From left:
Paul Critchfield José Cárdenas Sharon Harper (seated)
Laura Grafman James Bruner Arthur DeCabooter Stephen Zabilski
For more than 40 years, Jim Bruner has been active in civic, political and professional leadership roles in the Greater Phoenix community. He has served as campaign chairman and board chairman of the Valley of the Sun United Way; chairman of the Scottsdale Healthcare Systems Board; president of the Scottsdale Boys and Girls Club; and founding board member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and the Scottsdale Cultural Council. He served as chairman of the finance committee for the Diocese of Phoenix and is past chairman of the Arizona State Retirement System. Currently, Mr. Bruner is a member of the board of trustees of Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, and serves as a member of the board of directors for the Arizona Sports Foundation. He also served two terms on both the Scottsdale City Council and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. He is executive vice president and director community banking and trust at the Wealth Management Division of Mutual of Omaha Bank.
José A. Cárdenas
José Cárdenas joined the Board of Trustees in March 2005. He is senior vice president and general counsel of Arizona State University. He serves as chairman of the board of the Translational Genomics Research Institute, vice chairman of Arizona's Commerce and Economic Development Commission, and is a former chairman of Greater Phoenix Leadership. Within the community, Mr. Cárdenas serves on the boards of Chicanos Por La Causa, Xicanindio Artes, Inc., the East Valley Partnership, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and the ASU Foundation. He is a past chairman of the board of the Valley of the Sun United Way.
Paul N. Critchfield
Paul Critchfield, nephew of Virginia G. Piper, devoted 30 years in corporate human relations and development to companies including Motorola, Ramada Inns, Disneyland and Scottsdale Memorial Hospital. In 1999, he retired as executive director of the Foundation of the Boys and Girls Club of Scottsdale. Born in Chicago, Mr. Critchfield graduated from the University of Tampa and has lived in Arizona for more than 30 years.
Arthur W. DeCabooter
Art DeCabooter served as president of Scottsdale Community College from 1978 to 2008. His civic leadership includes serving as chair of the City of Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission and serving as chair of the City of Scottsdale’s Ad Hoc Ethics Committee. He has served in leadership roles for myriad clubs and organizations including the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, the Scottsdale Rotary Club, the Scottsdale Charros, Community Celebrating Diversity, the Arizona Town Hall and Scottsdale Historymakers. At the national level, Dr. DeCabooter is a member of the board of directors of the National Catholic Educational Association and chairman of the board of the National Association of Boards, Commissions and Councils of Catholic Education. He holds degrees from St. Gregory’s Junior College, St. John’s University and Indiana University.
Laura R. Grafman
A close friend of Virginia G. Piper, Laura Grafman is the executive vice president of Scottsdale Healthcare Foundation. Her community activities include membership in the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. She serves on the boards of the Metro Partnership for Arts and Culture and Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the Board of Overseers of the Phoenix Symphony. Laura is a founding member of Friends of the Foundation for Senior Living. A native of Chicago, she attended Grinnell College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Sharon C. Harper
Sharon Harper is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Plaza Companies, one of Arizona’s premier real estate firms specializing in medical facilities, luxury senior living and technology and bioscience facilities. Strategic leadership activities include service as past Chairman of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Executive Board Member of Greater Phoenix Leadership, past Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Brophy College Preparatory, Creighton University National Alumni Board and a board member of the Arizona Community Foundation, Banner Health Foundation and Board of Fellows for Thunderbird School of Global Management. A native of Mankato, Minnesota, she is a graduate of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
Stephen J. Zabilski
Steve Zabilski has served as executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul-Phoenix Diocesan Council since 1997. He formerly was senior vice president with Transamerica Insurance Group and an audit manager with the accounting firm KPMG LLC. Mr. Zabilski serves on the Finance Committee for the Catholic Community Foundation and as a member of the Human Services Campus, LLC. He is a member of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, The Order of Malta and Legatus, as well as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Phoenix Community Alliance and the FBI Citizen's Academy. Mr. Zabilski is a past president of the board of trustees of Ville de Marie Academy and has served on a number of school and parish advisory councils.