From athletes and educators to artists and entrepreneurs, these superlative Valley dwellers are raising the proverbial bar.
By Alison Cutler, Jessica Dunham, Marilyn Hawkes, Jason Keil,
Leah LeMoine, Craig Outhier & Madison Rutherford
Original photography by Camerawerks
Introducing the Great 48 class of 2025.
We think you’ll agree: They’re a dynamic group of Phoenicians.
Food & Beverage
James Swann, 51
Unabashed enthusiasm for the biz is the through-line of James Swann’s professional trajectory. From a youth spent mopping floors with zeal at London pubs to an adulthood skillfully helming Valley restaurants like SanTan Brewing and now pizzeria Craft 64 in Scottsdale and Chandler, Swann says he’s always had a “love of the game.” That love helped Swann shepherd Craft 64 to its fourth consecutive ranking on industry arbiter 50 Top Pizza’s annual list, an achievement underscoring Swann’s commitment to genuine from-scratch methods. “We do everything fastidiously,” he says. “There are no microwaves, no freezers, no fryers – no cheating!”
Fun Fact! Loves Tottenham Hotspur Football Club so much he got a tattoo honoring the team on his right shoulder when he was 14.
Jenny Lê, 41
You likely know Jenny Lê from her popular Pho Bowl restaurant chain, which boasts four locations across the Valley. After her family came to the U.S. from Vietnam as refugees, “food became my language of both survival and connection,” she says. Lê leveled up her legacy this year by publishing a memoir, From an Empty Bowl to Empire, and by founding Đà Nang Rising, Vietnam’s first women-led football club. “It’s about creating a field where Vietnamese girls can see themselves as leaders, not just players,” she says. “For me, food, words and sport all share the same purpose: to nourish, to create belonging and to leave a legacy.”
Fun Fact! As a child, she dreamed of becoming a monk.
Jamie Hoffman, 49
When Anthony Canecchia, the founder of Chandler-based SanTan Brewing Company, died last year at the age of 51, it fell to SanTan’s former director of operations Jamie Hoffman to move Arizona’s largest craft brewer forward in more innovative ways. He prioritized implementing advanced eco-friendly brewing methods and launched new products to adapt to shifting consumer tastes, as younger generations move toward non-alcoholic beers, spirits and canned cocktails. “Our core demographic is also drinking more responsibly,” Hoffman says. “Rather than seeing that as a challenge, we embrace it.”
Fun Fact! Current TV obsession: Law & Order. “That answer has not changed in 20 years.”
Peggy Fiandaca, 67
Over the past two decades, LDV Winery co-owner Peggy Fiandaca has seen Arizona’s wine scene explode. “Our license number was in the first 20 in the state,” she says. “Just 17 years later, there are approximately 150 licenses.” An urban planner before embarking on her “second act” in oenology and viticulture, Fiandaca has grown the brand to include sold-out workshops pairing wine with fine art, aromatherapy and more. “My goal has always been to make wine approachable and fun,” she says. And to honor our terroir. “Arizona is now growing high-quality grapes and producing world-class wines,” Fiandaca says. “We are not trying to be Napa or any other wine region. We are showcasing Arizona.”
Fun Fact! Current TV obsession: Billions.
Michael & Leslie Zander, 44 & 45
Hapa Food Co. derives its name from hapa haole, a Hawaiian phrase for persons of half-white and half-Asian or half-Polynesian heritage. For Hapa Food owners and married couple Michael and Leslie Zander, it’s a moniker that honors their six children, all hapa. Naming the popular restaurant after their kids is the first sign that this place is crafted with care. Another? The menu of plate lunches featuring dishes from Leslie’s family recipes, Hawaiian home-cooked goodness like kalbi ribs and garlic chicken and guava cake, which have achieved mythic acclaim in the Valley since the first of their two restaurants opened in 2022. “We offer food that we love,” the couple says.
Fun Fact! Childhood aspirations: singer for Leslie, NBA player for Michael.
Andrew Fritz, 42
Andrew Fritz “fell in love” with the restaurant business while working his first job at a fast-food joint in Ohio. “I found my tribe of like-minded individuals who felt passionate about hustling to make people happy,” he says. When Fritz moved to Arizona to attend Arizona State University, he snagged a front-of-the-house position at now-shuttered Cowboy Ciao and met chef Bernie Kantak. In 2011, the duo co-founded In Good Spirits Hospitality, which now includes four beloved Valley restaurants: Citizen Public House, The Gladly, Beginner’s Luck and Minnow. Fritz, who serves as the company’s CEO, thrives on the chaotic energy of restaurants. “It’s almost like a drug on a busy night when things are going well, and you’ve got a full house.”
Fun Fact! Current TV obsession: The Studio.
Politics & Law
Kevin Rowe, 53
Kevin Rowe’s name is known throughout the Valley thanks to the barrage of billboards and hooky jingles for the law firm he founded with his partner, Glen Lerner. He understands people can find the jingle annoying, but he says it has enabled him to help others, whether through his Lerner and Rowe Gives Back charity or representing clients in the courtroom. “There may be that initial shock that the guy on TV is talking to them, but I think what I’ve learned in my career takes over,” says Rowe, who now serves as the duo’s Valley mainstay after Lerner relocated to Florida. “We put ourselves out there to help the public.”
Fun Fact! Has four tattoos. His favorites: “[My] kids’ initials.”
Josh Kolsrud, 44
Josh Kolsrud’s story sounds like it was ripped straight out of a John Grisham novel. After a violent attack caused him to lose function in his left arm, the Arizona State University grad turned to law and eventually worked his way from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a top-flight prosecutor. He later shifted to defense, having noticed a trend of defendants receiving sentences they didn’t deserve. “If they had somebody on their case that knew what they were doing and cared about their case, I don’t think a lot of these people would have actually received prison time,” he says.
Fun Fact! Current TV obsession: 90 Day Fiancé.
Gina Swoboda, 56
If you’ve followed politics over the last two decades, you’ve likely noticed that our elected officials rarely listen to the other side of the aisle or even to members of their own party. Gina Swoboda, chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, attributes her party’s success in 2024 to fostering open dialogue and listening, an approach that is central to her leadership. “If we refuse to see each other as fellow humans on a quest for the improvement of our lives, bad things [will] follow,” she told Lauren Gilger on KJZZ earlier this year.
Fun Fact! First concert: Quiet Riot at The Beacon Theatre.
Chuck Coughlin, 63
As CEO and president of HighGround, Inc., the oldest public affairs firm in the state, Chuck Coughlin manages a team of star professionals operating at the top of their game in public opinion polling, lobbying, communications, strategic planning and campaign management. Coughlin himself pops up all over the place as a sought-after political analyst and go-to expert for journalists covering news and politics. Even politicians have sought Coughlin’s counsel throughout his decades-long career. Coughlin traces his desire to solve complex public issues back to childhood. “My father was a corporate labor lawyer in Detroit, and my mother had opinions that she felt free to share! It was a great environment to grow up in.”
Fun Fact! Last book read: Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End by David Gibson.
Ruben Gallego, 45
Analysts attribute Ruben Gallego’s winning Kyrsten Sinema’s Senate seat to a platform that balanced the Democrat Marine Corps veteran’s progressiveness with a pragmatic approach to immigration. It’s a strategy that has some suggesting the recent TIME100 Next nominee is eyeing a future presidential run, but he says he’s more focused on reducing the cost of living for Arizonans. “This used to be a really affordable state where you could start your family, start your career, start a business,” Gallego says. “Now, everything is through the roof. I benefited from being in a country that was growing and yet affordable. I want to make sure people have the same opportunity here.”
Fun Fact! First concert: Cypress Hill.
Business & Technology
Brandon Bell, 44
When Brandon Bell joined his father’s steel business 20 years ago, he wanted to learn everything about the sturdy alloy. “We’d sit up late at night, and I’d just ask questions,” Bell recalls. His be-a-sponge approach worked. The younger Bell helped grow Bell Steel into the second-largest structural steel company in the state. Then, in 2020, he launched Next Level Steel, now also one of the largest steel fabricators in Arizona, and one disrupting the industry in game-changing ways. “I love seeing Arizona evolve into an industrial hub of the country, and to know I’m part of that,” Bell says.
Fun Fact! First concert: Metallica and Korn.
Joseph Specter, 50
When Joseph Specter was named president and general director of Arizona Opera in 2016, it made perfect sense. After all, the Maryland native was a trained baritone singer. When he left that position this year to lead the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation as president and CEO, it probably didn’t make much sense on paper. But Wright’s architecture does have a sense of theatricality, and Specter believes his leadership and community engagement skills are helping him shepherd Taliesin West in Scottsdale and Taliesin, Wright’s Wisconsin home, into a new era. “My life in the performing arts prepared me to both honor that passion and to help broaden its reach,” he says. “The commitment to bringing together devoted insiders while also welcoming new audiences is something I carry directly into this role.”
Fun Fact! Has one tattoo, a sigil of concentric hearts his wife Kate designed to protect their family during the pandemic – “a reminder about the importance of family and the preciousness of every single day.”
Lorenzo Perez, 53
In a city where urban development often looks like a bulldozed patch of once-pristine desert, real estate entrepreneur Lorenzo Perez is a much-needed burst of inspired thinking. The Valley native started Venue Projects in 2008 as a venture intent on innovative redevelopment: revitalizing historical spaces (The Newton), spearheading unique adaptive reuse projects (Central Market) and shaping community-focused developments (4 Square). Next up: His biggest score to date, the long-awaited Hayden Mills reimagining in Tempe. While we wouldn’t change a thing about Perez’s impact on our city’s aesthetics, we are curious how his visionary leadership would have evolved if he’d followed his childhood ambition to be a long-haul trucker.
Fun Fact! First concert: “U2 at Sun Devil Stadium in 1987, also when they filmed U2: Rattle and Hum.”
Rebecca Clyde, 49
It’s universally agreed among phone users that waiting on hold is the worst. So, Rebecca Clyde did something about it. The former Intel employee and co-founder of marketing firm Ideas Collide launched Botco.ai, a chatbot platform for the health-care space that enables conversations using chat. With Botco.ai, Clyde transformed the customer-provider experience with tech that does more than reduce call volume. At a recent ovarian cancer conference, Clyde realized the real-world impact: women receiving faster access to treatment and getting matched quicker with clinical trials. “Clinicians using our technology to heal women has been the proudest moment for me.”
Fun Fact! Speaks Spanish and a little French and Portuguese.
Chelsie Bruggeman, 37
“Working moms are the most critical leaders in our community,” says Chelsie Bruggeman. The mother of two and former ASU Foundation development director knows this first-hand. She also knows that working moms lack support at most levels. That’s why she founded MOMentum, a professional development organization that equips mothers in the workforce with leadership training and tools. And, importantly, community. “Working moms could do anything they want if they could tackle resentment, guilt and the inability to ask for help. We believe if we can’t do it ourselves, we’re doing it wrong. That’s never what raising children was meant to be.”
Fun Fact! Last book read: My Friends by Fredrik Backman.
Todd Sanders, 56
Todd Sanders has witnessed the Valley transform from a cluster of disconnected suburbs to a sprawling metropolis with a diverse economy. As the president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber, he has led the effort to adapt to this economic change. Following the 2008 recession, he led the effort to enhance the organization’s networking efforts, launching new economic tools and advocating for policies that support local business growth. “Today, Phoenix is part of the global economy,” Sanders says. “We’re home to major national and international companies, and the local business environment is increasingly shaped by national tax policies, labor laws, environmental regulations, immigration and federal infrastructure investments, while retaining a uniquely Phoenix vibe.”
Fun Fact! Last book read: Mr. Churchill in the White House by Robert Schmuhl.
Sports
Aniyah Martin, 17
Aniyah Martin can run 200 meters in 25.2 seconds. Probably faster, since that was her Sunnyslope High School record-breaking time last year. The standout senior sprinter and hurdler holds six school records and is Division 1 ranked in the state for three events. Martin’s most memorable race? One she didn’t even win: “I went head-to-head with [Chandler High School star] Imani Galera-Young. It came down to the lean at the finish line. Imani edged me out, but I walked away with a personal best and broke my school record again. Races like that remind me why I love this sport – we push each other to be our very best.”
Fun Fact! Last book read: Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward.
Trey McBride, 25
The Arizona Cardinals found the end zone when they drafted tight end Trey McBride out of Colorado State University in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Blessed with big-body agility and sure hands, the 6-foot-4 weapon eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in 2024 – the benchmark of greatness for pass-catchers – and cemented his status as one of the NFL’s top three players at his position. Folks in his hometown of Fort Morgan, Colorado, who saw him dominate as a prep basketball player, can’t be too shocked. “[Catching a] ball from a point guard is similar to that of catching a pass from a quarterback,” the Dancing with the Stars fan says. “That hand-eye coordination goes hand-in-hand with becoming a good tight end.”
Fun Fact! Last book read: Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life… And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven.
Cullen Potter, 18
While his mates in Hortonville, Wisconsin, were lining up summer jobs at Starbucks and rec centers, Cullen Potter was doing something arguably more glamorous after his first year in college – getting drafted by the NHL. Due to the league’s early draft system, the lightning-quick ASU center-wing was able to return to the Sun Devils even after the Calgary Flames drafted him with the 32nd pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft. Tallying 13 goals and nine assists while leading ASU to a second-place finish in its inaugural season in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, Potter – now the seventh ASU player drafted by the NHL – looks to maximize his sophomore season at ASU before going pro. “The rinks are always electric, and it’s so fun,” he told The State Press last December. “[These are] probably some of the best times of my life playing hockey.”
Fun Fact! His mother, Jenny Schmidgall-Potter, won four Olympic medals as a member of the USA women’s hockey team.
Andrea Doan, 51
Arizona lost more than an NHL team when the Coyotes left for Salt Lake City in 2024. It lost a sense of community and connection, Andrea Doan says. Now, the wife of Coyotes great Shane Doan is the chairperson of an advisory committee whose purpose is to develop strategies and pursue opportunities to bring an NHL team back to Arizona. The certified pain reprocessing therapy coach believes the sport can help kids throughout the state. “Hockey in particular teaches discipline, resilience, teamwork and grit,” says the mother of four, who’s finishing up a master’s degree in social transformation at UC Berkeley. “Beyond physical activity, it helps kids build character, develop lifelong friendships and learn how to handle both victories and setbacks.”
Fun Fact! Current TV obsession: “Finally finished The Crown. And may need to start it over again, LOL.”
Alyssa Thomas, 33
When forward Alyssa Thomas joined the Phoenix Mercury early this year, she immediately fueled their winning momentum, leading to an electric playoffs run. A five-time WNBA All-Star, she broke the single-season record with her seventh triple-double and was selected to the 2025 WNBA All-Defensive First Team. “The playoffs are a standard for myself. Coming here, [with] the Mercury’s history with winning championships, I just wanted to keep that going. We have a group that believes in that,” Thomas says. “We stayed the course.” Despite the Merc losing to the Las Vegas Aces in the Finals, she’s hopeful for next season. “We’re going to just continue to believe in ourselves.”
Fun Fact! Took home a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics.
Education
Sir Jonathan Bate, 67
The Guggenheim Foundation awards fewer than 200 fellowships annually to the brightest minds in the social sciences. Since 1925, the prestigious honor has been granted to Pulitzer Prize winners and Nobel laureates. This year’s 100th class includes not one, but two Arizona State University professors – Regents professor of literature Sir Jonathan Bate and English professor of practice Larissa Fasthorse. U.K.-born Bate, who in 2015 became the youngest person to be knighted for services to literary scholarship, joined ASU in 2019 and credits the school for fostering an environment of progress. “ASU is the most interesting university in the country, if not the world, because it’s breaking down the traditional barriers of the academy and striving to solve the biggest problems facing humanity.”
Fun Fact! First concert: “Classical music was BBC Proms; rock music was R.E.M.”
Steve Shaff, 55
Steve Shaff grew up dreaming of playing professional baseball, collecting cards and chasing autographs from his favorite players. That passion resulted in a career in collegiate and high school athletics, including roles at the University of Florida, San Antonio Spurs, Northern Arizona University and Notre Dame Prepatory High School. In 2022, Shaff joined Brophy College Prep to promote the school’s athletics program, which boasts 116 state championships across 26 teams in 12 sports and has produced Olympic medalists, PGA golfers and NBA, MLB and NFL athletes. As Brophy’s assistant athletic director and sports information officer, Shaff has launched Bronco Broadcasting with 200-plus game streams and created social media content celebrating student-athletes on and off the field. “I go to sporting events for a living and love every minute of it,” he says.
Fun Fact! Has more than 800 signed Sports Illustrated covers.
Bennett Murphy, 17
Before Arcadia High School student Bennett Murphy founded the Phoenix Interventional Naloxone Network (PINN) as a freshman, he was shocked to find the only free NARCAN supply in Phoenix (besides the sheriff’s office) was at the Phoenix Public Library – and it was out of stock. Having experienced someone close to him overdose, Murphy sought to make the lifesaving drug more available across the Valley. Through PINN, he distributes NARCAN to those in need and raises awareness about harm reduction. “It opened my soul to the fact that every person you see, regardless of their struggles, at the end of the day, is just human.”
Fun Fact! Career aspiration: architect.
Tuo Clark, 45
“I started my career deeply rooted in music and creative development,” says Tuo Clark, former senior VP of artists and repertoire at Def Jam Recordings. “At Def Jam, I was involved in discovering and shaping new talent, bridging artistry with brand strategy, and helping artists find their authentic sound and voice.” Now, Clark is guiding a new cohort of creative talent as a music faculty associate at Arizona State University, where his curriculum “explores the evolution of popular music through the lens of business, technology and culture.” He also founded and co-owns Downtown entertainment venues Stadium Sports Bar & Lounge and Spin Room, “a reflection of my background in both music and business, curating an environment where people feel inspired and connected.”
Fun Fact! Current TV obsession: Power.
Land & Real Estate
Rachel Stringham, 36
After teaching environmental science and biology at public high schools for eight years, Rachel Stringham was ready for a new challenge. She accepted a job at North Valley nonprofit Desert Foothills Land Trust, where she serves as community engagement director. Her new role allows her to teach a wider audience about conservation practices to promote stewardship of the trust’s nearly 1,100 acres on 29 preserves. Stringham creates a learning environment through guided hikes, free public lectures and family events. “I love our desert so much, and I’m passionate about helping other people see how amazing it is,” she says. “There’s nothing better than watching someone’s perspective shift when they start to truly see and appreciate the Sonoran Desert.”
Fun Fact! First concert: Phoenix Symphony. “Grandpa was a band director and took us as kids.”
Clayton Wolfe, 36
Clayton Wolfe has higher aspirations than most. The fifth-generation Canadian farmer turned Paradise Valley real estate agent recently completed the Seven Summits challenge, a grueling test of strength and resilience, climbing the seven highest peaks on seven continents while raising money for the Saguaros children’s charities. With a great love of the outdoors, an athlete’s mindset and a heart for charity, Wolfe’s next quest is to complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam, which includes conquering the seven summits (check) and reaching both the North and South Poles, something only 73 people worldwide have accomplished. “I’m trying to live life to the fullest while thinking about other people and supporting others around me,” he says. “I’m just really passionate about what I do.”
Fun Fact! Last book read: The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday.
Julie Hancock, 66
When Julie Hancock’s mother-in-law, who co-founded luxury homebuilder Camelot Homes, was on her deathbed, she told Hancock she needed to focus on charity and diversity. In the years since, she has done just that. Hancock and her husband recently announced they are selling their company to its employees. She also works with Hope Ignites Phoenix, an organization that helps disadvantaged students prepare for college, and founded Rebel Girl Development, which has built single-family rental units throughout Phoenix. “We were able to build them efficiently, affordably and create these communities that really helped the younger generation get into single-family houses.”
Fun Fact! Childhood career aspiration: Broadway singer.
Phil Shelton, 91
Without Phil Shelton, the Valley – and, arguably, Arizona – would look much different. The “undisputed king of Mexican tile,” per Phoenix Home & Garden, helped shape the Southwest design aesthetic as we know it. Since 1966, his Handcrafted Tile has been the state’s premier importer and installer of Mexican tile, from rusty hued saltillo to variegated talavera. Shelton’s work is in dozens of resorts – The Hermosa Inn, Royal Palms and Omni Montelucia, to name a few – and thousands of developments and homes. How does it feel to see his artistic imprint all over the Valley? “Well, it’s great,” Shelton, ever humble, deadpans.
Fun Fact! First concert: Bill Haley & His Comets.
Medicine & Health Care
Ginger Ward, 75
When families in the Valley called for help, former Head Start employee Ginger Ward answered. In 1981, she founded Southwest Human Development, a Phoenix nonprofit that provides resources for parents and children, from its free Birth to Five Helpline to early literacy support programs. Over 44 years, it has grown to more than 700 staff supporting 140,000 children and families, making SWHD Arizona’s largest nonprofit for early childhood development. One of Ward’s proudest achievements is the ADAPT Shop, which builds and customizes equipment to give children with disabilities greater confidence and independence. “I feel so fortunate that families let us into their home every day,” Ward says. “We always strive to make sure that every child in Arizona has a great start in life.”
Fun Fact! Current TV obsession: Slow Horses.
Lolita Tramel, D.N.P., 45
When Lolita Tramel’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she experienced first-hand the difficulties facing dementia patients and their families. Tramel, a family and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, quickly realized that there was a lack of compassionate, practical and evidence-based support available. She founded Hearts for Dementia, an organization that provides holistic dementia care, combining medical and mental health services, caregiver education, behavioral symptom management and emotional support in one place. “Helping a family understand what’s happening, giving them the tools to cope, helping them find moments of connection brings me a lot of meaning,” she says.
Fun Fact! First concert: Wu-Tang Clan.
Dr. Craig Norquist, 58
Dr. Craig Norquist is at the forefront of the state’s opioid epidemic, having pioneered emergency room protocols while helping increase the availability of naloxone, especially in rural counties where opioid overdoses are a major concern. While overdose numbers are trending downward, the chief medical information officer for HonorHealth acknowledges that there is more to do. “I’m working to decrease the stigma around opioid use disorder and show that it’s like any other disease,” he says. “Part of responding to that disease is keeping people alive long enough to get them to a point where they can, want to seek, or are able to seek treatment.”
Fun Fact! Current TV obsession: “Just finished Peaky Blinders, always watch The Daily Show.”
Holly Mueller, 48
Med 44, the luxury skincare and aesthetics clinic Holly Mueller launched in Arcadia in 2019, is much more than Botox and B12 shots. “Our work at Med 44 isn’t just about beauty,” she says. “It’s about helping people feel aligned inside and out.” Mueller is also much more than an aesthetician – she holds a master’s degree in public health and bachelor’s degrees in both nutrition and nursing. At Med 44, she offers non-surgical services like dermal fillers, laser therapies, microneedling, medical-grade skin treatments, hair restoration and weight-loss support. “My approach is all about blending clinical expertise with an artistic eye – knowing not just how to treat, but when and why,” she says. “I want my clients to feel empowered, confident and cared for.”
Fun Fact! Last book read: Inside Out by Demi Moore.
Philanthropy & Nonprofits
Steve Hilton, 64
Inspired by his great uncle who built homes in California post-WWII, Steve Hilton pursued a career in homebuilding. After graduating from the University of Arizona, Hilton worked in the industry before co-founding Monterey Homes in 1985, which became Meritage Homes in 1997. Hilton served as CEO of the fifth largest builder in the nation until 2021 and is now the executive chairman. “I wanted to pursue some hobbies and do philanthropy work,” he says. Now, he spends his leisure time deep sea fishing and continues to be a philanthropic force in both the secular and Jewish communities. Recently, Hilton, whose father was a Holocaust survivor, gave the naming gift for the Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center in Phoenix, expected to open in 2027.
Fun Fact! Current TV obsession: Landman.
Howard Epstein, 64
Through his involvement with local nonprofits, Bank of America executive Howard Epstein saw that Arizona’s housing shortage impacted not only the homeless, but also families and seniors on limited incomes. In 2019, he began partnering with homebuilders, developers, real estate agents, brokers and title companies to give homebuyers an opportunity to fund permanent supportive housing by donating $25 when they buy a home. The Arizona Housing Fund was born. “Thanks to thousands of individual donations, we have awarded 11 grants totaling nearly $2 million to nonprofit housing projects, helping open the doors to communities that now provide housing for more than 600 previously homeless individuals,” Epstein says.
Fun Fact! First concert: The Doobie Brothers at Tempe Diablo Stadium in 1974. “I was 13. I was shocked that people were walking around selling joints for $1.”
Christin Day, 43
Christin Day sums up her life’s work in one powerful sentence: “I recover out loud so others don’t die in silence.” After getting sober nearly eight years ago, she joined addiction treatment center Crossroads as a communications and outreach manager to help others in their recovery journeys. She also frequents local prisons, offering gratis professional cosmetology services and support to inmates. Nothing compares to seeing people who were once in a cell step through the doors of the recovery center, Day says. “Being able to go there and give them a little bit of hope is the biggest blessing ever.”
Fun Fact! Has “too many [tattoos] to count one by one!” Her favorite: “My head tattoo of a tiger, done by my husband, Ian Day.”
Luis De La Cruz, 34
Luis De La Cruz isn’t merely a figurehead at Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation – he leads from experience, having grown up in the foster care system himself. The nonprofit’s Keys to Success program, launched more than a decade ago, is guided by his personal story. The initiative helps individuals ages 16 to 26 gain tools for self-sufficiency, benefiting more than 1,500 youths to date. “For me, being brought into Arizona’s foster care system was the best thing that could’ve happened – even as imperfect and insufficient as the whole experience was,” De La Cruz says. “That realization is what helps inform my passion, desire and fierce approach to making sure we do better as a community.”
Fun Fact! As a child, he dreamed of being an urban planner.
The Arts
Leila Parnian, 40
Every part of Leila Parnian’s life is touched by art. She grew up in her family’s Parnian Furniture store and is leading it into the next generation. She’s a visual artist who paints everything from canvases to mannequins to restaurant bar tops. She’s even ventured into the performing arts, through comedy (sketch and stand-up) and a DJ residency at Toca Madera. Her biggest artistic feat yet: painting Arizona’s tallest mural, a 230-foot marvel on the Saiya apartment building in Downtown Phoenix, completed in July. What’s next? “I am hoping to break the world record for tallest mural, so if anyone knows of a high-rise or skyscraper over 350 feet that needs a mural, let me know,” Parnian says.
Fun Fact! Created TheraPour, an art therapy class that utilizes paint pouring.
The Black Moods, 46, 44 & 35
The Black Moods frontman Josh Kennedy moved from Missouri to Tempe in the ’90s to attend the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences and play with the Gin Blossoms at Uranus Recording, where he met local drummer Chico Diaz. The pair began writing and recording songs at the studio when the Gin Blossoms went on tour, later adding bassist Brenden McBride. “We’re making records and touring and growing every day,” Kennedy says, describing the trio’s sound as “a good mix of ’60s, ’70s and ’90s [rock],” with influences ranging from The Doors to the Foo Fighters. “I think my favorite thing about us is there seems to be a community that has kind of formed around us,” Kennedy says. “It’s amazing to know that people have come to our shows from opposite sides of the country [and still] keep in touch.”
Fun Fact! First concerts: Midnight Express (Kennedy), The Monkees (Diaz), and Kansas and Yes (McBride).
Clottee A. Hammons, 72
Clottee A. Hammons is a creator – of art, poetry, progress and, most importantly, of community. As the founder of Emancipation Arts, she provides spaces for local Black artists to achieve what they seek most: to be seen. “If you wanted to see Black art in the Valley, where would you go?” she says, illustrating the need for her curatorial advocacy. “There’s so much dragging us down. We need something to lift us up.” Hammons also leads The Great Migration: Indiscernibles in Arizona, a project documenting the overlooked history of Black Arizonans, tracing their migration and cultural legacy while reflecting on its trajectory into the present day.
Fun Fact! As a child, she “wanted to grow fruits, vegetables and flowers.”
Shayna Petruccelli, 43
Dancer and choreographer Shayna Petruccelli says her time performing at Radio City Music Hall and on Broadway was icing on the cake. “I loved the act of dancing so much that I was – and still am – happy to do it anywhere, regardless of the prestige or size of the audience,” she says. “Accomplishing your dreams in this arena requires a passion for the process more than for the outcome.” Petruccelli shares this philosophy with students at Bender Performing Arts, the Phoenix dance conservatory where she trained and now works as instructor and GM. This year, her son and daughter are in her class. “The whole experience is incredibly full circle,” she says. “Watching my own kids develop friendships at the dance studio, find their own dance voices and learn the same values that I learned… brings me more joy than I ever imagined.”
Fun Fact! First concert: Pete Yorn.
Steve Weiss, 69
The short film series No Festival Required curator Steve Weiss has shifted his focus from showing exceptional but lesser-known art films to exhibiting documentaries about design for his Arizona Architectural Film Showcase, which is held at the Phoenix Center for the Arts in the spring. He says that his selections are more avant-garde than anything he’s ever screened. “Last year’s AAFS successful sold-out shows were a huge part of my enthusiasm for programming the upcoming 2026 series,” Weiss says. “As next year’s films will be heavily into historical architecture, I feel I’m already charged to program the 2027 series with an all-contemporary architecture lineup.”
Fun Fact! Childhood career aspiration: entertainer. “Danny Kaye was my role model. He could make people both laugh and cry, he was an incredible dancer and kids all loved him.”
Media
Kathy Ritchie, 48
As senior field correspondent for KJZZ, Kathy Ritchie took what was the hardest five years of her life – watching her mom succumb to the effects of dementia, eventually dying from the disease in 2014 – and turned it into pioneering reporting on aging. Her work has influenced legislative debate, supported systemic change and honored the resilience of our state’s elder population and their caregivers. As one of Ritchie’s Great 48 nominators said: “Her work doesn’t just inform, it elevates public consciousness, invites empathy and drives tangible impact. She is a storyteller who cares, and a journalist who leads.”
Fun Fact! First concert: “Proyecto M, which was made up of former members of Menudo, a boy band in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where my mom was from. Big Menudo fan here!”
Dave Biscobing, 40
Dave Biscobing is still in shock that, four years ago, the Phoenix Police Department colluded with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to fabricate evidence used to falsely charge protesters as gang members. His award-winning reporting on this incident prompted a Department of Justice investigation that ultimately led to the resignation of Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams. “I feel like I can’t take a step without tripping on a new issue that requires more investigation and reporting,” says the three-time Emmy winner. “I do see changes, but I also see a lot of resistance, and it really just enforces the truth that, without our coverage, things wouldn’t change.”
Fun Fact! “Confession: I hate true crime.”
Pat McMahon, 90
One example of the significant mark Pat McMahon has left on Valley culture: Local icons ranging from Alice Cooper to Jerry Colangelo took the time to wish The Wallace and Ladmo Show star and host of The God Show (now part of Star Worldwide Networks) a happy 90th birthday this year. While his work in broadcasting has garnered numerous accolades, the Kansas native has no intention of stopping now. “Every day I walk into my office and see the humor of me having a picture of me talking to Mick Jagger next to a picture of me talking to Mother Teresa,” McMahon says. “Why would I stop going to the amusement park?”
Fun Fact! He has three children: “Two USCs and one Notre Dame,” he deadpans.
Robyn Patterson, 36
As a kid, Robyn Patterson dreamed of anchoring the Today Show. After journalism school, she worked in public relations before a stint as an on-air talent at KNIX. “Very rarely do you hear PR people going into the media. It’s usually media going into PR,” she says. Post-radio, she started her own agency, Mack Media Relations, and has amassed an impressive client list in its nearly 10 years: The Maggiore Group, Maya Day + Night, Pita Jungle, Riot Hospitality Group. “We love supporting Arizona-based businesses and entrepreneurs,” she says of her three-woman team. “I really like being a boutique firm. I think there’s more care and quality.” This year, she corralled those local contacts to raise $161,000 for Blood Cancer United, winning its coveted Visionary of the Year title. “It was the hardest, most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”
Fun Fact! Current TV obsession: “The Summer I Turned Pretty… sad it’s over! #teamconrad”
Hank Stephenson, 40
Meet Hank Stephenson, the owner of the news outlet you never knew you needed. After more than a decade covering Arizona politics across local papers and national media monoliths, Stephenson wanted to give his community something fresh, personal and digestible. With his since-departed co-founder Rachel Leingang (Great 48 class of 2018), he created the Arizona Agenda, a Substack newsletter that has soared to online success and fostered a space for dialogue, discovery and deduction on political moves that matter to locals. “A guiding principle of what we’re trying to do is to not only provide meaningful news, but provide it in a way that people want to consume,” Stephenson says.
Fun Fact! Childhood career aspirations: “Veterinarian (I prefer animals to people) or philosopher (I thought that was a real job).”
