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Board of Directors

Each February, the Arizona Association for the Gifted and Talented (AAGT) welcomes new members to its Board of Directors. We are excited to invite passionate individuals to apply for these vital roles or to join us as Volunteer At-Large members. We are especially interested in candidates who bring specific skills and experiences, including expertise in nonprofit finance or accounting, legal knowledge, a deep connection to Arizona’s diverse ethnic and language communities, and representation from rural areas of our state. Your involvement can make a significant difference in the lives of gifted students across Arizona. Apply today to be part of our dedicated team!

Executive Board

Vicki Greer

Past President

Governance Committee (Chair), Advocacy Task Force (Chair), and Arizona Rural Gifted Network (Lead)

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Jessica Zimmerman

President

Advocacy Task Force (Vice Chair) and Family Engagement Task Force (Chair)

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Dr. Rowe Van Meter

Vice President | President Elect

Educator Engagement Task Force (Co-Chair) and Student Network Task Force (Vice Chair)

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Michele Thelen

Secretary

Educator Engagement Task Force(Co-Chair)

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Peter Laing

Treasurer

Finance Committee (Chair) and Advocacy Task Force

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Directors

Dr. Rebekah West Keur

Director

Family Engagement Task Force (Vice Chair) and Student Network Task Force (Chair)

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Dr. Michael Butts

Director

Family Engagement Task Force and Advocacy Task Force

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Kari Sjursen

Director

Educator Engagement Task Force (Vice Chair)

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Homero Chavez

Director

Educator Engagement Task Force and Advocacy Task Force

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Alisa Johnson

Director

Educator Engagement Task Force and Family Engagement Task Force

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Almira Baker

Director

Governance Committee and Family Engagement Task Force

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Amy Leeds

Director

Finance Committee, Educator Engagement Task Force and Arizona Rural Gifted Network (Co-Lead)

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Dr. Andrea Durand

Director

Task Forces Coming Soon

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AAGT Operations

Heather Pace

Executive Director

Heather joined AAGT as the Executive Director in August 2019. Her background is in partner relations, communications, marketing and web development. She “accidentally” became an executive director in 2011 after meeting a client at her marketing company when they approached her for a digital marketing consult. They had recently lost their executive director and she…

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Taylor Nakakihara

Communications Director

An administrative professional for over a decade, Taylor has always loved being an “office lady” and is honored to have been chosen for this role in supporting AAGT’s mission. She is…

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AAGT Leadership Council

Donna Campbell, Advocacy 

Julie Gunnigle, Advocacy 

Denise Michelle Hicks, Annual Conference

Adam Laningham, Annual Conference & Parent Programs

Stephanie Newitt, Governance & Parent Programs

AAGT At Large Members

Nadia Westen, Advocacy Task Force

Connie Crowley, Advocacy Task Force

Kathie Bailey, Annual Conference & Summer Seminar Task Force

Sharon Michael-Blackfoot, Parent Programs

Saudat Balogun, Summer Seminar

Dr. Aimee Sulit, Parent Programs

Lisa Roddy, Parent Programs

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