BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Heidi Jannenga, PT, DPT, ATC, is the Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Officer of WebPT, the leading software solution for physical, occupational, and speech therapists. Dr. Jannenga advises on the company’s strategic direction and product innovation, while advocating for the rehab therapy profession on an international scale. Since the company’s launch in 2008, Dr. Jannenga has guided WebPT through exponential growth. Today, it’s the fastest-growing physical therapy software in the country, employing over 500 people and serving more than 92,000 therapy professionals at more than 17,000 clinics.  WebPT also touts seven consecutive appearances on the prestigious Inc. Magazine 5000 list and has ranked twice on the Inc. 500 list. Dr. Jannenga has been recognized as one of Health Data Management’s Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT, was named a Most Admired Leader and in 2018, was honored as the Ed Denison Business Leader of the Year at the Arizona Technology Council’s Governor’s Celebration of Innovation. She is also a proud member of the YPO Scottsdale Chapter.

Prior to co-founding WebPT, Dr. Jannenga practiced as a sports medicine and orthopedic physical therapist for more than fifteen years. Today, she regularly speaks as a subject-matter expert at regional, national and international technology, entrepreneurship, and leadership events, as well as at national and international PT industry and business focused conferences.

She serves on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Arizona Science Center, the Institute for Private Practice Physical Therapy, Conscious Capitalism AZ Chapter, Greater Phoenix Economic Council Healthcare Innovation and the Arizona Community Foundation. Dr. Jannenga also dedicates time to mentorship within WebPT (through her employee empowerment group PropelUs) and in the broader community (through her work with physical therapy students, entrepreneurs, and women in business). She is also a founding member of the Arizona chapter of Golden Seeds, an early stage investment firm focusing on women founders and leaders creating lasting impact.

Heidi’s most cherished role is mother to her daughter, Ava. Having been a college basketball athlete at UC Davis, she remains very active enjoying hot yoga, hiking, biking and world travel.

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.

Why ASA?
As President Obama said, “the future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create.”  Stimulating creativity through the performing arts strengthens the ability to understand science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. Downtown Phoenix presents many challenges and opportunities to educate the diverse population of children who want to or are encouraged by parents to attend a charter school. ASA promotes the development of imagination, curiosity, leadership and the diversity of the faculty, administrative support, curriculum and school population broadens understanding for the collective future.

Betty Hum is currently an attorney consultant with AxiomLaw and a part-time photographer.   She was formerly with Intel Corporation in the Legal Department where her team managed world-wide construction legal issues.   She also developed and managed the Intel world-wide anti-corruption legal group as part of the Intel legal compliance function. Prior to Intel, Ms. Hum was in private practice where she specialized in construction legal issues, employment and immigration law.  Prior to moving to Arizona, her community activities in the arts included the formation of a Board of Directors for a dance company in Minneapolis as well as the Board of Directors of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Since moving to Arizona Ms. Hum has served on numerous boards including, a life director to the Board of Directors of the Arizona Builders’ Alliance, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the Arizona State University Center for Film, Media and Popular Culture.   Betty provides photography services to several non-profits in the Valley, including the Scottsdale Center for the Arts and KJZZ.

Leola Abraham focuses on climate change, emergency management, public health, and justice reform. She is a senior communications practitioner with more than 20 years of professional experience advising federal, state, and local government leaders, nonprofit organizations, and universities to deliver national and global programs and campaigns. Her expertise includes project management, data-informed strategy development, research and analysis, crisis communications, public and media relations, marketing, and stakeholder engagement.

As Program Manager, Institute for Public Research at CNA Corporation, Ms. Abraham has led and supported projects for clients including the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, DC Department of Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the National Council on Disability. She received a CNA Safety and Security Initiative Award and a FEMA Certificate of Achievement for her exceptional support to the agency’s after-action report on its response to the Champlain Towers South building collapse in Surfside, Florida.

Ms. Abraham holds a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Bard College and a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Virginia Wesleyan University.

Ms. Abraham is the proud stepparent of an ASA graduate.

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.

For over 25 years, Andrei Cherny has been a leader in the private, public, and non-profit sectors in the work to expand economic opportunity, fight the climate crisis, and make our financial system more fair. 

From 2013 to 2022, Andrei Cherny was CEO and co-founder of Aspiration which pioneered the category of “sustainability as a service,” integrating climate change-fighting action into what people and businesses do every day. 

Under his leadership, Aspiration financed the creation of one of the world’s largest portfolios of high quality carbon removal project credits , introduced the first bank account at scale ensuring customer deposits are not used to finance oil and gas expiration which processed $19 billion in fossil fuel free banking transactions from more than seven million members, launched one of the first sustainable ESG investment funds to bring world class fossil fuel-free strategies to everyday investors, developed the first sustainability score built into people’s daily purchases so that they are armed to be climate conscious consumers, and created the first credit card built to fight the climate crisis 

During his time as CEO, Aspiration funded the largest private-sector global reforestation initiative, planting over 125 million trees around the world in 2021-2022; a quarter of a million trees a day, the equivalent of planting as many trees as in New York City’s Central Park every two hours. To undertake this work, Aspiration created over 1.35 million work hours at good wages in the developing world. 

As a corporate leader, Mr. Cherny built a company of over 500 employees which was rated a “Most Loved Workplace” by Newsweek in 2021, the same year it was identified by Inc. Magazine as one of the 10 fastest growing financial institutions in America. Aspiration was named one of the “World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies” by Fast Company and one of the top five most innovative Social Good companies (alongside Patagonia, Starbucks, and Salesforce). Aspiration was certified as “Best for the World” (the top 5% of highest scoring B Corporations) five times in a row. 

Previous to Aspiration, Mr. Cherny was a strategic consultant to Fortune 100 companies, a senior fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and at the Center for American Progress, a Navy reserve officer, a financial fraud prosecutor, and an advisor in the Gore, Kerry and Obama presidential campaigns. A former White House aide, President Clinton called Andrei a “critical part of the team” which brought about the economic successes of the 1990s. 

As the co-founder and president of Democracy journal, Mr. Cherny worked with Elizabeth Warren to help launch the fight for what became the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Democracy has been called “widely read” in the Obama Administration by the Washington Post and “the little magazine that incubated Team Biden” by the New York Times. 

His 2000 book, The Next Deal, outlined how technology was transforming the expectations of consumers and citizens. He is also author of the bestselling, The Candy Bombers about the occupation of Germany and the beginning of the Cold War.

Mr. Cherny graduated from Harvard University and from the University of California Berkeley law school. 

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.

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.

Dr. Lorisa Pombo has been serving Arizona’s public education system for over 27 years. As a dedicated Latina leader, her career has included roles in both traditional public school districts and public charter schools. She began her career as an elementary teacher and then moved on to instructional coach and school improvement specialist. Her leadership experience began as an elementary assistant principal and principal and would eventually serve as the Director of Elementary Initiatives for Leona Schools public charter system where she supervised teaching, learning, and school operations for their elementary schools.

Dr. Pombo currently serves as Academic Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for Creighton School District in Phoenix. As the district’s instructional leader, Dr. Pombo partners with instructional teams, oversees curriculum development, and provides professional development to principals, school leadership teams, and instructional staff to enhance classroom practices and improve student success. Dr. Pombo’s efforts throughout her career aim at creating inclusive school environments that cater to the needs of each student, and her passion is supporting and partnering with educators in building highly effective, collaborative teams with a shared mission to meet the needs of every student.

Dr. Pombo holds three degrees from Arizona State University: a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education, a Master’s in Educational Administration and Supervision, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Innovation. Her dissertation research focused on developing and retaining effective principals in underserved communities. She holds superintendent, principal, and K-8 teaching certificates and retains membership in the School Superintendents Association, Arizona School Administrators, and Arizona Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents.

She lives in Phoenix with her husband, Jose, and daughter who is a high school student at ASA. A fun fact, when Dr. Pombo was in high school, she was Miss Hispanic Arizona.

Nonnie Shivers is an Office Managing Shareholder at Ogletree Deakins, partnering with employers and managers in three primary ways: litigation avoidance through proactive and maximally compliant 50-state counseling and training; complex workplace investigations including at the C-Suite level; and litigating legally complex and factually challenging cases to defend employers actions.

Ms. Shivers advises and counsels employers in all aspects of employment law, including an emphasis on complex but proactive compliance projects, such as 50-state compliant wage deductions and lawful parental leave programs. She regularly partners with clients to plan and implement reductions in force, severance plans and agreements, and pre-litigation disciplinary matters as well as regularly conducts high-level internal investigations for clients and assists in identifying and resolving potential areas of liability and exposure in a proactive but practical way. Ms. Shivers’ unique practice also includes providing employment advice for employers doing business within the Navajo Nation’s territorial jurisdiction and other tribal lands, including cultural and employment law training on unique tribal code requirements.

Ms. Sivers has successfully defended employers against allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination in state and federal court, as well as administrative forums. She has handled hundreds of charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Arizona Civil Rights Division, as well as claims and appeals filed with the Industrial Commission of Arizona. Ms. Shivers has also litigated whistleblower claims against air carriers under AIR 21 and handled investigations and enforcement actions with numerous other federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor and other employers under SOX.

Ms. Shivers regularly speaks and trains on current and emerging employment law topics, including recent presentations to industry and trade groups on civility in the #MeToo era, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workplace issues, avoidance of retaliation claims, and political expression in the workplace. Her advanced degree in education and years of experience as an instructor and student affairs professional at Arizona State University help make her training sessions and presentations simultaneously educational and entertaining. She has also published several scholarly articles focused on employment law, including a book chapter on the impact of reasonable workplace accommodations for employees with disabilities on employers, employees’ expectations of privacy for off-duty conduct, and most recently an article on ADA case law related to benefits and other evolving protections for transgender employees.

Ms. Shivers has received numerous accolades from clients and legal professionals for her dedicated client focus and problem-solving abilities. Southwest Super Lawyers named her a Rising Star in 2012-2014 and a Super Lawyer from 2015 through today. Ms. Shivers also obtained the recognition of the legal community by receiving an AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell beginning in 2014 through today. Chambers USA first ranked her as a Leading Individual in 2015 and Best Lawyers added Ms. Shivers to its list of recognized practitioners in 2016. Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, Ms. Shivers served as a law clerk to the Honorable Patricia K. Norris on the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One.

Why ASA?
It is such an honor to have been part of the ASA family for over a decade.  I never cease to be amazed to see how ASA’s academic and arts programs and culture enable students to both become self-directed scholars and artists, while ever building and sustaining a safe and accepting school community.

John Snider is a Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets where he heads its national Charter School Finance Group. Mr. Snider joined RBCCM in 1989 and in his current role coordinates and oversees the firm’s investment banking efforts for charter schools across the country, with over $2.25 billion of facilities funded since 2000. In his time at RBCCM, Mr. Snider has been involved with a number of other notable public financing projects, including funding of the University of Phoenix Stadium home of the Arizona Cardinals. In addition to his service on the ASA board, Mr. Snider is also a current board member and finance committee chair of the Arizona Charter Schools Association and previously was a board member and President of the Phoenix Boys Choir Association. He received his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and Masters in Business Administration from the University of Chicago. Three of John’s children graduated from ASA.

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.

Why ASA?

People are always amazed that I have taught at ASA for so long. My answer is always, “Where else would I be able to teach percussion where the whole community (students, teachers, parents) is so supportive and dedicated to the arts and education?” ASA is an amazing place that turns students into artist scholars. I wish I had gone to ASA when I was in high school!

Liz Guzman received her degree in percussion from Arizona State University in 2004 under the direction of Dr. Douglas Nottingham, Dr. JB Smith, Dr. Mark Sunkett and Bill Wanser. (Phoenix Symphony, retired). In 2005, she joined the ASA faculty as the percussion specialist and currently serves as the 504 Liaison for the Exceptional Student Services Department. In addition to ASA, Ms. Guzman maintains a busy private studio where her students have performed and earned honors at the AMEA Solo & Ensemble, Arizona Regional & All State Band and Orchestra, Curry Summer Music Camp, Berklee Percussion Camp, the AzPAS Solo & Ensemble Festival, Phoenix Youth Symphony, and the Academy Drum & Bugle Corp. In 2011 she was named a Surdna Arts Fellow, which granted her the opportunity to study with world-renowned marimbist Naoko Takada. Ms. Guzman regularly performs with various groups around the Valley, including the Rosewood Rascals Marimba Band and Salt River Brass. She is a member of the Arizona Music Educators Association and National Association of Music Education, and serves as president of the Arizona Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society.

On Campus:
Band-Percussion/5th-12th Grade

Education: 
B.A. Music – Arizona State University, 2004

Why ASA?
The level of compassion, openness, and acceptance of people of all backgrounds mixed with a healthy appreciation for academics and the arts was a major factor in my decision to come to ASA after moving with my family to north Phoenix.

Karl Huck is originally from Illinois; he grew up and went to college there.  After earning humanities degrees at the University of Illinois (B.A. in History and M.A. in Education) and Northern Illinois (M.A. in History), Karl moved to Arizona where he taught at several schools over the past sixteen years, including the last ten years at BASIS Peoria.  Karl is excited to be starting his first year at ASA, where he will be teaching 10th grade social studies.

In his free time, Karl enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, camping, and tennis.  He is also an avid reader, both of fiction and nonfiction books as well as current events articles.  He most enjoys gaming, including playing computer games and playing Dungeons and Dragons as both player and dungeon master (for those in the know, he prefers the Pathfinder 1e and Starfinder rulesets)

Content/Grade Levels:
Social Studies/10th & 12th Grade

Total Years of Teaching Experience: 18

Total Years at ASA: 2

Schools taught at:  Peoria Accelerated High School, El Dorado High School (Chandler), Dysart High School (El Mirage), and BASIS Peoria.

Education and Degrees Earned: 
B.A. History – University of Illinois, 2000
M.A. Education – University of Illinois, 2002
M.A. History – Northern Illinois University, 2005