CEOs You Should Know - Phoenix

Mike Rypka helped to lead Torchy’s Tacos from a small dream on the back of a food trailer in Austin, Texas to a thriving fast casual taco chain spreading across multiple states. As CEO, Mike ignites his passion for food, commitment to his employees, and dedication to the customer experience to drive Torchy’s Tacos to its current success. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since her appointment as President and CEO in 2010, Dr. Ganzert has spearheaded unprecedented growth and transformational change at the historic 145-year-old nonprofit, American Humane. American Humane has reemerged as the most effective humane organization, directly impacting the lives of more animals around the world than any other organization through innovative, life-changing and life-saving p...

Blending a deep love of classical music with a passion for business, Peter Kjome is recognized as a thoughtful leader who engages key stakeholders to achieve artistic and economic success. He became President and CEO of The Phoenix Symphony on February 1, 2023. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cameron Andrew Bawden, raised in Gilbert, Arizona is an ambitious entrepreneur and dedicated family man. At 36 years old, Cameron has already made substantial strides in the business world, having spent the last 14 years building Hype Pharm, a conglomerate consisting of Green Mango Pest Control, Coconut Carpet Cleaning, and Agave Autoglass. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justin Bayless became driven to find solutions to complex problems in the healthcare industry particularly when it came to communities that would otherwise be left behind. Relentless in his pursuit of improving the patient experience, Bayless Integrated Healthcare paved the way incorporating the most important health care services under one roof: primary care and behavioral health. In 2018, Bayles...

Rick Smith is the CEO of Axon Enterprise. He founded the company in a Tucson garage in 1993 after two of his classmates were shot and killed. Originally known as TASER International, Axon’s mission is to protect life — which includes making bullets obsolete. Rick’s family bet everything they had to get the company off the ground, nearly driving his parents to financial insolvency, and were saved o...

A mentor, father, husband and visionary, Jarrod has held leadership roles with several non-profit and public-private initiatives in Nevada. He previously served as Co-Executive Director of the San Francisco/Silicon Valley Inc. Magazine’s Business Owners Council, was a board member for Northern Nevada Development Authority (NNDA) and an advisory board member for the Nevada Center for Entrepreneursh...

Latasha Causey is the President of NASCAR’s Phoenix Raceway, overseeing the promotion and operation of the modernized facility that is a top motorsports and entertainment destination in the Phoenix, AZ, market. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

William “Wick” Pilcher is a fourth-generation Arizonan, having lived in Phoenix all his life. After graduating from ASU in 1978, Wick joined his father’s insurance business, Olliver/Pilcher, the company later becoming Corroon & Black and then Willis of Arizona. In June l992, Mr. Pilcher resigned his position as Chairman/CEO of the Arizona operation to found Wick Pilcher Insurance. Mr. Pilcher...

Dean Newlund is the founder and CEO of Mission Facilitators International, a boutique training and development firm based out of Phoenix, Arizona, with the sole purpose of helping organizations become more connected to their purpose and their people. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anuj Khanna is a Partner of CapitalView Investment Partners. Mr. Khanna is responsible for deal origination, transaction execution, portfolio management, fundraising, and administration of the firm’s operations. He has over 12 years of investing and other relevant experience and has sat on the board of directors of eight portfolio companies. Prior to co-founding CapitalView Investment Partners in...

With more than 35 years of diverse healthcare experience, Todd LaPorte leads an integrated health system with six acute-care hospitals, numerous outpatient facilities, a research institute, and various community services impacting social determinants of health and military preparedness. HonorHealth is Arizona’s seventh largest employer, with a presence throughout much of the growing Phoenix metrop...

Mr. Vaughn serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of Alliant International University since 2015. Prior to joining Alliant in 2015, Mr. Vaughn served as the President and CEO of Trident University, California, where he also served as Chief Operating Officer (“COO”). He started his career in higher education at National University in San Diego and has served in various roles at...

Marcia Mintz has more than 20 years of global and national corporate and nonprofit experience. Most recently, she served as President of John C. Lincoln Health Foundation and Senior Vice President of community benefit programs and services of HonorHealth. Ms. Mintz has served as the chief development officer of Valley of the Sun United Way. Prior to that, she worked in the Bay Area creating corpor...

Denise Woodard is the Founder and CEO of Partake Foods, the allergy-friendly company that was inspired by her daughter’s experience with food allergies. Key moments this year include that Partake Foods announced it became a Certified B Corporation, and launched a collab with Ben & Jerry’s! Created in 2016, Denise started the business by self-distributing (selling cookies out of her car around...

Michael Hund is the CEO of EB Research Partnership (EBRP), a trailblazing medical research organization focused on curing Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a life-threatening genetic skin disease. Under his leadership EBRP has accelerated the landscape from 2 to over 40 clinical trials and via their award winning venture philanthropy methodology funded the first FDA approved treatment for EB in 2023, th...

Over the last 30 plus years Mr. Craig Siegler, CEO of Liquid Oxygen has successfully financed, operated, founded, sold and taken public numerous companies in all areas of manufacturing, distribution and technology. Siegler has and continues to serve as a board member and advisor to various corporate, educational, and charitable organizations. Here is his story! See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Now in its tenth year, Simon leads Teen Cancer America, the only national charity in the USA working directly with hospitals to advise, support and fund them in the development of specialized facilities and programs for adolescents and young adults with cancer. The charity is built on the successful model of Teenage Cancer Trust, UK where Simon was Chief Executive Officer for 13 years before launc...

Jason Johnson is a globally recognized subject matter expert in the International K-9 Community. As the Founder and CEO of Project K-9 Hero, Jason has dedicated his career to making sure retired Police K-9s and Military Working Dogs receive the medical care, rehabilitation, or rehoming that they deserve once their service to our country is complete. He is a former Field Canine Coordinator for the...

Mike serves as President and CEO for The Shaw Group. Prior to his role with Shaw, Mike served in several executive level roles throughout the energy industry, including President of Bernhard Energy, President and CEO of Synergy Renewables, CEO of TXU/Luminant Development and SVP, Business Development and Marketing at Saulsbury Industries. Mike also served as EVP at the former Shaw organization. Mi...

Ben Garthwaite serves as CEO of Fors Marsh and guides the company’s business growth and diversification. He cultivates a purpose-driven culture focused on using business as a force for good, with the belief that businesses must share responsibility for strengthening the systems in which we operate. Over Ben’s tenure, Fors Marsh has grown from 20 employees and $5M in revenue to more than 400 employ...

John Woods, Ph. D., is the Chief Academic Officer and Provost for University of Phoenix and responsible for further developing and fulfilling the University’s academic mission. He is charged with amplifying the University's high-quality, rigorous and career-relevant academic programs, while spurring innovation to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers. He leads a team of ac...

With nearly three decades of experience working in the thrift industry, Tim O’Neal has spent the past 23 years focused on the vision of ending poverty through the power of work. Hear more about his story and how Goodwill connects job seekers to hiring companies, driving the local economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet the CEO of Jet It, Glenn Gonzales with 24 years of habitual success as a businessman, leader, aviation industry expert, and military veteran and founder of Jet It. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A food industry veteran of almost 50 years, CEO Mareo Torito purchased Red Bird Farms in 1991. Through effective marketing campaigns and a continued commitment to providing quality products, he has grown Red Bird Farms into a brand trusted and loved by thousands of households and restaurants. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.