. No matter how early you arrive chances are you will get an Art sighting. The light in his office is like a lighthouse’s beacon—a lamp of consistency and commitment to a college community he has shepherded from 948 students when he was selected president in 1978 to nearly 12,000 enrolled in 2006/2007.

You definitely won’t find anything outmoded or gathering dust on the campus of SCC. Innovation is the standard at this burgeoning campus. You can find anything from Native American studies to non-credit adult education programs. Partnerships with Scottsdale Healthcare and Arizona State University seek to address the nurse shortage. In addition, a new initiative funded by the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust is on the drawing board is the Scottsdale Boomerz Center. This collaborative project joins key partners in developing a center for Baby Boomers to explore life options in their retirement years.

If you are fortunate enough to find your way into the DeCabooter’s office, you will have a rare treat of seeing his special Art-ichoke collection. The amiable creations also symbolize the distinctively different environment of SCC—a school whose mascot is this unusual vegetable.

Art and his wife Mary have made Scottsdale their home for the past 25 years. During that time they both have been engaged in community service. What DeCabooter does that other great leaders do is to lead by example. He never asks someone to do something he hasn’t paved the way by doing it himself. As one person who knows him well remarked only half jokingly, “We all work for Art in this community.” His key to success: he doesn’t see what he is doing as a job. When asked by a reporter, “What makes you so passionate about your job?” He replied: “It’s not a job. I never go to work. I go to college to help students and staff advance their education.”

For more information on the programs at SCC visit www.scc.maricopa.edu.

Dr. Gelfand is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Sociology at Wayne State University and a former Chair of the Department and a Research Associate at the Center on Aging at the University of Arizona. He has worked for the National Council on the Aging and conducted projects related to aging with the American Red Cross and AARP. He has conducted extensive research on issues of aging among a variety of ethnic/groups including African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and individuals from a variety of European backgrounds. In recent years, his research has focused on health care issues including screening for prostate cancer among African American men and breast cancer among African American and Latino women. His current work focuses on attitudes towards end-of-life care and the development of interdisciplinary university programs on end-of-life issues. At Wayne State he served as Coordinator of the Wayne State University Interdisciplinary End-of-Life Project. The Project involved faculty and practitioners concerned about end-of-life issues. The Project has published a book on looking at end of life issues from an interdisciplinary perspective, End-of-Life Issues: Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries. Dr. Gelfand is the author of The Aging Network (Springer Publishing,), Aging and Ethnicity,2nd edition(Springer Publishing) and many articles on basic and applied issues in the field of aging. He has served as a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Germany, and a Research Fellow at Australia National University.

Susan Goldsmith has been involved in the development and support of the work of LINKS since its inception. In fact, many of her creative ideas about how to best work across systems became the blueprint for the original organizational structure. Susan has served her commmunity as a member of the Scottsdale Unified School District Board and numerous volunteer posts. Currently, she is finishing her PhD in Environmental Design and Planning at ASU's College of Design. Her research is on the cultural and affective aspects of the relationship between people and the desert environment.

My dynamic thirty-year library career has included positions of increasing responsibility in all aspects of library services. Many years have been spent leading change, creating teams, implementing new services, planning and designing new facilities, and finding ways to maximize resources. As the Cataloging Manager at the Tucson Public Library I implemented the online catalog and was part of the new main library project team. As Technical Services Manager at the Nashville Public Library, I implemented their first library automation system, and as Assistant Director in Nashville I served as project manager for a $115 million capital project, and directed design development and construction of a new main library, five new branches and three renovations.

At the Phoenix Public Library, I managed the operations of twelve branch libraries overseeing five rennovations, development of teen services and expanded computer access. As Director of the Scottsdale (Az.) Public Library, I have produced a strategic plan, created a Teen Center through a collaborative design process with teens, and directed the design development of a new 20,000 sf branch library.

Todd Hornback is the Town Manager of Verrado, a DMB Associates, Inc. community, located at the base of the White Tank Mountains in Buckeye, Arizona. Todd has dedicated his career to building strong, caring communities and has 20 years of experience in youth and community development. A recognized expert in community-building, Todd is a highly sought-after speaker and trainer on the topic. From heading a grassroots community organization to leading a statewide effort to increase the capacity and business acumen of Arizona's nonprofit sector, Todd brings a wide array of experience and innovation that will help realize Verrado's vision of a healthy, productive community.

Before joining DMB, Todd served as President & CEO of the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits -- a collaborative network of nonprofits that have united to create a statewide organization of, by, and for nonprofits. Prior to joining the Alliance, Todd served as President & CEO of Parents Anonymous of Arizona (PA), a statewide organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families. While at PA, Todd successfully led the turnaround and merger of PA with Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. As a result, PA continues to thrive as Arizona’s premiere parent support organization. Before joining the staff of PA, Todd was Executive Director of the LINKS Community Collaborative in Scottsdale. In his five-year tenure, Todd led LINKS to national award-winning status as a highly recognized, best practice community network of human service agencies.

Todd’s journey of leadership extends beyond his positions through his extensive involvement in the Arizona community including: Arizona State University’s Center for Nonprofit Leadership & Management (Advisory Board of Directors and Chair of the Stardust Fellows program 2006); NPower Arizona (Co-Founder, Board of Directors and Chair-elect); Arizona Town Hall (Three-time Delegate & Member); Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest (Board of Directors); Valley Leadership (Class 23 and Board of Directors), and; General Dynamics Community Liaison Council; Previous community involvement includes: Institute of Cultural Affairs – USA (National Board of Directors); Governor’s Alliance Against Drugs (Scottsdale Chair); Scottsdale Leadership (Class 13, Past President, Board of Directors); Scottsdale Promise to Youth Committee (Chair, appointed by Mayor Sam Campana); and, Scottsdale Healthcare (Community Health Advisory Board Member).

Prior to arriving in Arizona in 1997, Todd’s community development experience includes various positions with San Diego Youth and Community Services and South Bay Community Services in California. Todd’s leadership involvement in San Diego was extensive including the Chair of the San Diego Youth Services Network, and the Coordination Chair for San Diego’s Comprehensive Strategy for Juvenile Justice System Reform.Todd has also been honored with the coveted “practitioner-in-residence” at Arizona State University and the Phoenix Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Award in 2004.

Todd earned a Master’s Degree in Human Services Administration from National University where he also received the prestigious Distinguished Graduate Award and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health Education from California State University, Northridge and a Finance and Accounting Executive Management Certificate from Stanford University.

Todd resides in Verrado (Buckeye, AZ) with his wife, Shelly, and their sons, Tryndon (age 6) and Trevin (age 4).

Meet Virginia Korte, immediate past President and CEO of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce. Here is a little insight into this remarkable community leader. A Phoenix native, Korte has Arizona in her bloodlines. She knows the state (much of it from the back of one of her horses) and she understands the unique characteristics of the western mind set. A serious car accident when she was only three became a significant event that she says “the repercussions of that while I was growing up shaped who I am today.” Her fist job was as a lifeguard in Pinetop, Arizona at the White Mountain Country Club when she was 17.

She graduated from Northern Arizona University and worked in her family’s business, Ray Korte Chevrolet for 20 years. Korte is also an adjunct professor at Scottsdale Community College where she teaches general and environmental biology. She demonstrates her respect for all people and living things by being an active participant in Scottsdale’s preservation efforts through her involvement with the McDowell Sonoran Land Trust. After serving on chamber’s board for seven years, she accepted the position as President and CEO in November 2003. She currently serves as President Emeritus for the Scottsdale Chamber.

John Misner is President and General Manager of KPNX-TV, the Gannett-owned NBC affiliate in Phoenix. Misner joined WXIA-TV, the Gannett-owned NBC affiliate in Atlanta, as general sales manager in September 1996 and was named vice president/general sales manager in November 2001.

Previously, he was local sales manager at KARE-TV, the Gannett-owned NBC affiliate in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Misner also worked at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis and KJEO-TV, Fresno, CA. A native of the San Francisco area, Misner studied communications administration at the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Minnesota. He and his wife, Angela Astore, a CNN Headline

John Oyler was one of the original architects of LINKS. As a staff member of the Institute of Cultural Affairs from 1968-2006, Oyler was part of their pioneering efforts in developing inclusive collaborative methods which help groups deal with change and move towards effective action for consulting, planning, curriculum design, program development, and evaluation. Over that time span, Oyler worked with diverse groups in the United States and internationally, including programs in Guatemala, South Africa, Germany and Tajikistan. As of January 2007, Oyler is a principle in a new consulting enterprise, Partners in Participation, LLC. His focus is to develop partnerships that build community capacity for driving and guiding social change.

Mr. Poll is the immediate past President and Chief Executive Officer of Scottsdale Healthcare. He has been in health care administration for 30 years and has held the positions of President & CEO of Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, a 1200-bed academic medical center and the primary teaching affiliate of Washington University School of Medicine; Administrator & CEO of Boone Hospital Center, Columbia, Missouri; and Assistant Director of St. Luke's Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.

Mr. Poll received his Bachelors of Business Administration from Western Michigan University, and his Masters of Hospital Administration from the University of Minnesota. His activities have included board, committee membership, and officer positions on metropolitan, state and national health organizations including the American Hospital Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, and Voluntary Hospitals of America, Inc. Mr. Poll is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a preceptor for a number of healthcare executive graduate programs, including the University of Minnesota. Mr. Poll currently serves on the Board of Directors and as Executive Advisor for the International Genomics Consortium.

Judy Register is the Director of Neighborhood Resources for the City of Chandler. Prior to accepting that position, Judy served as the General Manager of the Citizen and Neighborhood Resources department of the City of Scottsdale. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Miami University (Ohio) and a Master's degree from the University of Illinois. Judy is a graduate of "Scottsdale Leadership" and has served as the Chairman of the Board of the Arizona Humanities Council. She was one of the first members of the Board of Directors of the LINKS. During her three-year term she served as board secretary and as vice chair. She is also adjunct faculty at Mesa Community College and the University of Phoenix.

Duane Sheldon is a retired educator. He served as a teacher, elementary education/curriculum director and high school principal in the Bloolfield Hills (Michigan) School District (1966-83); as assistant superintendent (1983-86) and superintendent of schools in the Scottsdale Unified School District (1986-96); and as superintendent of schools for the Grandville (Michgian) Public Schools (1996-2001).

Dr. Sheldon holds a Bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, a Master’s degree from Fresno State University (California) and a PhD from Michigan State University. Duane is past president of the Scottsdale Papago Rotary Club; currently serves as chairman of the Christ Church Lutheran School Board; serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the LINKS Community Collaborative, a Scottsdale-based non-profit organization; and, is a member of the Scottsdale Charros, a community service organization made up of civic and business leaders in Scottsdale.

Jim Stratton is a 35-year veteran with the Boys & Girls Club movement. Currently, he is serving as the Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale Foundation. Prior to that role, Jim was President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, a seven-branch organization serving nearly 11,000 boys and girls in the Northeast Valley.

For 12 years Jim served as a Regional Vice President for Boys & Girls Clubs of America in both the Southwest and Pacific Regions. During that period of time he directed regional operations, supervised resource development efforts, and directed field staff in the establishment of hundreds of new Boys & Girls Clubs in the west and southwest.

A former Executive Director in Los Angeles and Phoenix, Jim is known for his aggressive fund raising and board development strategies. For 10 years he served on the faculty of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Management Course where he taught board development. His background includes service on community boards as well as a term as school board president of the Deer Valley Unified School District. He currently serves as Chairman of LINKS, a Scottsdale Community Collaborative, and on the Board of Directors at East Valley Community Bank in Chandler, Arizona.

In 1994 Jim departed from Boys & Girls Clubs of America to return to Arizona and join the staff of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Scottsdale.

He and his wife, Marilyn, have two daughters: Lauren, Branch Director of the Rose Lane Club in Scottsdale, Arizona and Erin, a Assistant Executive Director for the Santa Ana Boys & Girls Club in Santa Ana, California.

Jim is a graduate of California State University in Dominguez Hills, California where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a lifetime secondary teaching credential. He is a member of the Academy of Boys & Girls Clubs Professionals, a member of the National Strategic Planning Commission, and serves on the Government Relations Committee for Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

In 2005, Sadvary succeeded Max Poll as Scottsdale Healthcare's fifth president in its 43-year history. "I'm excited about the opportunities ahead for Scottsdale Healthcare," said Sadvary. "We've accomplished much under Max's leadership and I am confident that our team will successfully meet the challenges and opportunities we face in the future."

Sadvary worked shoulder to shoulder with Poll since his arrival at Scottsdale Healthcare in 1986. Starting as vice president and administrator of the Shea Campus, Tom Sadvary was promoted to senior vice-president, executive vice president and chief operating officer before being named president and CEO.

The recent top hospital awards for performance improvement and clinical excellence, as well as recognition as a best employer locally and nationally are the by-products of the Scottsdale Healthcare leadership team which Tom has been part of for the past 20 years.

While recognizing the accomplishments of the past, Sadvary is focused on the future work of this not-for-profit hospital.