Three new board members have been elected to the Valley of the Sun United Way board for 2018.

“We are thrilled to welcome these three new excellent community members to our board,” said Merl Waschler, president and CEO of Valley of the Sun United Way. “We look forward to the knowledge and passion each new member will bring to the board to help continue our mission of improving our community and ending poverty.” 

New board member Phyllis Bruner is the head of Retirement Plan Experience Operations for Vanguard’s institutional business. She manages a team of 300 associates who provide administrative services to institutional clients. She is also an active member of the Arizona Executive Team, which is focused on helping Vanguard maximize its regional effectiveness. She previously held various leadership positions across a variety of industries including finance and healthcare. 

John Gibson serves as the southern Arizona region bank president for Wells Fargo where he is responsible for 1,320 team members, 94 branches and $8.1 billion in assets. Gibson previously served as the district manager for the Greater Tucson Metro District. He has been with Wells Fargo since 2005 and has held several leadership positions including Social Responsibility Chair, Community Support Campaign Chair, and Arizona State University Account Executive. He has been recognized with the 40 Under 40 Award by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and has earned the Wells Fargo Service Excellence Award for several years. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Arizona State University Alumni Board.  

Ken Levine serves as the vice president and chief financial officer for Nationwide P&C Specialty Lines. Prior to joining the finance division in 2015, Ken spent 31 years in the Acturial field previously serving as the president of the Arizona Acturial Club and currently serving president of the Casualty Actuaries of the Desert States and a member of the advisory panel for the Actuarial Science Degree program at Arizona State University. He previously served on the Board of Governors for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale and has twice served as his company’s chair for their annual United Way campaign.