Angela Hughey and Brian Spicker will be Valley Leadership’s 74th Man & Woman of the Year. The two were selected because of their commitment to addressing Arizona’s most pressing issues, track record of community engagement, and alignment with Valley Leadership’s Principles of Doing.
“Angela and Brian have put decades of community-based service into Arizona over the course of their prestigious careers. The honor is truly ours to be able to highlight their work, impact and commitment to seeing every Arizonan is able to thrive and succeed,” said Valley Leadership CEO, Dave Brown.
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Hughey, co-founder and President of ONE Community and ONE Community Foundation, spearheads equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts in Arizona. Since 2008, ONE Community has united socially responsible businesses and organizations, while the Foundation promotes nondiscriminatory and LGBTQ inclusive education. Angela’s leadership has driven bipartisan support for LGBTQ-inclusive ordinances in various Arizona cities and the introduction of the state’s first bipartisan bill for LGBTQ rights in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
Spicker is the President and CEO of the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation. He has expertise in the evaluation and implementation of community-wide campaigns that support strategic partnerships that drive revenue, change policy, and create collective impact. As an acclaimed nonprofit leader known for his transformative work in Arizona organizations, Spicker specializes in community-wide campaigns and strategic partnerships.
Hughey and Spicker will be recognized at a reception hosted by John and Kathleen Graham on Nov. 28th at the Paradise Valley Country Club.
About the Honorees
Angela Hughey is the co-founder and President of ONE Community and ONE Community Foundation. Founded in 2008, ONE Community is the coalition of socially responsible businesses and organizations moving diversity, inclusion and equality for all Arizonans forward. ONE Community Foundation provides educational opportunities to ensure better understanding of nondiscrimination and the importance of being LGBTQ inclusive.
In 2013, Angela and the ONE Community team launched the UNITY Pledge, a concerted effort by Arizona businesses and individuals to advance workplace equality and equal treatment in housing and public accommodations for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBTQ) individuals and their allies. Over 3,500 businesses and organizations including large Fortune 500 companies to small mom and pop businesses, and more than 20,000 Arizonans have taken the UNITY Pledge; the largest equality pledge in the nation. Angela is also credited with the Multicultural Conversation with the Candidates, Spotlight on Success Local Heroes Awards, the UNITY Summit, the Point of Pride Summit, the ONE Community Institute and The State of LGBTQ Arizona collaborative report.
Angela is also credited with leading bipartisan coalitions of business, faith, and everyday Arizonans in support of successful LGBTQ inclusive ordinances in Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale, Chandler, Phoenix, Tempe, Sedona, and Winslow. Her leadership has also led to the introduction and historic hearing of Arizona’s first bipartisan bill in support of updating our state’s law to include LGBTQ individuals in employment, housing and public accommodations.
Ms. Hughey is a 2012 graduate of Valley Leadership Institute. She has won awards for her work as an independent filmmaker and was honored with the YWCA 2013 Tribute to Leadership Award for Public Service. Ms. Hughey has received the HRC Individual Equality Award and was inducted into Echo Magazine’s Hall of Fame. Angela is a 2012 Business Journal Diversity Champion and sits on the President’s Advisory Council for Phoenix College. ONE Community is the recipient of the 2012 Phoenix Pride Howard and Patricia Fleischmann Community Spirit Award. Ms. Hughey is a 2013 inductee into the Phoenix College Alumni Hall of Fame. Angela and ONE Community led the open for business to everyone coalition in response to SB1062, which led to an educational campaign of the same name, which focuses on diversity, inclusion and equality for all Arizonans to ensure the economic sustainability of the state. Echo Magazine named Angela their 2014 Woman of the Year. In 2015, Angela became the founding Chair of Valley Leadership’s Leadership Advance Program for high potential leaders, overseeing the program for two years. Angela was the 2016 recipient of the Anti-Defamation League’s Al Brook’s Community Leadership Award. Angela was a member of the Arizona Community Foundation’s LGBTQ Philanthropy committee from 2016 through 2018. In 2021, the Phoenix Business Journal named Angela one of its Most Admired Leaders.
Brian Spicker is President and CEO of the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, a position he has held since March 2019.
Mr. Spicker is an award-winning and innovative nonprofit leader with a strong reputation for directing transformational programs and initiatives for Arizona-based organizations. He has expertise in the evaluation and implementation of community-wide campaigns that support strategic partnerships that drive revenue, change policy and collective impact, and aid the development of human services. Mr. Spicker comes to the MCCCD Foundation after 17 years at Valley of the Sun United Way, where he had exceptional success leading teams through large-scale fundraising initiatives.
Mr. Spicker holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Western International University, and remains very active in the community. He recently served as Associate Faculty at Arizona State University and Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Arizona Early Childhood Alliance. In addition, he served on the City of Phoenix’s Traumatic Incident Intervention Response Committee and is a current member of ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation, Leadership Council.
