Charles Wirken appointed to Mesa Judicial Advisory Board

Gust Rosenfeld announced that Charles (Chas) Wirken has been appointed to the City of Mesa’s Judicial Advisory Board for a three-year term beginning July 2, 2018.  Mesa Mayor John Giles recommended Chas, and the City Council unanimously approved the appointment.

The Judicial Advisory Board is a seven-member board that recommends to the City Council the best-qualified persons to become City magistrates, evaluates the performance of appointed magistrates, and advises the City Council about retaining them.  The board consists of the Presiding Judge of the Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa County; one Arizona Appellate Court Judge; one active member of the State Bar of Arizona who resides in Mesa; one member of the Maricopa County Bar Association who resides in Mesa; and three Mesa electors who are not City employees, judges, retired judges nor members of the State Bar.

Chas’ extensive appellate experience coupled with his expertise has earned the respect of his peers and appellate judges, as indicated by his election as a Fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, inclusion in Best Lawyers in America® in the Appellate Law category, and listings in the Appellate practice category of Southwest Super Lawyers®.  Chas was named one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona in 2018 and a Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year in 2016 and 2018. 

The other focus of Chas’s practice is the resolution of business disputes.  He has tried a wide variety of commercial disputes to judges and juries in state and federal courts.  His national reputation for the litigation of cases involving franchises, dealers, distributors, and licensors is reinforced by his listing in The Best Lawyers of American® Franchising Law category.  Since 1980, Chas has represented both franchisors and franchisees from various franchise systems, in contract, business tort, intellectual property and government regulation disputes typically encountered by such clients.

Erika Elshamy joins Fidelity National Title Agency

Fidelity National Title Agency is proud to announce that Erika Elshamy will join its residential sales team as a sales executive at   the Litchfield Escrow Branch in Goodyear.

Elshamy, who possesses more than 20 years in real estate, has extensive experience in title/escrow and underwriting as it relates to the home buying and selling process. She joins escrow officers and support staff in assisting the firm’s West Valley real estate professionals at 2440 N. Litchfield Rd.

She joins Fidelity National Title from HMS Home Warranty, where she served an account executive. Her most recent work experience required her to identify new prospects, implement sales plans, and strategically carry out activities that build rapport to create and maintain lasting relationships.

“Erika is a breath of fresh air; her enthusiasm and get-it-done attitude will be an amazing asset to her clients,” said Fidelity National Vice President and Residential Sales Manager Sharon Terhune. “She’s a strategic thinker and always has her clients’ best interests at heart. I’m very excited to have her join the Fidelity team.”

Waste Not announces new executive director

The Executive Committee of local nonprofit, Waste Not’s Board of Directors has announced that Kate Thoene has assumed the role of executive director, succeeding President and CEO, Dee Mitten, upon her retirement. Thoene joins Waste Not from her previous position as director of social enterprise and employment at the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), where she served for four years. In addition to her leadership and accolades achieved in her key role at SARRC, Thoene brings to Waste Not a passion for serving those in need and feeding the hungry, developed in her time as Chief Social Enterprise Officer at UMOM and Director of Community Kitchens Programs at St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. Thoene’s first day at Waste Not was April 2.

“This is a wonderful time for Waste Not and for Kate,” Mitten commented. “The organization is both financially efficient and transparent as demonstrated in a Four-Star Charity Navigator rating and a Guidestar Platinum status. Most importantly, we maintain a complete focus on our mission of feeding the hungry while adopting initiatives to reach new audiences, deepen our impact and strengthen our business strategies. Waste Not began 31 years ago as a respected and one-of-a-kind excess perishable food rescue organization striving to make hunger an issue of the past. It remains so, and with Kate’s leadership, Waste Not is poised for even greater growth, further-reaching impact and smarter innovation.”

Destiny Springs Healthcare appoints CEO

Destiny Springs, a new behavioral healthcare facility set to open late this summer, has appointed Burton Carriker as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Carriker brings 35 years of experience to this field with more than 20 years leading some of the top behavioral health facilities across the country. Before stepping into the leadership role for Destiny Springs, Carriker was CEO for Diamond Healthcare behavioral health facilities in both Dallas/Ft. Worth and in the greater Cleveland area. 

As CEO of Destiny Springs, Carriker is responsible for recruiting and developing a complete professional team, which at full operation will employ 250 people. Additionally, he will lead the development of robust programs, ensuring high quality patient care, maintaining all regulatory requirements and the overall fiscal stability of the facility.

“I am honored to be tapped to lead Destiny Springs,” said Carriker. “The Destiny Springs founder, Martin Newman, M.D., has been part of the greater Phoenix medical community for more than 20 years. Dr. Martin has extensive experience working for some of the top healthcare systems here, and was driven to create Destiny Springs to revolutionize behavioral healthcare in a community that needs and deserves a world-class behavioral healthcare facility.”