SPA Advisory Board
School Mission Statement
The School of Public Affairs lives the ASU Charter by preparing students and professionals for ethical, inclusive and effective public service; conducting cutting-edge research of public value; and engaging locally, nationally and internationally with the communities we serve.
CHAIR: Kelly Leid
Director, Lifestyle Operations of Oakwood Homes; Alumni Representative
MPA Advisory Board Member
With twenty-five years of broad-based, results-oriented leadership experience, Mr. Leid’s professional journey has included executive-level strategic planning, implementation and oversight of highly complex community development initiatives across a range of public, private and nonprofit organizations. Some examples include Empower Field at Mile High (Denver Broncos, 1998-2001), State Farm Stadium (Arizona Cardinals/Fiesta Bowl, 2001-02), Omar D. Blair School/Green Valley Ranch Shared Use Complex (2003-04), Evie Dennis Campus (2008-10) and the National Wester Center Campus (2013-17). Collectively these projects total in excess of $2 billion.
CHAIR-ELECT: Mary Denigan-Macauley
Director of Public Health in the Health Care team for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Mary Denigan-Macauley is a Director of Public Health in the Health Care team for the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)—a nonpartisan and independent investigative arm of the U.S. Congress. She joined GAO in 2001, managing a diverse portfolio related to science and infectious zoonotic diseases. Her current work evaluates the effectiveness of federal programs to promote and ensure public health. Areas of focus under her leadership include leadership and coordination of public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, surveillance of infectious diseases and the medical response to disasters; biodefense; oversight of drug, biologic and device manufacturing and safety; antimicrobial resistance; and biosafety and security of select agents and other high-risk pathogens. Her work has resulted in numerous congressional reports, testimonies and legislation. It has also been highlighted in print and broadcast media, such as the Washington Post, NY Times and national TV stations. Before joining GAO, Mary Denigan-Macauley taught public policy for Sam Houston State University in Texas and Troy University in Japan. She was also a visiting professor at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs in Tbilisi, Georgia, to promote sound and ethical governance. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science, attained a Master of Science from the University of Arizona and earned a Ph.D. in Public Administration from Arizona State University.
Michael Anderson
Assistant Vice President of Risk and Resilience, ASU
Michael J. Anderson has been named Arizona State University’s assistant vice president of Risk and Resilience. Anderson assumed his role in early January 2023 and reports to Nichol Luoma, vice president of University Business Services. Anderson will oversee operational, reputational and strategic risk areas across ASU to support physical security, emergency preparedness and risk management initiatives, among other duties.
Evelyn Casuga
Director of Community & Economic Prosperity, Center for the Future of Arizona
Evelyn is currently serving several roles in part-time employment and as a volunteer in the areas of economic and community development, education and civic engagement.
She is Director of Community & Economic Prosperity at the Center for the Future of Arizona and serves as a Governing Board member and chair for Central Arizona College where she previously worked for 5 years as community relations advisor in the President’s office. After 25 years, Evelyn retired in December 2014 as General Manager of Community Affairs at APS. Her area encompassed community relations, corporate contributions and volunteer programs, economic development and strategic partnerships. She served in numerous leadership roles during her tenure at APS including Southeast Arizona Division Manager with operations, maintenance, construction and community interface responsibilities.
Brandi Flores
Deputy Finance Director, City of Phoenix
Brandi serves as a Deputy Finance Director with the City of Phoenix where she oversees citywide risk management and accounts receivable including the receipt and analysis of over $1 billion in annual TPT revenue. She has demonstrated experience in budgeting, auditing, fiscal policy, & accounting. She holds a bachelor’s degree & MBA both with an emphasis in finance. Brandi is actively engaged in industry associations that provide guidance in the area of governmental finance and leadership including the Government Finance Officers Association of Arizona (GFOAz) and Arizona Women Leading Government (AZWLG). Notable roles include serving as the 2021 President of GFOAz and the 2021-2022 President of AZWLG. In her free time, Brandi enjoys reading and camping with her husband and five beautiful children.
Mary Foote
Director, Greater Arizona Development Authority
Mary Foote is the Director of the Greater Arizona Development Authority where she oversees financing for public infrastructure statewide. Within the Arizona Finance Authority, Mary works to grow public financing for housing and other important initiatives. Mary is the former CEO of Pipeline AZ, a non-profit organization that supports statewide workforce development efforts through custom software solutions.
Andrew Gorgey
Founder, Columbia Ltd.
Andrew (Drew) Gorgey is one of the premiere executive recruiters in the United States. He founded Columbia Ltd, a well-regarded executive recruiting firm, in 2016, registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission as Columbia, Ltd. of Arizona, LLC. Recruiting actively in Arizona since 2017, Mr. Gorgey brings a local government executive recruiter’s perspective to the advisory board. His interests include the Marvin Andrews Fellowship and the Jane Morris Fellowship, among others.
Mr. Gorgey has served as a local government attorney, manager and recruiter for nearly 25 years. He holds an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Colorado, as well as a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Jerry Hart
Retired
Jerry is a retiree currently serving on the board of Government Finance Officers Association of Arizona (15+ years) and the City of Tempe’s Risk Management Trust Board (5+ years). He is a native Arizonan who received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Arizona State University in 1985 and Arizona certified public accountant license in 1987. Jerry then received his Master's of Business Administration degree in Management from Western International University in 2005.
Gabe Lavine
Director, Arizona Division of Emergency Management
Gabe Lavine serves as the director of the Arizona Division of Emergency Management, one of five divisions in the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. In this role, he manages the state’s emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation efforts, and supports county and tribal emergency managers.
Judith Leonard
General Counsel, Emerita, Smithsonian Institution
Judith Leonard served as General Counsel of the Smithsonian Institution from 2009 – 2023, advising and representing the Board of Regents, the Secretary and management and leading the Office of the General Counsel. In that role, she coordinated and oversaw all legal matters for the institution, including issues of public and non-profit law. She also served as the Smithsonian Secretary’s designee to the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars. Prior to the Smithsonian, she served as Vice President and General Counsel of the University of Arizona from 1998 to 2009 and as General Counsel of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Executive Office of the President from 1997 to 1998. Ms. Leonard was also an attorney for the U.S. Department of Education, an Assistant Attorney General in Arizona and an Associate University Counsel for the University of North Carolina.
Jeremy Rodrigues
Senior Director of Enterprise Security, Excelerate Energy
Jeremy Rodrigues is the Senior Director of Enterprise Security at Excelerate Energy, a leader in the floating liquified natural gas (LNG) industry. In this role, he is responsible for the security of the company's global operations and assets. In addition to his work at Excelerate Energy, Jeremy serves as a faculty associate at Arizona State University's School of Public Affairs, where he teaches courses in homeland security studies.
Rick Shangraw
President, Cintana Education
Dr. Shangraw has spent most of his career scaling organizations while at the same time improving the quality of organizational outcomes. Currently, he serves as president of Cintana Education. Cintana Education is Arizona State University’s global implementation partner. He is the executive sponsor for partnerships in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and India. He also oversees Cintana’s professional services teams. From November 2021 to May 2023, he also served as the founding president of American University Kyiv.
Craig Sullivan
Executive Director, County Supervisors Association of Arizona
Craig Sullivan has served as the Executive Director of the County Supervisors Association (CSA) since 2005. CSA is a non-partisan collaboration of Arizona’s 15 counties, with a mission to conduct research and policy work that supports decision-making at the county, state and federal levels. To this end, CSA promotes improved government operations and public services.