Valley Metro Board of Directors

Councilmember Wayne Ecton, City of Scottsdale

Budget and Finance Subcommittee Chair

Councilman Wayne Ecton began his first term on the Scottsdale City Council in June 2002 and was reelected to a second term beginning in June 2006.

He previously served on the 2001/2002 Citizens Budget Committee and the Big Box Ideas Team, which helped the city develop an ordinance to regulate the placement and appearance of “big box” retail buildings.

A Scottsdale resident since 1996, Councilman Ecton is a member of Friends of the McDowell Land Trust and the Foothills Community Foundation. He also is a member of the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, the American Craft Council and the Glass Art Society.

Councilman Ecton retired from Alcoa after 33 years in high-level financial management positions in the U.S. corporate headquarters and International and U. S. operating locations. In his last 13 years with the company, he specialized in managing “turnaround” situations involving mergers and acquisitions at Alcoa subsidiaries.

His international experience includes assignments in Guinea, West Africa and Hungary. In West Africa, his was responsible for all administrative functions - including housing, transportation, utilities, security, food supply, hospital and schools - in a company town. In Hungary, he also served as an advisor to government agencies on health, safety and environmental issues and did volunteer work assisting entrepreneurial start-up businesses.

Councilman Ecton holds a bachelor’s degree in business. He was also a member of the Financial Executives Institute until his retirement.

He and his wife Martha have been married for 40 years and have two grown children.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Mayor Art Sanders, Town of Queen Creek

Mayor Art Sanders began his first term as Mayor in June of 2006. He serves on the Regional Council of Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and represents the Town of Queen Creek with the Williams Gateway Airport Authority (WGAA).

Mayor Sanders and his family moved to Queen Creek in 1993 and have seen the Town grow from a small farming community of 4,000 residents to currently over 20,000 residents.

He and wife Brenda currently own a digital video business and a cattle ranch.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Mayor Elaine Scruggs, City of Glendale

Serving in the position of Mayor of Glendale since February 1993, Elaine Scruggs was most recently selected as Chair of the Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) board of directors.  The RPTA board of directors helps to guide the authority by providing public transit solutions that best serve each of the member communities. Mayor Scruggs recently completed a one-year term as chair of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA), a coordinated effort of 10 Valley cities to manage water resources.  She also serves on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Westmarc, an advocacy group of businesses and government promoting the West Valley.

As mayor of Glendale, which is home to Luke Air Force Base, Elaine Scruggs was selected to serve on the 15-member Arizona Military Affairs Commission, which evaluates and authorizes projects that sustain the missions of Arizona’s military facilities.

Helping to foster the positive development of youth also is a priority for Mayor Scruggs. She actively participates in her Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission and serves on the YWCA Advisory Board, which honored her with its 2001 Tribute to Women Public Sector Leadership award. Through Mayor Scruggs’ efforts, Glendale was named the first Kids at Hope city in the United States.

Fostering leadership is of great personal interest to Mayor Scruggs. Her desire for a program that would reinvigorate the public’s civic participation and their sense of ownership of local government led to the creation of Glendale University in 1997. Since the program’s inception, more than 450 Glendale residents have “graduated” from Glendale University to become community leaders through service to non-profit organizations, appointment to municipal commissions and election to the City Council.

Mayor Scruggs’ business career is marked with highly specialized management assignments within the communications industry. Positions held include Corporate Training Manager for a seven-state area and Arizona Administrative Manager with responsibility for a customer account base billing in excess of $25 million annually. Mayor Scruggs has been recognized by the National Association of Women Business Owners for her support of small business endeavors. In 1998, she was honored as one of Today’s Arizona Woman magazine’s Top 100, and in 2003, she accepted their Woman of the Year award.

Past leadership positions include serving as chairman of the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council, chairman of the Arizona Municipal Tax Code Commission, President of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns and chair of Maricopa Association of Governments’ Transportation Policy Committee

Mayor Scruggs and her husband, Larry, relocated to Arizona from Pasadena, Calif. in 1971. Their daughter, Jennifer, lives in Tennessee.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Councilmember Frank Cavalier, City of Goodyear

Budget and Finance Subcommittee

Councilmember Cavalier was elected to his second four-year term as a Council Member in 2005 and was elected Vice Mayor.
During Councilmember Cavalier’s tenure on the Goodyear City Council, his foremost concern has been growth issues, adding cultural amenities and creating more parks. “The city needs more high wealth industry and more businesses that will add tax and trade revenue to take the tax burden off the residential sector of the city,” states Cavalier. He says that he believes in thoroughly studying issues that will influence policy and openly stating his rationale for each decision in council meetings.
Councilmember Cavalier’s background is in education and training. He has an Ed.D. in Education and Music from Arizona State University. He graduated with a B.A. and an M.A. from Western State College of Colorado, and undertook graduate studies at the University of Colorado, Northern Colorado University and Morehead State University in Kentucky.
After completing his doctorate, Cavalier spent four years as instrumental music teacher at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona before becoming professor of Music for the University of Guam, Director of Music for the Government of Guam, and Conductor of the Guam Symphony Orchestra.
Upon moving to Arizona in 1980, the Vice Mayor worked as Director of Lamson Business College and as Curriculum Manager for Apollo Schools (University of Phoenix). In 1985, Cavalier began working at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station as Training Coordinator for all engineers on site. After retiring from Palo Verde, the Vice Mayor became involved with the City of Goodyear on several committees and was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission where he served for five years, two years as chairperson.
Frank and his wife, Dr. Jamie Cavalier, have been Goodyear residents since 1991.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Mayor Jackie A. Meck, Town of Buckeye

Jackie Meck was elected to a four-year term as Buckeye mayor in May.  A Buckeye native, Meck has served previously as town mayor from 1973 to 1975 and as a member of the town council from 1968 to 1975 and from 2002 to 2006.

The retired general manager of the Buckeye Water Conservation and Drainage District, Meck has also served on the board of directors of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and WESTMARC, is a past president of the Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Gila River’s El Rio Restoration Project Executive Committee.

Meck is a past chairman of the town’s Pioneer Days Celebration, and is a member of the Buckeye Elks and Lions Clubs, the Buckeye Valley Museum, the West Valley Fine Arts, the Phoenix Art Museum and Heard Museum.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Vice Mayor Jim McDonald, City of Avondale

Councilmember McDonald began his term as a Valley Metro board member in February 2009. He currently serves Avondale as Chair of the Risk Management Trust Fund Board and as Council Ambassador to the Agua Fria Union High School District. McDonald is past Avondale representative to the Citizens Traffic Oversight Committee and past Chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

He is employed as a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments and formerly held the position as process engineer for semiconductor manufacturing. His professional experience also includes aircraft radar repair for the United States Army and Air Force Reserve.

The Arizona native is involved in his community by participating in church leadership activities. He is married and has two children.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Councilmember Les Presmyk, Town of Gilbert

Councilmember Les Presmyk was first elected to the Gilbert Town in 1999 after serving on the Gilbert Planning and Zoning Commission for four years. He has been re-elected twice and is currently serving his third term. He served as Vice Mayor in 2001-2002 and 2005-2006.

Councilmember Presmyk has been with the Salt River Project and is currently the Senior Mine Engineer in the Fuels Department. He has been an active member of the Gilbert community for almost 20 years, serving as president of the Islands Community Association board of directors and chairman of its architectural review committee. He currently serves as co-chair of the Mercy Gilbert Medical Center gala event (Gilbert’s first such event).

Councilmember Presmyk earned a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from the University of Arizona. He has been married to his wife, Paula, for over 31 years. They have lived in Gilbert for the past 21 years and were both born and raised in Phoenix.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Mayor Lyn Truitt, City of Surprise
Secretary

Lyn Truitt has been mayor of Surprise since January 1, 2008. He believes that open government, jobs in cutting edge industries, educational opportunities and integrated transportation form the foundation of a bright Surprise future. His belief in community spirit and partnerships inspire a vision of Surprise as a creative, innovative, compassionate place, drawing talented people and creative forces from across the nation and around the world.

Mayor Truitt and the council have encouraged more citizen involvement by appointing unprecedented numbers of residents to city boards and commissions, including the Transportation Committee.

Mayor Truitt acts on his belief that innovative community partnerships enhance quality of life. His leadership helped create a unique Surprise partnership with the city, Interfaith Community Care and Rio Salado Lifelong Learning Center.

He is also deeply involved in regional issues, serving as a member of the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council and the Transportation Policy Committee.

Lyn and his family moved to Surprise in 1997. He has two children and three grandchildren. Lyn is owner/broker of L.E. Truitt & Associates Real Estate Brokerage and a Certified International Property Specialist. As a CIPS, Lyn has helped families relocate to the United States from 23 different countries, an experience he believes has broadened his perspective and given him insight into the dream of education and opportunity shared by people all over the world.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, Maricopa County

Mary Rose Garrido Wilcox was born in Superior, Arizona, and is a fourth generation Arizona native from a pioneer Mexican-American family.

Supervisor Wilcox is serving her third four-year term on the Board of Supervisors in Maricopa County—named “best run county” by Governing Magazine and Syracuse University. She previously served on the Phoenix City Council for nine years.

Supervisor Wilcox was honored as being the first Hispanic woman ever to serve on the Phoenix City Council and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Mayor Adolfo Gamez, City of Tolleson

A native of Tolleson, Mayor Gámez has watched the city evolve from a quaint farming community to an economically viable player in the greater Phoenix metro area.

Involved in City of Tolleson government for more than 26 years, Mayor Gámez began his career as a city council member and has served as a Mayor for 12 of those years.

He has been instrumental in many initiatives affecting the City of Tolleson, including the construction and opening of the $1.2 million Boys and Girls Club, and CarMax, which contributes to the assessed value of the city.

In addition to his role as Mayor, he currently serves as Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations & Development Operations for Estrella Mountain Community College. Formerly, he served as their Director of the Southwest Skill Center.

He has participated in numerous organizations and served in many leadership positions, including past president of the Arizona Association of Chicanos for Higher Education, current vice president and past president of the Southwest Valley Hispanic Forum, commissioner of the Western Maricopa Enterprise Zone, and vice president of the Southwest Community Network. He is a member of the Leadership West Board of Directors, Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council, West Valley Fine Arts Council Advisory Board, and the Tolleson Service Committee.

Adolfo earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and History from Northern Arizona University, an Associate of Arts in General Studies from Glendale Community College, and is a graduate of the Leadership West Class I. He has been married to his wife, Tina, for 26 years.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Mayor Michele Kern, City of El Mirage

Mayor Michele Kern

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Councilmember Michael Johnson, City of Phoenix
Chair

Budget and Finance Subcommittee

Michael Johnson was re-elected to a second term as Councilmember for District 8 which includes Sky Harbor Airport, Downtown Phoenix and South Phoenix. He serves on various subcommittees such as Downtown, Economy, Sports and International, Housing, Neighborhoods and Historic Preservation, Public Safety and Technology and Transportation, Parks and Seniors.

Councilman Johnson retired from the Police Department in 1995 after serving 21 years as a police officer, community relations officer and detective, and is now president and chief executive of Nkosi Inc., a security service. He has also served on the South Mountain Village Planning Committee and the Rio Salado Advisory Committee.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Vice Mayor Ron Aames, City of Peoria
Treasurer

Budget and Finance Subcommittee

Councilmember Ron Aames joined the Peoria City Council on Jan. 2, 2007 as the representative of the Palo Verde District. He was elected to a four-year term in November 2006. His goal is to champion the needs and wishes of his fellow citizens in the PaloVerde District and Peoria.

Ron and his wife Jacqueline, who is a college professor and writer, moved from out-of-state to Peoria in August 2002. They both love the variety and wonderful climate of the Valley of the Sun. They have a large extended family in the Northwest Valley.

Educationally, Aames has a background in planning and city development, areas he anticipates will benefit him in his work as a councilmember. His degrees include a Ph.D., which focused on urban development, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Master’s from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), which focused on transportation planning.

In business, Aames has been a corporate executive for hi-tech, banking, and marketing companies. In the marketing area, he was a managing consultant for eight years for The Gallup Organization, where his clients included federal government agencies. He worked for Gallup for two years after moving to Peoria, traveling frequently to Washington, D.C. to meet with clients. Aames currently is an independent marketing consultant.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Councilmember Scott Somers, City of Mesa

Councilmember Somers represents Mesa’s District 6 and has been serving as a Mesa councilmember since June 2006. As an employee of the Phoenix fire department, Somers has participated on the Arizona Task Force One for the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue team. Somers also serves as a faculty associate for Arizona State University and is a consultant for the Continuity of Government/Operations Planning.

Somers’ community involvement includes serving as Chair of the Council Audit and Finance Committee, as well as serving on the committees of public safety and general & economic development. He is also a board member of the East Valley Partnership, Mesa United Way, a representative on the Mesa Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Arizona Town Hall.

His membership includes the American Society for Public Administration, International Research Committee on Disasters and received the National Defense Service Medal from the US Air Force in 1991.

The councilmember received his Ph.D. in Public Administration from Arizona State University in 2007 and received his M.S. in Technology from ASU Polytechnic in 2002.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Vice Mayor Shana Ellis, City of Tempe
Vice-Chair

Shana Ellis was elected to the Tempe City Council in March 2006. She was raised in Tempe, graduating from Tempe High School and Arizona State University, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business/Computer Information Systems and a Master’s in Public Administration.

Ms. Ellis is currently chair of the City of Tempe Transportation, Housing and Environment Committee, and serves on the Central City Development Committee of the Whole and the Social Services and Culture Committee.

Shana’s leadership experience includes serving on the Board of Directors of Tempe Leadership, the Tempe Human Relations Commission, the Kiwanis Club of Tempe, the Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council, the Economic Development Policy/Advocacy Committee (National League of Cities)and the Tempe Community Council.

She has also volunteered for numerous organizations including Tempe Boys and Girls Club, Tempe Rio Salado Little League, Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital, Tempe Cares, Tempe Diablos, Tempe Sister Cities, Broadmor Elementary School and Kyrene Middle School.

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Valley Metro Board of Directors

Councilmember Trinity Donovan, City of Chandler

Councilmember Trinity Donovan has lived in Chandler for 25 years. She began her tenure on the City Council in June 2006.

She currently represents the City of Chandler on a regional level as chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments Human Services Coordinating Committee and as a board member for both the Arizona Municipal Water User’s Association and the Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority. She also represents the City at a national level through her involvement in the National League of Cities’ Community and Economic Development Committee and the Council on Youth, Education, and Families. Additionally, she chairs the STAR Community Sustainability Index Technical Advisory Committee for Health and Safety.

Councilmember Donovan is the Executive Director of Chandler Christian Community Center. Working in leadership positions with a variety of nonprofits for the past 10 years, Councilmember Donovan has also been involved in many community coalitions in areas including financial stability, homelessness, domestic violence, early childhood, and youth development. She is active in her church and performs service projects internationally. Most recently, she traveled to Ethiopia with Hope for the Hopeless to work with an orphanage. Locally, Councilmember Donovan volunteers for a variety of organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona as a Big Sister and is a member of the Chandler Service Club.

Councilmember Donovan has been honored by the Business Journal as one of its "Forty under 40," received the Soroptimist Woman of Distinction Award, Chandler Alliance for Character Award, IMPACT for Enterprising Women Celebration of Success Award, and the Stanford Associates Achievement Award.

A graduate of Chandler High School, Councilmember Donovan holds a bachelor's degree in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, and a master's degree in Sociology – both from Stanford University. She also attended and graduated from Chandler Leadership and Valley Leadership. Back to Board Listing