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VYP Board of Directors

Meet our 2023-2024 Board of Directors

Veronica Aguilar

Teach for America

About Veronica...

  1. What’s your favorite thing to do in Phoenix and why?
    My favorite thing to do in Phoenix is go to spring training games and any events/festivals in the springtime!
  2. What is your favorite local restaurant?
    Cien Agaves, Gadzooks and The Henry
  3. What is your hometown?
    Scottsdale, AZ
  4. What is one of your current favorite shows or movies?Chicago Med, rewatching 24, Topgun: Maverick, any Marvel/Avengers movie!
  5. If you had a month of free time to learn a new hobby, what would it be?
    Get back into rock climbing
  6. What’s your favorite movie theatre candy or snack?
    Cookie dough bites and popcorn
  7. If you were handed a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?
    Italy
  8. What was your dream profession growing up?
    Being a teacher!
  9. Who in your life has inspired you most?
    My mother and father has inspired me the most! They inspire me to keep going, not give up and follow my passions.
  10. What inspires you to be involved with groups like VYP, outside of your normal work responsibilities?
    I am eager to contribute to the overall mission of Valley Young Professionals to drive positive change in my home state. I am excited to join the board, strengthen my leadership skills and lead as a young, female changemaker and entrepreneur. I care deeply about my hometown and want to dedicate my time to inspire and bring together diverse leaders across the valley to become changemaker and trailblazers on societal issues.

Sarah Amaral

First Place AZ

About Sarah...

  1. What’s your favorite thing to do in Phoenix and why?
    I love seeing live music and hiking all over the Valley
  2. What is your favorite local restaurant?
    Ghost Ranch in South Tempe
  3. What is your hometown?
    Mountain View, CA
  4. What is one of your current favorite shows or movies?
    Anything Marvel for movies , for TV Peaky Blinders
  5. If you had a month of free time to learn a new hobby, what would it be?
    How to play the guitar!
  6. What’s your favorite movie theatre candy or snack?
    Junior Mints
  7. If you were handed a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?
    Greece!!
  8. What was your dream profession growing up?
    Pediatrician
  9. Who in your life has inspired you most?
    My Mom!
  10. What inspires you to be involved with groups like VYP, outside of your normal work responsibilities?
    I work for a nonprofit professionally so I love the chance to get the “feel-goods” from giving my time to an amazing cause outside of work.

Marcus Benally

REDW LLC

About Marcus...

What are you hoping to gain from your experience as a new VYP Board member?

I’m hoping to continue to support VYP’s mission by building relationships, assisting in professional development events, and become a positive change maker in our business community. I’m very passionate about mentorship and professional development and helping people achieve their goals. In my professional career, I’ve learned that you cannot expect to advance without training your replacement – so in that sense, I think if I can help develop the future business leaders in the Valley, that would be a significant beneficial gain from my experience as a new VYP Board member.

What opportunities do you see in the future for young professionals in the Valley?

In the recent pandemic, employers were forced to allow employees to work remotely. This did prove to have some success in productivity for most businesses – however, some employees may continue to find remote work a more viable arrangement. Overall, this has changed the business environment and community in comparison to the pre-pandemic model. I think the opportunity for the young professionals in the Valley is to attend the in-person events and take advantage of the access to networking opportunities, educational programs, volunteer projects and behind-the-scene tours. These opportunities will help the young participants learn, grow and develop professionally in their careers.

What experiences and perspectives do you bring to the board that you hope will be valuable to the Valley Young Professionals group?

With more than eight years of public accounting experience, I’ve primarily focused on serving the financial and compliance needs of Native American tribes. As an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, I see the underrepresentation of minorities in the business community. While most people mechanically think of gaming as the primary economic engine for tribes, there is more revenue sources and economic impact than most people realize – e.g. hospitality, construction, and land development. By bringing a diverse perspective on the economic outlook for the State of Arizona and Greater Phoenix Metropolitan, I hope to broaden the VYP and Chamber’s awareness and ensure the commitment to reinforced diversity.

Submit one FUN FACT about you!

A: FUN FACT – I’m a Swiftie!

Jazmine Cole

evolvedMD

About Jazmine...

What are you hoping to gain from your experience a new VYP Board member?

While contributing to the overall mission of VYP, I am excited to join the board as a young professional to gain new skills, strengthen old ones, and build new connections.

What opportunities do you see in the future for young professionals in the Valley?

I see new opportunities for young professionals to engage in important conversations around equal pay, specifically for women and women of color. Other opportunities I see are to include more volunteering opportunities with nonprofit organizations serving the valley and creating a more inclusive organization to include professionals from all backgrounds/career spaces.

What experiences and perspectives do you bring to the board that you hope will be valuable to the Valley Young Professionals group?

Coming from the non-profit world prior to my current role, I can bring creative ways to VYP to create a larger community impact by engaging professionals through volunteering while still allowing for new connections to be made. I care deeply about giving back to my community and when I see a need, I like to find fun and new ways to make change for the betterment of others.

Submit one FUN FACT about you! 

I lived in the Bronx for 2 years, post college, serving low-income seniors and only lived on $280/month! While in New York, I learned to travel on a budget and was able to attend live tapings of over 5 well-known TV’s shows, including SNL!

Danny De Hoog

Maricopa County

About Danny...

  1. What’s your favorite thing to do in Phoenix and why?
    I love to try new restaurants!
  2. What is your favorite local restaurant?
    The Rokerij
  3. What is your hometown?
    Hesperia, CA
  4. What is one of your current favorite shows or movies?
    My favorite movie/show of all time is the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice. My go-to show is the Challenge.
  5. If you had a month of free time to learn a new hobby, what would it be?
    Gardening
  6. What’s your favorite movie theatre candy or snack?
    Popcorn
  7. If you were handed a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?
    Any city in Italy that has a beautiful winery and homemade pasta!
  8. What was your dream profession growing up?
    A chef
  9. Who in your life has inspired you most?
    My Dad! He is the epitome of patience and kindness and I am always striving to be more like him.
  10. What inspires you to be involved with groups like VYP, outside of your normal work responsibilities?
    The COVID pandemic changed the workplace for many young professionals. I joined VYP because believe that young professionals (including myself) need networking opportunities more than ever as we return to our versions of the new normal.

Brittany Dugan

Intel

VYP Board Vice Chair

About Brittany...

  1. What’s your favorite thing to do in Phoenix and why?
    I love to hike around the valley. There are trails for everyone from beginners to experts and they provide these incredible views of the entire valley! 
  2. What is your favorite local restaurant?
    Pokitrition! Best sushi burritos ever, I think I eat there almost once a week 🙂
  3. What is your hometown?
    Mankato, MN
  4. What is one of your current favorite shows or movies?
    It’s not a recent show but I am obsessed with The Office. I watch an episode almost every day, have read books about the show and listen to podcasts about the show. It’s a true master piece and I love it haha
  5. If you had a month of free time to learn a new hobby, what would it be?
    I would love to learn a new language! 
  6. What’s your favorite movie theatre candy or snack?
    At the movie theater i have to have popcorn (who can resist that smell?!) but for candy my favorites are Hot Tamales Nerd Gummy Clusters.
  7. If you were handed a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?
    This is tough as there are so many amazing places I would love to visit! Right now I’d have to go with Egypt or Bali.
  8. What was your dream profession growing up?
    I wanted to work at Crayola and make/name the crayons and markers. 
  9. Who in your life has inspired you most?
    While Covid shut down the world these last couple of years, I have actually found it to be inspiring. It reminded me that life is short and nothing is guaranteed in life therefore you should strive to do what makes you happy in every aspect of your life. Go on that trip, text your mom that you love her, grab dinner with that friend you haven’t seen for months, leave your job if you’re not happy, ask for that raise! 
  10. What inspires you to be involved with groups like VYP, outside of your normal work responsibilities?
    I love meeting new people, building new connections and exploring Arizona. YPC does all of those things and more!

Tango Edwards

Slalom Consulting

About Tango...

What are you hoping to gain from your experience a new VYP Board member?

I would love to fine tune my knowledge and skillsets as they pertain to helping large groups understand and consider multiple perspectives, adapt/change accordingly, and continuously progress.

What opportunities do you see in the future for young professionals in the Valley?

I believe young professionals will have more opportunity to impact the factors that play into Phoenix’s business and cultural landscape, legislation, etc. especially as it pertains to the migration and growth of influential and innovative organizations.

What experiences and perspectives do you bring to the board that you hope will be valuable to the Valley Young Professionals group?

I’m confident that my backgrounds in world-class athletics, military service and enterprise business development, as well as being a POC, will provide unique perspectives and approaches to solving complex problems and creating an environment of comradery, diversity and collaboration.

Submit one FUN FACT about you!  

For a short time, I was a professional fighter for the UFC.

Chad Guzman

Fillmore Strategy

About Chad...

  1. What’s your favorite thing to do in Phoenix and why?
    Running (for 9 months out of the year) because of the fantastic weather!
  2. What is your favorite local restaurant?
    Forno 301
  3. What is your hometown?
    Phoenix
  4. What is one of your current favorite shows or movies?
    Just now watching 30 Rock
  5. If you had a month of free time to learn a new hobby, what would it be?
    The Tango
  6. What’s your favorite movie theatre candy or snack?
    Reeses
  7. If you were handed a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?
    Tanzania
  8. What was your dream profession growing up?
    Astronaut
  9. Who in your life has inspired you most?
    My boss and my girlfriend – not the same person!
  10. What inspires you to be involved with groups like VYP, outside of your normal work responsibilities?
    The goal of attracting and retaining young professionals to live in Phoenix by promoting the great standard of living we enjoy here.

Ethan Hoover

Arizona Theatre Company

About Ethan...

What are you hoping to gain from your experience as new VYP Board member?

Working on the VYP Board of Directors will allow me to help give back to the community while creating lasting relationships that will help improve our local theatre industry for years to come.

What opportunities do you see in the future for young professionals in the Valley?

Opportunities are always there, sometimes we just need to look a little harder for them. Being able to get out and interact with other businesses and professionals while networking is key to cultivating new chances which might not have existed before.

What experiences and perspectives do you bring to the board that you hope will be valuable to the Valley Young Professionals group?

Coming from the performing arts industry, I bring a uniquely creative perspective on many issues and matters pertaining to business, arts, and culture. With my experience in arts leadership, I feel we can all shift to look at VYP from a more broaden lens.

Submit one FUN FACT about you! 

I am color blind.

Lukas Landolt

Squire Patton Boggs LLP

About Lukas...

What are you hoping to gain from your experience as a new VYP Board member?

I am truly excited for this opportunity to serve as a VYP Board member.  I am most looking forward to helping current and incoming Board members develop and implement the vision of the Board, including providing VYP members with highly effective and entertaining professional development opportunities throughout the year.  I am also looking forward to establishing a new partnership between VYP and U.S. Veteran organizations in the Valley to provide additional opportunities for U.S. Veterans to transition from military to civilian professions.

What opportunities do you see in the future for young professionals in the Valley?

To be cliché, the sky’s the limit! The economic growth and performance in this state and this city are some of the best in the nation, and the Valley continues to see the benefits of the company investments and new jobs that stem from that.  Now more than ever, young professionals in the Valley have numerous channels and opportunities to market their skills and services in an environment that reflects a high demand for them.

What experiences and perspectives do you bring to the board that you hope will be valuable to the Valley Young Professionals group?

I have lived and worked in many places around the United States and around the world, including spending my youth in Germany and Romania and later serving in the U.S. military in South Korea and Afghanistan.  These experiences have instilled in me a profound respect for, and a deeper appreciation of, the importance of diversity in all forms (g., nationality, ethnicity, culture, gender, thought) to incorporating programs that benefit an entire community and not just a small subset of that community.  I intend to rely on these experiences to help ensure that VYP continues to represent and have a positive impact on the entire Valley professional community.

Submit one FUN FACT about you! 

I love travelling internationally and have visited about forty countries and all seven continents.

T.J. Mitchell

Quarles & Brady

VYP Board Immediate Past Chair

About T.J....

  1. What’s your favorite thing to do in Phoenix and why?
    We are so lucky to have such a wealth of great restaurants and bars here in Phoenix. One thing my fiancée and I love doing on the weekends is going to the Uptown Farmer’s Market and then grabbing a bite to eat at one of the many excellent local restaurants. We try to experience a new restaurant once a month!
  2. What is your favorite local restaurant?
    Hard to pick just one with so many good ones in the Uptown corridor. St. Francis on Camelback is an excellent restaurant for a date night, as is Chantico, a “new” Mexican restaurant opened by the same team that opened Ocotillo.
  3. What is your hometown?
    I’m from State College, Pennsylvania.
  4. What is one of your current favorite shows or movies?
    I am a big fan of Bosch, an Amazon Prime show following Titus Welliver as an LA detective. It has all the features of an old “film noir” set in modern-day Los Angeles. The final season was just released!
  5. If you had a month of free time to learn a new hobby, what would it be?
    Although a month may not be enough, I have always been interested in attending culinary school to improve my cooking. I enjoy cooking new recipes with my fiancée and would love to sharpen my culinary skills!
  6. What’s your favorite movie theatre candy or snack?
    Hard to beat the classic popcorn, but I am also a sucker for sour candy, like Sour Patch Kids.
  7. If you were handed a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?
    Probably the Maldives! I could use two weeks on a white sand beach!
  8. What was your dream profession growing up?
    I always thought I was going to be a doctor when I grew up. I liked the idea of caring for patients during their time of need; I suppose in my current role as an attorney, I am also caring for clients during their time of need (in a legal way as opposed to a medical way).
  9. Who in your life has inspired you most?
    My father is absolutely my role model. He overcame a tumultuous upbringing to graduate Penn State in three years and went on to found his own insurance brokerage before selling it to MetLife. Seeing the obstacles he has had to overcome has inspired me to make the most out of every opportunity I am given.
  10. What inspires you to be involved with groups like VYP, outside of your normal work responsibilities?
    I believe every citizen has an obligation to engage with and improve their community. VYP is an opportunity for me to not only meet other like-minded young professionals, but to learn more about the community I live in and work with charities and non-profits to improve it.

Lindsay Moellenberndt

Fennemore

About Lindsay...

  1. What’s your favorite thing to do in Phoenix and why?
    Attend ASU Football & Basketball Games, Hike Camelback & McDowell Mountain, Try local coffee shops.
  2. What is your favorite local restaurant?
    Flo’s – Chinese restaurant in N. Scottsdale
  3. What is your hometown?
    Edwardsburg, Michigan
  4. What is one of your current favorite shows or movies?
    Last Chance U
  5. What’s your favorite movie theatre candy or snack?
    Popcorn and licorice
  6. If you were handed a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?
    It would be a short flight, but my favorite go-to getaway is to northern Arizona where we have a family cabin. I love it up there!
  7. What was your dream profession growing up?
    Interior Designer – watched wayyyy too much HGTV and still do.
  8. Who in your life has inspired you most?
    My life coach. The best investment I ever made.
  9. What inspires you to be involved with groups like VYP, outside of your normal work responsibilities?
    I am energized by helping other people. Serving on the VYP Board allows me to do more of it.

Breanna Naegeli

Grand Canyon University

About Breanna...

What are you hoping to gain from your experience a new VYP Board member?

As a new member of the VYP Board, I am excited to engage and get more deeply connected to other prominent business professionals across various industries throughout our community. Phoenix is a vastly growing and rapidly evolving business community, so I look forward to serving our community through this new role.

What opportunities do you see in the future for young professionals in the Valley?

As a young, emerging professional here in the valley, I see us in a very unique position – we serve as both mentees and mentors to many, and together, we are making great contributions to the growing business community. As a board member, I aspire to strengthen the network of young professionals across Phoenix, bring more professional and leadership development opportunities to this demographic, and inspire these leaders to mentor and encourage the up-and-coming generation entering the workforce behind us.

What experiences and perspectives do you bring to the board that you hope will be valuable to the Valley Young Professionals group?

As a professional in higher education and an advocate for workforce development, I enjoy learning and knowing as much as I can about all industries and professions. As a performance psychologist by trade, I also thoroughly enjoy all things leadership and professional development, and helping others reach peak performance within their roles.

Submit one FUN FACT about you!

I am married with three young kiddos ages 2, 4 and 6 – so needless to say – I don’t sleep much!

Stella O'Rourke

Arizona Coyotes

VYP Board of Directors Chair

About Stella...

  1. What’s your favorite thing to do in Phoenix and why?  
    Try new restaurants. There are new restaurants that are popping up all over town! I especially like to go to other smaller cities in Arizona to try restaurants in areas I wouldn’t go to on a day to day. It gives me an excuse to take a few staycations.
  2. What is your favorite local restaurant?
    Carolina’s Mexican Restaurant
  3. What is your hometown?
    Pullman, Washington
  4. What is one of your current favorite shows or movies?
    New Girl is my favorite show of all time but I also really love The Office. Favorite movie – that’s a really hard one – but I love a good rom-com (Pretty Woman is one of my top favorite movies for sure).
  5. If you had a month of free time to learn a new hobby, what would it be?
    I really love to sing – I want to learn how to play the piano so I can learn to sing in tune.
  6. What’s your favorite movie theatre candy or snack?
    Popcorn and gummy bears
  7. If you were handed a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?
    I would pretend it is a really long ticket with multiple destinations over multiple months so I would go to Hawaii, India and the Dominican Republic.
  8. What was your dream profession growing up?
    To be a veterinarian. I love animals.
  9. Who in your life has inspired you most?
    My mom. She was always so resilient and fearless. She always had a way of inspiring change and helping others in ways that I really admired.
  10. What inspires you to be involved with groups like VYP, outside of your normal work responsibilities?
    Getting involved in the VYP has been a tremendous opportunity for me to meet some of the best people in Phoenix. Because of that, I have experienced opportunities I would not have had the opportunity to experience without the VYP. I have met incredible leaders and changemakers within the VYP Board and VYP members, but also through the Chamber staff and Chamber members (local companies) in the Greater Phoenix area. If you think joining the VYP will help you with building your business and expanding your networks, you’d be right. But, joining the VYP has also provided me with incredible opportunities with phenomenal people – you just don’t get that with any young professionals group – that inspires me to get involved, you never know who you’ll meet or what you’ll experience next!

Murphy Raine

TGEN

About Murphy...

  1. What is your favorite local restaurant?
    The Parlor or Clever Koi
  2. What is your hometown?
    Phoenix! I’m 5th generation Arizonian. 
  3. What is one of your current favorite books?
    Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari. It’s an investigative journalistic look at the history of the war on drugs.
  4. If you had a month of free time to learn a new hobby, what would it be?
    Rather than learn a new hobby, I would want to spend a month honing my woodworking skills. I currently build furniture, but I would love to be able to remodel a whole house by myself one day.
  5. What inspires you to be involved with groups like VYP, outside of your normal work responsibilities?
    The ability to connect with like-minded people across industries, ranks, and professions. But mostly, I enjoy connecting people who together can make great ideas come to fruition.

Marina Sandoval

Valleywise Health Foundation

About Marina...

  1. What’s your favorite thing to do in Phoenix and why?
    My favorite thing to do in Phoenix is exploring new restaurants and bars with family and friends. There’s so many new places to try and I’ve barely scratched the surface!
  2. What is your favorite local restaurant?
    This is a tough question, but I will say that I’m currently craving mariscos from Playa Hermosa on 16th and Garfield.
  3. What is your hometown?
    Rockford, IL
  4. What is one of your current favorite shows or movies?
    I know I’m late to the party, but I just finished the Dynasty series on Netflix.
  5. If you had a month of free time to learn a new hobby, what would it be?
    If I had a month of free time, I would work on my salsa and bachata skills. I love watching the pros on the dance floor who make it seem so effortless.
  6. What’s your favorite movie theatre candy or snack? Popcorn
  7. If you were handed a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?
    It’s next on my bucket list!
  8. What was your dream profession growing up?
    My dream profession growing up was to become an Obstetrician.
  9. Who in your life has inspired you most?
    My mom. She was a single mom of three children, juggled a career, and made it to most of our sporting/school events.
  10. What inspires you to be involved with groups like VYP, outside of your normal work responsibilities?
    I truly enjoy being around like-minded individuals who not only seek to grow both personally and professionally, but lift others to help them succeed as well.

Join Now

Interested in becoming a member of Valley Young Professionals?

If your employer is a member, opt into the monthly VYP newsletter here to receive news and updates on events.

If your employer is not a Chamber member, you can become a member of the VYP program for $100 per year. Complete the membership application and send to Torie Hayes at thayes@phoenixchamber.com or fax to 602.495.6479.

Not sure if your employer is a member? Check here.