Our Team

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The Southwest Center family works from the heart. 

Our board and staff devote their whole, compassionate selves toward creating a healthier, more vibrant Arizona.


Our Executive Director

The Southwest Center’s Board of Directors announced Jessyca Leach (she/her; they/them) as its new Executive Director, effective October 1, 2021. Leach’s strong financial management expertise, combined with a deep passion for supporting equitable access to healthcare for the Queer community, will help to further advance the Southwest Center’s mission and impact in our community.


Board

Officers

Chair: Abran Villegas
Pronouns: he/him
Managing Director
Lazear Capital Partners

Treasurer: Mara de Luca Funke, MPH
Pronouns: she/her
Public Health Consultant Intersectional Inquiry, LLC

Secretary: Ashley Olson, LCSW
Pronouns: she/her
Therapist Centerwell Senior Primary Care

Vice Chair: George Childs
Pronouns: he/him
Program Manager
Restart Recovery

Member at Large: Tabitha Fischer
Pronouns: she/her
Senior Proposal Designer
General Dynamics Mission Systems

Non-Voting Member: Jessyca Leach
Pronouns: she/her or they/them
Executive Director

Members

Barb Hughett
Pronouns: she/her
Retired

James Martinez
Pronouns: he/him
Human Resources Corporate Trainer
Chicanos Por La Causa

Jeff Ryel
Pronouns: he/him
Director, Clinical Operations
Geron Corporation

Juan M. Pedroza Reyes MBA, LBSW, BSW
Pronouns: he/him/el
Director of Special Projects and Strategic Initiatives
Valle del Sol

Pamela Schembs
Pronouns: she/her
Independent Strategic Marketing Consultant
Retired

Steve James, MBA
Pronouns: he/him
Division Director
CommonSpirit Health | Dignity Health

Wendell Honanie Jr., BS
Pronouns: he/him
Operational Consultant and Mentorship
Independent Contractor

Charles ‘Wes’ Foster, MSN, RN, CMSRN, OCN-E
Pronouns: he/him
Residential Faculty - Nursing Mesa Community College

James Perry
Pronouns: he/him
AVP, Commerical Portfolio Manager
Foothills Bank

Jerry Diaz CFRE, CLCC
Pronouns: he/him
Founder & CEO
Geronimo Consulting LLC

Michael Madden, MD
Pronouns: he/him
Health Plan and Industry Medical Management Consultant
Retired

RJ Shannon
Pronouns: she/her, Woman of African Descent
Arizona Chapter Leader
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense Laws in America

Trudie Jackson
Pronouns: she/her
Community Engagement Coordinator for AI/AN
Mayo Clinic | Phoenix Campus


Leadership

Adam Steigerwald
Pronouns: he/him
Marketing Manager

Bianca McConnell-Hoff, LAC
Pronouns: she/her
Clinical Behavioral Health Clinical & Case Management Supervisor

Chase Redington
Pronouns: she/her
Clinical Program Manager

Danya Valdez
Pronouns: she/her
Vitamin Shop Manager

Emily Halling
Pronouns: she/her or they/them
Senior Grants and Contracts Manager

Iris Avila
Pronouns: she/her
Director of Marketing and Community Engagement

Jessyca Leach
Pronouns: she/her or they/them
Executive Director

Malik Ashe
Pronouns: he/him or they/them
SAMSHA Program Supervisor

Mara Hamlett
Pronouns: she/her
Clinical Program Manager

Peggy Williamson R.D.
Pronouns: she/her
Director of Food and Nutrition

Taylor Piontek, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, AAHIVS
Pronouns: he/him
Director of Clinical Services & Partnerships, Family Nurse Practitioner

Yasmine Retana
Pronouns: she/her
Back Office Supervisor

Andrew Rascon
Pronouns: he/him
Outreach and Community Engagement Manager

Casey Simon
Pronouns: he/him
Senior Director of Healthcare Operations

Chel’sea Ryan, MSW, LCSW, CS
Pronouns: she/her
Director of Mental & Social Wellness

Deneen Pate
Pronouns: she/her
Accounting Manager

Eric Morales
Pronouns: he/him
Development Manager

James Workman
Pronouns: he/him
Senior Manager of Clinic Operations

Kaitlin Hennessy
Pronouns: she/her
Human Resources Director

Manny Guilin
Pronouns: he/him
Senior Manager of 340B Program & EHR Administrator

Michael Greathouse
Pronouns: he/him
Senior Manager of Clinical Program

Rosalie Johnson
Pronouns: she/her
Chief Financial Officer

Vic Fernandez
Pronouns: he/him or they/them
HIV/STI Prevention Supervisor


Providers

Becca Johnson, BA
Pronouns: she/her
Licensed Clinical Therapist

Britt Lane, MSN, APRN, AGACNP-BC, AAHIVS
Pronouns: she/her
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

Chel’sea Ryan, MSW, LCSW, CS
Pronouns: she/her
Director of Mental & Social Wellness

Dillon Mathew-Gilmore, LMSW
Pronouns: they/them
Therapist II

Leanne Muniz, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, AAHIVS
Pronouns: she/her
Family Nurse Practitioner

Mallory Waldrop, MSW
Pronouns: she/her or they/them
Therapist II

Raven Brown, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, AAHIVS
Pronouns: she/her
Family Nurse Practitioner

Tamara “Tam” Christian, Ph.D., LMSW
Pronouns: she/her
Remote Licensed Therapist, Therapist III

Bianca McConnell-Hoff, LAC
Pronouns: she/her
Lead Behavioral Health Clinician

Caryn Chisholm, NP, PMHNP-BC
Pronouns: she/her
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Cherron Dunn, LAC
Pronouns: she/her
Therapist III

Kathleen S., RN-NP
Pronouns: she/her
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Malik Ashe, BA
Pronouns: he/him
Addictions Counselor

Nicholas Saulnier, FNP-C
Pronouns: he/him
Family Nurse Practitioner

Renee Small, LAC
Pronouns: she/her
Therapist V, Clinical Partnerships

Taylor Piontek, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, AAHIVS
Pronouns: he/him
Director of Clinical Services, Family Nurse Practitioner


Do you want to join our team?