Banner – University Medicine in Tucson welcomes new CEO

Banner Health welcomed Chad Whelan, MD, MHSA, as chief executive officer of Banner – University Medicine in Tucson, effective Sept. 26.

Dr. Whelan will have oversight of Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, Banner – University Medical Center South, dozens of clinics, the Banner – University Medical Group physician practice plan in Tucson and more than 6,000 Banner Health employees in Southern Arizona.   He brings to Tucson decades of experience in academic medicine, teaching physician residents and medical students. He was a professor of medicine at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, and has published multiple academic papers and serves on numerous national committees.

“Banner’s dedication to living a patient-first approach really resonates with me,” said Dr. Whelan. “I started in the practice of medicine, so I have always shared the patient-first approach to hospital administration. When I was presented with the opportunity to lead Banner’s efforts in Tucson – in partnership with the University of Arizona – there was no hesitation, especially considering the University of Arizona partnership. This is an ideal match and I’m excited to get to work.”

Switzenberg joins SVN’s retail and land development team

SVN Desert Commercial Advisors brings on another valuable asset to the SVN retail team in Phoenix.  Switzenberg is a name you may already recognize in the industry with his father being a land developer in the valley for forty years, but Thad will soon be making a huge name for himself at SVN.  

Switzenberg comes with a wealth of knowledge in the commercial real estate industry and will be under the direction of Rommie Mojahed, the Director of Retail & Sales Investments.  “With the exponential growth of our land listings and sales, Thad will be an integral part of growing and expanding our division in this specific property type,” said Mojahed.  As a native to Arizona, Thad was born and raised in Scottsdale and Cave Creek and will be focusing on working on retail and land development in growing areas such as the southeast and west valley, but will cover the entire state of Arizona.  Thad is a Cum Laude graduate of Arizona State University in Tempe with his bachelor degree in Real Estate & Business. 

What better way to put his real estate knowledge to use than moving to Churchchrist, New Zealand after purchasing, building and operating a Subway sandwich shop.  While he was there is developed a production company that brought the musical RENT to the area for the first time in history.  He also became involved in other activities on the south island by playing in a baseball league and indoor club Cricket league. 

2 new partners named at Candelaria Design Architects

Candelaria Design Associates (CDA), one of the leading custom luxury architecture firms in Arizona, announced that Evelyn Jung and Meredith Thomson have become partners in the firm. They join current Partners and Principals, Mark B. Candelaria, AIA and Vivian Ayala.

In this role, Thomson will join Candelaria and Ayala in management and leadership in architectural design and Jung will head the overall operation of the firm pertaining to finance, marketing and human resources.

About Meredith Thomson: Thomson has been named as a Principal, Registered Architect- Director of Architecture Design and Production at CDA. Prior to this partnership announcement, Thomson spent a little over five years at CDA where she held various architectural positions of increasing responsibility from up to Project Manager. She received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame. Her contribution to high quality design and a track record of delivering innovative designs have already made a lasting impression on custom residential design in the Southwest.

About Evelyn Jung: Jung has been with CDA for more than 10 years. She began her career as the administration assistant and has worked her way up to Principal – CFO, where she oversees all aspects of the firm’s finances, human resources and marketing efforts. This partnership will allow Jung to continue to grow and build the firm and mold the next generation of custom luxury residential architects in Arizona.

Sundt Foundation announces additions to board

The Sundt Foundation has named one new officer and five new members to its board of directors.

Terri Pasley, Liz Harvey, Robert Stokes, Joseph Riccillo, Ed Segovia, Lisette Guevara, Nicole Calamaio and Stefanie Teller have all been added to the Foundation’s board.

In April, Stokes, Riccillo, Harvey and Pasley joined the board. Stokes is the vice president of the Irvine region for the company’s Building Group, California District. Riccillo is a project director based in El Paso for Sundt’s Building Group, Southwest District. Harvey, based in Fort Worth, is the business development representative for the Building Group’s Texas District. Pasley is office manager at the company’s San Antonio office.

In July, Segovia, vice president of the Sacramento region for the Building Group, joined the board, along with Guevara, an accounting manager in the company’s Tucson office, and Calamaio, the company’s corporate director of human resources. At the October Foundation meeting, Teller, vice president and director of corporate communications, will be inducted to the board. 

Guevara replaces John Parsons as the foundation’s treasurer. Parsons, assistant treasurer for Sundt, served on the board for six years. “I enjoyed being part of the board,” Parsons said. “Over the years I was able to see millions of dollars going to people in need because our employees and the company care enough to give back.”

Teller will replace Rich Block, the company’s controller, on the board.  Block served on the Sundt Foundation’s board since October 2000. Over those 18 years, Block saw many organizations helped by the Sundt Foundation. “I particularly enjoy the smaller organizations we’ve supported, for whom one to two thousand dollars makes a huge difference in the worthy causes that they serve,” Block said.

Sundt’s purpose is to build environments where its clients, employee-owners and communities prosper. The Sundt Foundation was established by Sundt in 1999 to provide its employee-owners a means of creating and sharing prosperity for their communities. It provides financial support to nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged children and adults. Primarily funded by contributions from Sundt employees and matching company dollars, the Foundation recently passed the $8.6 million mark in grants awarded since its inception.

The Sundt Foundation Board of Directors is composed of twelve employee-owners, four appointed by the company and eight elected by the membership. The board convenes quarterly to approve grants based on recommendations on funding allocation made by employee committees in each Sundt officiate.