Kate Gallego, vice mayor, City of Phoenix

Gallego, an advocate for infrastructure investment, chaired the campaign to pass Proposition 104, Phoenix’s 50-year transportation plan.

Advice: “Negotiate your salary. I was proud to lead the effort to pass the Equal Pay Ordinance at the Phoenix City Council, which works toward closing the pay gap between men and women. It would really help us if all of the women reading this could get a raise.”

Surprising fact: “Growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian.  Then, in high school, I developed an allergy to cats that forced me to come up with new plans.  No one would want a veterinarian who was sneezing in the middle of surgery.”

To meet Az Business magazine’s 2016 Most Influential Women, purchase tickets for our cocktail reception here.