Sold-out crowd celebrates Most Influential Women of 2019

A sold-out crowd of more than 600 people packed the Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort Thursday night as Az Business and AZRE magazines celebrated and honored the publications’ lists of the Most Influential Women in Arizona for 2019.

“What makes the Most Influential Women program so special is that you cannot make up your amazing stories,” said AZ Big Media Editor in Chief Michael Gossie. “We’ve honored governors, senators, supreme court justices, college presidents, Olympic gold medalists, the first American woman to fly in combat and more women who have been the ‘first’ than we can count.”

In addition to honoring all 50 of the Most Influential Women in Arizona for 2019, six spotlight awards were presented to recognize outstanding achievement. The spotlight award winners were:

Rising Star: Michele Washington, associate at Snell & Wilmer

Visionary: Angela Olea, founder and CEO of Assisted Living Locators

Trailblazer: Julie Giese, president of ISM Raceway

Community Champion: Toni Morales Broberg, president of AT&T Arizona

Innovator: Corey Saba Basha, senior vice president at Wells Fargo Commercial Banking

Outstanding Achievement in Leadership: Monica Garnes, president of Fry’s Food Stores

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Here are the women who were honored Thursday:

The Most Influential Women in Commercial Real Estate for 2019

• Lori Aune, director of operations, ARCHSOL Architects

• Lisa Buelna, director of business development, hardison/downey

• Lindsey Carlson, senior vice president, Arizona, Colliers International

• Frances J. Haynes, partner and chair of the Real Estate Industry Team, Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie

• Jill Hegardt, vice president of entitlements, DMB Associates

• Bettina Hunt, vice president of leasing, Healthcare Trust of America

• Teri Jones, president of the Building Group, Sundt Construction

• Susan LaGanke, senior managing director, project and development services, Cushman & Wakefield

• Karyn MacVean, broker, Keyser Aerospace Team

• Kristine Newman, senior vice president, McCarthy Building Companies 

• Denise Nunez, senior vice president,  NAI Horizon

• Kim Shapiro Poole, vice president of business development, Skanska USA

The Most Influential Women in Arizona Business for 2019

• Alison Abramson, vice president and commercial banking relationship manager, BBVA Compass

• Sara Begley, executive vice president, general counsel, and chief compliance officer, CopperPoint Insurance Companies

• Bridget Binsbacher, director of operations for the Cactus League and vice mayor for the City of Peoria

• Jodi Bohr, shareholder and chair of the Professional Women’s Group, Gallagher & Kennedy

• Leah Brown, MD, Steward Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center 

• Bernadine Burnette, president, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation

• Eboni Chaffee, Ph.D, director of Customer Experience and Revenue Operations (CXRO), Intel

• Bridget Cooney, senior vice president and retail banking group manager, National Bank of Arizona

• Julie DiCicco, senior director, Freedom Financial Network

• Marisa Felker, franchise finance division leader, Washington Federal

• Monica Garnes, president, Fry’s

• Julie Giese, president, ISM Raceway

• Caryn Gose, economic development project manager, SRP

• Trish Gulbranson, founder and CEO, Derma Health Skin & Laser

• Martha Gulati, MD, physician executive director, Banner – University Medicine Heart Institute

• Sharon Hwang, chief operating officer, GPEC 

• Jessica Jarvi, senior vice president and deputy general counsel, Western Alliance Bank

• Tonya MacBeth, shareholder, Burch & Cracchiolo

• Martha McSally, United States Senator

• Bobbi Magdaleno, executive director for government and community engagement, ASU

• Jennifer Mannino, CEO, IDD Group

• Toni Morales Broberg, state president, AT&T

• Sara B. Nance, partner, Wallace Plese + Dreher

• Christina Oh, CEO, Abrazo West Campus

• Angela Olea, founder and CEO, Assisted Living Locators

• Jessica Pacheco, vice president of state and local affairs, APS

• Amy  Patel, tax partner, Deloitte

• Kristy Peters, shareholder, Littler

• Corey Saba Basha, senior vice president, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking

• Calline Sanchez, Tucson site leader, IBM Worldwide System Lab Services

• Laura Sixkiller, partner, DLA Piper

• Marnee Spierer, MD, chief of staff and chief of radiation oncology, Cancer Treatment Centers of America Phoenix

• Michelle Swann, partner, Radix Law

• Regina Van Buren, MD, medical director, Sonora Quest Laboratories

• Jaime Vinck, CEO, Sierra Tucson

• Michele N. Washington, associate, Snell & Wilmer

• Cynthia Wetmore, MD, director of the Center for Cancer, Phoenix Children’s Hospital

• Cathleen Yu, partner, Quarles & Brady

The title sponsor for the Most Influential Women in Arizona recognition dinner was Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. Premier sponsors were Assisted Living Locators, hardison/downey and Molina Fine Jewelers.

To select the best and brightest women to recognize, the editorial team at AZ Big Media compiled a list of more than 2,000 women from every facet of Arizona’s business landscape — banking, law, healthcare, bioscience, real estate, technology, manufacturing, retail, tourism, energy, accounting and nonprofits. Once that list was compiled, it was narrowed down to 150 women. A selection committee then voted for the 38 women who were honored in Az Business and 12 women who were honored in AZRE.