Today and Tomorrow in Scottsdale

Leading Scottsdale's economic future Teri Killgore holds one of Scottsdale's most significant roles as the city's economic development director, a position vital to shaping the city's growth and prosperity. With a deep reservoir of municipal government experience, she brings a unique blend of strategic vision and practical expertise to her work, ensuring Scottsdale remains a destination of choice...

Meet Pastor Jackie Parks, a community inspiration There is no doubt that when you meet Pastor Jackie Parks you will be inspired and motivated by her passion and dedication to serving others – especially during this holiday season when we pause to reflect on our blessings. Jackie, lead pastor at South Scottsdale Presbyterian Church, is founder and executive director of Community House, which serves...

Catching up with Scottsdale legend Don Carson Don Carson, a Chicago native turned Scottsdale icon, left an indelible mark on the city, creating Don and Charlie's restaurant, a dining experience that became a staple for locals and Cactus League fans alike. Don wove the game into the fabric of Scottsdale's culture. Though Don and Charlie's closed in 2019, its legacy endures, much like his ongoing co...

Long-time public servant back home in Scottsdale  Kira Peters has been serving Scottsdale residents for nearly three decades – minus one year. Last year she moved to Bozeman, Montana, where she worked as assistant city manager. But her heart remained in Scottsdale. She came back home this year to take on the role as director of Scottsdale Human Services. She knows the city perhaps as well as anyon...

Reflections on election, future with Tammy Caputi Scottsdale City Council member Tammy Caputi will be ending her 4-year term in a few weeks after she came up short in her re-election bid. Join us as she looks back at her accomplishments in office and talks about the key issues facing the city, both now and into the new year. You'll discover that she has few regrets about the election results and s...

Wrapping up elections, Scottsdale and beyond Election Day has arrived, finally! It's been a long season, to say the least. Tune in as Kevin and Don review events on the road leading up to Election Day, from Scottsdale's city council and school board races to the state and federal campaigns that dominated the media. We also discuss the work the Arizona Democracy Resilience Network and other groups...

Artist shares whirlwind journey to Scottsdale Scottsdale is known worldwide as one of the Southwest's premier arts destinations. The brand is supported by a host of individual artists who collectively add to that reputation. Meet one of them, Kirk Russell, a mixed media artist. Kirk started his career as a photojournalist and now creates composite images with acrylic paint. Find out how a hurrican...

Familiar face takes on another key role in Scottsdale For nearly 25 years, Rachel Smetana has been serving the city of Scottsdale in a variety of jobs. From human services to mayor's chief of staff, with stints working at the library, in planning and economic development. Now her new job is director of the city's tourism and events department, a key role overseeing an industry that has a $3.5 bill...

Scottsdale mayoral race: Focus on Lisa Borowsky Lisa Borowsky is running for election as Scottsdale's mayor, challenging the incumbent, David Ortega. Tune in for a question-and-answer session with her to learn where she stands on the important issues of the day and her vision for the future of the city. Last week's episode featured Mayor Ortega.

Scottsdale mayoral race: Focus on David Ortega Mayor David Ortega is running to be re-elected for a second term in office. Tune in for a question-and-answer session with him and find out where he stands on the issues of the day and his vision for the future of the city. Next week's episode will feature his opponent: Lisa Borowsky.

Spotlight on Scottsdale school issues, candidates There are six candidates running for three seats on the Scottsdale Unified School District's governing board in an important election this year. We had a chance to catch up with three of them: Donna Lewis, Matt Pittinsky and Mike Sharkey. Listen in as they discuss some of the critical issues facing the district and their ideas on how they would dea...

Scottsdale Saguaros chief shares vision for growth Tune in for the inside story of the Scottsdale Saguaros with its new president Braydon Dennis. Since its founding in 1987, the Saguaros, a philanthropic and social club, has raised millions of dollars for local non-profit organizations, with a focus on supporting children's charities. Find out what's ahead for the group as it continues to evolve a...

Drawing inspiration from Scottsdale's Poet Laureate Meet Lois Roma-Deeley, Scottsdale's Poet Laureate. Listen in as we dive into her creative process and explore her role as Poet Laureate. With decades of experience, numerous awards, critically acclaimed poetry collections and years of teaching, Lois continues to inspire and captivate audiences with her powerful words. With funding from the Academ...

Scottsdale woman's journey to blend wine, charity Kristen Shroyer, co-founder of OneHope Wine, is a trailblazer in the world of socially conscious entrepreneurship. Blending her passion for wine with a mission to create positive change, the Scottsdale woman has helped create a business that has raised over $10 million for 40,000 charities. OneHope is a direct-to-consumer winery that empowers its c...

What's behind Waymo's expansion in Scottsdale If you think you are seeing a lot more Waymo autonomous vehicles in Scottsdale these days, you're right. Waymo has expanded its coverage area into northern Scottsdale and beyond and now covers 315 square miles in the Valley. Meet one of the key people behind it all: Amanda Ventura, public affairs manager. She's in "the driver's seat" as Waymo continues...

Scottsdale film school one of nation's best Scottsdale Community College's School of Film and Theatre consistently is rated as one of the best film schools in the country by magazines like MovieMaker and Variety. Meet Amanda Embry, chair of the department and the woman directing that success. As Arizona's film industry expands, Amanda's students are filling a much-needed pipeline of jobs for the f...

Meet the woman behind Scottsdale's Riot Lissa Druss, who leads communications and government relations efforts for the Riot Hospitality Group, brings an amazing career record to her work in Scottsdale. She has nine Emmy Awards for her three decades of work as a broadcast journalist. She then founded a national crisis communications firm and now leads Riot's lineup of high-level nightlife and resta...

Jason Richardson is the founder of Bad Birdie Golf, a company known for its vibrant and unique golf apparel. The path that led him there started when he was 12 and introduced to golf as a caddy at Forest Highlands. Along the way, he came up with the idea of building a business around golf apparel, which lead to an appearance on Shark Tank and now has resulted in a solid business based in his homet...

Diana and David Vowels have launched Pet Ortho Braces, a Scottsdale company that provides compassionate care for pets. Specializing in custom orthotic braces, they offer non-surgical treatment options for dogs suffering from torn canine cruciate ligament injuries. They also produce a range of other braces, prosthetics, and wheelchairs for various pets, including horses. Their innovative solutions...

Nathan Slater, the district athletic director for the Scottsdale Unified School District, is nearing the end of a 30-year career in the school system. His roots go deep. He is an SUSD graduate who returned to spend a remarkable career in a number of positions with the district, with the last overseeing athletics for all the district's schools. He has always made core values and academic standards...

With two business degrees from ASU, J.D. Hill was ready to join the business world after graduation when he discovered that his true passion was farming. As he started looking for options in that field, he learned of the food recycling business. Soon, he started composting recycled food in his back yard and … fast forward … today it's a business with 20 employees that recycles 12,000 pounds of foo...

Betty Janik is in the last year of her first term as a member of the Scottsdale City Council. Find out what it's been like to serve on council – including good and bad surprises – and her take on the most important issues facing the city. Betty has decided not to seek re-election but she's been a consistent contributor to the community and there's no doubt she'll do more of that after her term exp...

David Ariosto has worked as a journalist, editor, executive and author in a career journey through more than 50 countries. Included along the way were two years in Cuba working for CNN, where he developed material for a book, "This is Cuba: An American Journalist Under Castro's Shadow." It's a fascinating look at his time there. Find out how David's journey led him to now living in Scottsdale wher...

Navigating the complexities of the Veterans Administration world can be complicated and frustrating for our service veterans. Anna Mineer and Derek Debus are working to make it easier for them to deal with those challenges through the Arizona Veterans Mission Group. Their goal is to ensure our veterans get the health care, resources and opportunities they deserve. And while the group is young, the...

When she moved to Scottsdale a few years ago, Debbie Steinhauer brought her dedication for helping first responders with her. She went to work building the Scottsdale Police Foundation, a non-profit group that raises funds to support Scottsdale's police officers. Founded in 2023, she already has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide critical needs, such as equipment, training, wellnes...