BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Allison Otu, MBA is a visionary executive leader renowned for driving organizational success through impactful branding strategies and community engagement initiatives. Currently serving as the Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University (ASU), Otu is pivotal in leading ASU Law’s endeavors to scale and elevate programs while fostering strategic partnerships and expanding targeted efforts.

Over the past 20+ years, Otu has held various influential positions in higher education and healthcare, showcasing her expertise in executive communications, brand and community engagement. Her higher education journey began in 2012 at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix leading outreach and communications and then assumed the role of Executive Director for Corporate and Community Relations at the University of Arizona Health Sciences. Joining various roles at ASU as Executive Director of Brand Engagement and Communications for the Walter Cronkite School for Journalism and Mass Communication and Arizona PBS and Associate Vice President of Outreach in Educational Outreach and Student Services, she led an expanded team to elevate brand awareness and orchestrate strategic engagement opportunities, leaving an indelible mark.

Otu’s remarkable achievements include founding and organizing signature programs such as the University of Arizona’s Connect2STEM annual event, which garnered widespread acclaim as the largest STEM outreach event in Phoenix. Under her leadership, Connect2STEM attracted over 41,000 attendees over seven years and garnered 29.5M media impressions. Notably, the event received prestigious accolades, including the Best in Show at the 2021 Public Relations Society of America Impact Awards and first place at the 2022 Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Institutional Advancement Awards for Excellence.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Otu is deeply committed to community impact and serves in board positions in prominent organizations such as the Children’s Museum of Phoenix and the Downtown Phoenix Partnership in addition to ASA. Recognized for her leadership, Otu was appointed by City of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego to the Phoenix Women’s Commission in 2019, where she currently serves as the affordable childcare subcommittee co-chair.

Mrs. Otu received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and her Executive MBA from University of Arizona Eller College of Management.

Michelle Davidson has worked in politics and public policy in Arizona for over twenty years. Her experience includes managing successful statewide political campaigns, implementing communications strategies for advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations and managing diverse teams to accomplish short and long-term goals.

Michelle is currently Executive Director of the Sinema Center for Innovation in Learning at Arizona State University. She served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and State Director for Arizona’s Senator Kyrsten Sinema after working as a Senior Advisor on the Senator’s 2018 campaign, helping to craft the winning communications and voter contact strategy. She managed a team of staff in a hybrid work environment who help constituents resolve issues with federal agencies as well as engage the local community through outreach activities and events. She also managed the Senator’s successful re-election campaigns for the House in 2014 and 2016 and served as her District Director from 2013-2018 for Arizona’s 9th Congressional District.

She is a proud Sun Devil with two degrees from ASU – a Bachelor’s in Journalism and a Masters in Public Administration. In her spare time she enjoys reading, live music and Broadway productions, and spending time with friends. She lives in Central Phoenix with her husband Brian, their two children, two dogs and two cats.

Scott Stone grew up in San Jose, CA and Tucson, AZ, graduating from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of Arizona and received his Executive Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University.

Mr. Stone began his career in public accounting working the audit side for seven years with Price Waterhouse and a regional CPA firm. He then transitioned to the private sector where he has spent many years working for companies ranging from high tech startups to multi-billion dollar publicly-traded companies, such as DXC Technology, OnTrac, Allstate Identity Protection, and Moatable, Inc. where he is currently Chief Financial Officer.

Constant improvement, continual learning, building an engaged team, and bettering others’ economic opportunity are key motivators for Mr. Stone, giving him a track record of enhancement and growth wherever he applies his skills, including as the former Treasurer on the Board of Goodwill of Arizona. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Financial Executives International, which named him Controller of the Year for the Arizona Chapter in 2019.

As a longtime “Dance Dad” for his two, now grown, daughters, Scott is a firm supporter of the arts, particularly music, dance, painting, and sculpture. He is a huge fan of college sports, especially of ASU Basketball for which he has been a season ticket holder for decades. Scott resides in Phoenix with his wife, Kristen.

Annette Zinky is an entrepreneur, business and economic development professional, and a strong advocate for experimenting, innovation, startups, and leaning into change. She is the Chief Operating Officer of the therapeutic eyewear company, TheraSpecs, and the prior CEO of an entrepreneurial development organization working with higher education and community partners.

As an entrepreneur, a business owner for more than a decade, and for the past 15+ years as a passionate advocate for startups and entrepreneurs, Annette has been obsessed with helping people take action, getting hard things done, and building long-term relationships. She’s a Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Fellow, and a Humanizing Work Certified Agile Leader.

Annette is an optimistic gardener who loves living in Phoenix with her two sons (middle and high school ages) and two dogs.

Mel Brown is a Grammy Award^®-winning bassist, bandleader, author, educator, mentor, and business owner based in Phoenix, AZ. His extensive experience includes world tours, recording, television, movies, app and web development, workshop facilitation, and career consulting. Mel is also an industry-recognized thought leader in the personal branding and video interviewing spaces.

As a highly respected musician, Mel is an industry first-call for live performances and remote recording projects worldwide. Local and visiting performers, along with some of Arizona’s most prominent religious organizations, rely on Mel’s expertise on Electric Bass and leadership as a Musical Director.  His groundbreaking book and online masterclass, From Zero to Sideman in 5 Steps (aka 02S), is the first comprehensive guide outlining the steps to becoming a professional musician. It is widely peer-reviewed and recommended by musicians, educators, and entertainment employers.

In 1993, Mel became the first musician to use a multimedia CD-ROM as a business card – an innovation documented in several trade magazines. His Connexion Pointe^® software provides a modern, enterprise-grade screening and auditioning solution. Mel’s outreach as educator is wide-ranging, providing career and personal branding workshops for clients including: Carnival Cruises; Fender Musical Instruments; Arizona State University; and Washington State University. In addition to serving on the ASA Board of Directors, he has been a mentor in the USC Thornton School of Music’s Mentorship Program since 2020.

Michelle Buckley is a Shareholder and Commercial Litigation attorney at Polsinelli, LLC, focusing her practice on business-related disputes, including complex contractual matters, construction, real estate, and product liability litigation.

Ms. Buckley’s experience in complex litigation and her collaborative and strategic brand of representation to each matter have earned her recognition in legal circles. She was selected for inclusion in 2023 by Super Lawyers as one of the “Southwest Rising Stars” and has been named in “Ones to Watch” by The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Construction and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, every year since 2021. Ms. Buckley has also served as a Regional Editor for the American Bar Association/AGC of America’s Construction State Law Matrix and been a guest speaker for the Arizona State Bar.

Since 2022, Ms. Buckley has been a member of the Construction Lawyers Society of America and she currently serves as the Chair of the Construction Law Section of the Arizona State Bar. She served on the Executive Council of the Animal Law Section of the Arizona State Bar from 2014 to 2018.

After graduating cum laude in 2007 from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Performance, Ms. Buckley received her Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in 2013 where she was a contributor to Arizona Journal of Environmental Law & Policy.

Jennifer Delgado is a Phoenix-based attorney, practicing exclusively in the areas of transactional business and real estate law. Jennifer is a shareholder at Burch & Cracchiolo, P.A. She received her undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and her law degree from Boston College Law School. In law school, Jennifer worked closely with several prominent professors as a research assistant, exploring important topics in labor law, civil rights, and the role of women and race in the law.

Jennifer was named one of the “Most Influential Women in Arizona” in 2022 by Big AZ Media. Jennifer lives in North Central Phoenix with her husband and two kids, both of whom attend Arizona School for the Arts. She enjoys running and has completed four of the seven World Marathon Majors.

Jaime is an artist. She believes this is essential information, as her background in theatre and vocal music, and the practices that power collaborative artforms, continue to fuel her work with an array of industries and communities.

In 2023, Jaime co-founded Welcome Strategies with longtime collaborator Alex Nelson, uniting their decades of experience in philanthropy, public sector strategy, and creative engagement. In 2024, Welcome Strategies designed and led Discovering Arizona, a comprehensive community engagement campaign that guided development of a refreshed brand for the State of Arizona.

Previous professional roles include Acting Chief Program and Community Engagement Officer and Senior Vice President for Community Strategies with the Arizona Community Foundation, and Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, an agency of the State of Arizona.

Prior to joining the Arts Commission, Jaime developed community programs and partnerships at the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University, and managed programs for Idaho’s nexStage theatre and Sun Valley Center for the Arts.

Jaime recently served as a member of the Board of Directors for Grantmakers in the Arts, a national service organization that aims to enhance and evolve traditional philanthropic models in pursuit of more just practices and outcomes, and as a National Advisory Board member for SMU DataArts, which endeavors to empower the American arts sector with quality data to strengthen vitality and performance.

In alignment with her passion for public policy and the promise of her home state, Jaime completed a 2013 fellowship with the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership’s Flinn-Brown Academy, receiving the academy’s 2018 Network Builder Award. In 2017, Jaime also received a Gabe Zimmerman Award for Public Service from the Center for the Future of Arizona.

Jaime is a mom and cat enthusiast who grew up in Arizona and makes her home in Phoenix. At a snail’s pace, she is pursuing a master’s degree in Human Rights Practice from the University of Arizona.

Carrie comes from a family of educators, including a grandmother who taught in a one room school house. After college she spent a year doing volunteer work in Port au Prince, Haiti, she then moved to Phoenix as a part of Teach For America.

In 2009 she co-founded Phoenix Collegiate Academy (PCA) with 2 fellow South Phoenix teachers. PCA went on to be the 2012 Charter School of the Year and Carrie was the 2011 Charter School Teacher of the Year. At PCA, Carrie did everything from teaching, to student recruitment, to teacher coaching, to serving as a site Principal and the Head of Academics. She was on the team that orchestrated a merger with ASU that turned PCA into an ASU Prep Campus. At ASU Prep, Carrie worked on school improvement and design, and was the leader of the brick-and-mortar sites as the Head of Schools.

Carrie currently serves as the program manager for Valley Leadership’s Catalyze Program. She spends her time away from work enjoying life in Arizona with her partner and 4 young boys.

Mike Medici retired as SmithGroup President and Managing Partner — part of their three-person executive leadership team — after 43 years with the firm. In his role, he shepherded client-facing initiatives, including market sector-focused practices and firmwide marketing, communications and business development. Prior to his election to his final position in 2015, Mike led SmithGroup’s corporate Higher Education practice, following his many years guiding and growing their Phoenix office.  He’s been involved with numerous key projects that have revitalized downtown Phoenix, including the $23-million Arizona Biomedical Collaborative and Arizona State University’s New Downtown Campus.  

Mike is an alumnus of Lawrence Technological University’s graduate architecture program and the proud recipient of LTU’s Distinguished Alumni Award.  Active in the community in which he works and lives, Mike serves on the board of directors of numerous organizations, such as the Downtown Phoenix Community Development Corporation and formerly served on St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation (emeritus board member), Alliance for Construction Excellence and Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. He is also a member of the Greater Phoenix Leadership. He is a Board of Regents Member for Brophy College Prep in addition to being a Board Member for the Arizona School for the Arts. 

Mike has remained active in managing several of SmithGroup’s past and current key projects; Phelps Dodge Headquarters, TGen, Arizona Biomedical Collaborative, Avondale Government Center, Central Park East, and Apollo Development at Riverpoint Center. As well as the USDA Arid Land Agriculture Research Institute in Maricopa, AZ, Drachman Hall – University of Arizona and the University of Arizona Medical School – Downtown Phoenix. 

Mike resides in Paradise Valley with his wife and four children.

Marcelino Quiñonez is an educator, artist, and former elected official. He earned his BA and MFA in Theatre from Arizona State University and has taught at the high school and community college level since 2007. He was elected to the Roosevelt School District Governing Board in 2012 and served in the Arizona Legislature from 2021 until 2024. Currently he is honored to serve ASU as Executive Director of EOSS Outreach, helping students and their families through career connected learning and college readiness.

A former ASA faculty member and parent, Marcelino has earned numerous awards and recognitions for his serve as an educator, legislator, and director including the inaugural 2021 Arizona State University Martin Luther King Jr. Servant Leadership Award for Staff.