Monsoon season is in full force, bringing the storms that replenish Arizona’s desert landscape. But the state is also home to another kind of rainmaker – a far less windy one! From groundbreaking medical advances and philanthropic innovation to economic development and community transformation, these local leaders are making it “rain” with ideas and investments that are creating lasting impact across Arizona.
Vern Johnson, Axiom Care
Axiom Care founder Vern Johnson and his team are doing more than simply providing care to Arizonans. They are creating first-of-their-kind solutions to combat critical substance use and behavioral health challenges facing the state. In September 2025, they opened, Yideeską́ądi Hózhǫ́ǫ́jí Center, the first Navajo Nation-owned residential substance use treatment center located outside the Navajo Nation in partnership with the Navajo Department of Health. The center served more than 300 Navajo Nation members in its first nine months with treatment rooted in Navajo language, customs and traditions, and continues to grow. Vern also led the opening of the John McCain Veterans Center, a 60-bed transitional housing program, with integrated behavioral health care, substance use treatment, workforce development, and a path to long-term housing for veterans facing homelessness, trauma and addiction. Together, these pioneering initiatives are redefining how Arizona serves two of its most vulnerable populations while creating innovative models for behavioral health care statewide.
Taylor Perkins, CHASSE Building Team
Taylor Perkins is out to ensure all kids have the chance to succeed. She not only leads marketing for CHASSE Building Team’s K-8 division, which recently completed building Goodyear High School, Alma Farrell Innovation Academy, and Indian Bend Elementary School, and is under construction on Millenium High School, Estrella Vista Academy and the new West-MEC Southeast campus right now, but is working around the clock on philanthropic efforts that are changing how kids learn and grow. A “School Connect Champion” honoree for her tireless advocacy for Valley schools and beyond, and she actively serves on the board for the Arizona Association for School Board Officials; Education Foundation for the Buckeye Elementary School District; Nadaburg Unified Elementary School District Foundation; Littleton Education Foundation; and A4LE, helping bridge architecture and learning spaces with education. Perkins is a member of Urban Farming Education, helping create urban gardens at schools to teach children how to cultivate their own food; and serves on the Arizona Business and Education Coalition Golf Committee; Florence Education Foundation Event Committee; Paradise Valley Education Foundation Golf Committee; and Alhambra Education Foundation Golf Committee. She also co-founded the Cactus Club for the Madison School District and leads CHASSE’s Building Team’s philanthropic arm, which has invested more than $4.5 million in local causes and collectively volunteers – on average – 3,000 hours a year.
Jamie Bludworth, Ph.D, ASU’s Counselor Training Center
As director of the Counselor Training Center (CTC), Jamie Bludworth, Ph.D., clinical professor at the School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology, is tackling two of Arizona’s greatest behavioral health challenges at once: expanding access to affordable mental health care while preparing the state’s next generation of licensed counselors. This year, he and his team broadened the CTC’s reach by expanding counseling services beyond its long-time Tempe location to include ASU’s Polytechnic campus in Mesa, while also launching low-cost psychological assessments for autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and learning disorders at a fraction of traditional market rates. Under his leadership, the CTC continues to provide free counseling to college students across Arizona and affordable services for the broader community, removing financial barriers while giving master’s and doctoral students the supervised clinical experience required for licensure. By investing in both today’s clients and tomorrow’s behavioral health workforce, Bludworth is helping strengthen access to care across Arizona while building the professionals who will meet the state’s growing mental health needs for decades to come.
Dr. Jason Scott Hauptman, Phoenix Children’s
As Division Chief of Pediatric Neurological Surgery at Phoenix Children’s, Dr. Jason Scott Hauptman is transforming what’s possible for children with the most complex neurological conditions, ensuring Arizona families receive expert care. This past year, he performed Arizona’s first pediatric awake brain surgery, keeping a teenage patient conscious during a delicate procedure to preserve speech, movement and cognitive function while successfully eliminating the tumor responsible for debilitating seizures. He also completed one of the youngest-ever reported cases of deep brain stimulation for dystonia, offering a life-changing option for a child when every other treatment had failed. Under his leadership, Phoenix Children’s has solidified its place as the southwest’s leading pediatric neurosurgery program, offering advanced robotic epilepsy and laser surgeries, brain tumor surgery, complex spine surgery, craniofacial surgery, and other highly specialized procedures. Under his leadership, Phoenix Children’s Neurosurgery has emerged as a national leader in clinical care, education, research, and innovation – putting Arizona’s children at the center of it all.
Marcus Benally, MBA, REDW Advisors & CPAs
Marcus Benally is bringing rain to rooms where Native voices have historically been absent. As senior manager of Client Advisory & Accounting Services at REDW Advisors & CPAs, the Navajo Nation citizen is strengthening the future of Indian Country by pairing financial expertise with hands-on leadership. This year, he joined the Board of Managers for Quivera Enterprises, the tribally owned holding company for the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes — a direct seat at the table for tribal economic decision-making. As chair of the Greater Phoenix Chamber’s Valley Young Professionals, he identified a representation gap and moved to close it: Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, three surrounding metro Phoenix alone, yet Native voices were largely missing from the board. He’s since briefed a 130-member delegation from Charlotte, North Carolina on tribal economic realities, and helped train roughly 25 REDW colleagues in the Philippines on the firm’s National Tribal Practice.
Jeff Swanson, One Step Beyond
As chief executive officer of One Step Beyond, Inc., Jeff Swanson is tackling one of the greatest unmet needs facing adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families: long-term housing. This year, he launched a fundraising campaign for Nikki’s Next Step, an ambitious $8 million initiative to create an inclusive residential community designed specifically for adults with IDD. The community will feature 57 one- and two-bedroom residences with ownership and rental opportunities that promote independence while providing connection, security and access to supportive services. More than housing, Nikki’s Next Step offers families peace of mind by addressing the question that keeps so many parents and caregivers awake at night: who will care for my loved one when I no longer can? With land secured, rezoning approved and a capital campaign underway, Swanson is leading a project that could become a model for inclusive housing communities across Arizona and beyond.
Kristina Chumpol, Fiesta Sports Foundation
Kristina Chumpol has built a year-round legacy of investment in youth, sports and education as chief impact officer and chief of staff for the Fiesta Sports Foundation, turning bowl games that generate more than $200 million for Arizona each year into community impact that reaches one million Arizonans annually. This spring, she led the Foundation’s donation of the 75,000-square-foot field from the 2025 Rate Bowl to C.O. Greenfield Academy of Design and Innovation, the Foundation’s 11th field donation, completing an athletic complex with two multi-sport courts and a digital scoreboard. She also guided the sixth annual Kindness Arizona Week, an eight-stop tour packing meals, painting murals and completing community projects statewide, and helped award 20 students $87,500 through the Empowering Diversity Scholarship. Following Wishes for Teachers’ record-setting $1.5 million investment across classroom and school-wide grants in its 10th year, she’s once again preparing to launch Arizona’s largest direct teacher support initiative this fall.
Barb Kozuh, Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation
As executive director of the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation, Barb Kozuh is redefining what philanthropy can accomplish when innovation and collaboration come together. This year alone, she spearheaded the launch of SMILE-AI (Student-centered Medical Instruction and Learning in Oral Health powered by Artificial Intelligence), a first-of-its-kind partnership with Arizona State University’s John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Backed by a nearly $579,000 Foundation investment, the groundbreaking initiative embeds oral health into physician education through AI-powered patient simulations and is expected to improve care for approximately 72,000 patients annually through each graduating class. Kozuh also launched the Foundation’s first-ever Innovation Grants, investing $100,000 in bold, scalable solutions to improve health outcomes statewide, while leading the Foundation’s rapid response to food insecurity by directing a $100,000 emergency grant to the Arizona Food Bank Network following the last year’s SNAP benefits disruption. Together with more than $2 million in community investments impacting more than 724,000 Arizonans in 2025 alone, Kozuh is proving that strategic philanthropy can transform not only individual lives, but the future of health and wellness across Arizona.
Debbie Hillman Toll, Mercy Care
As chief administrative officer at Mercy Care, Debbie Hillman Toll is helping reshape how Arizona’s most vulnerable residents access the services they need to live healthier lives. She oversees the teams driving Mercy Care’s community reinvestment, strategic planning, community relations, marketing communications and project management efforts, while also serving as plan administrator for its contract with the Division of Developmental Disabilities, supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities statewide. Through Mercy C.A.R.E.S., Toll leads initiatives that expand access to behavioral health services, strengthen housing stability and promote wellness, currently working alongside 43 nonprofit and community partners this year alone to extend Mercy Care’s impact across Arizona. To give perspective, since 2016, Mercy C.A.R.E.S. has invested nearly $45 million in community reinvestment projects addressing basic needs, chronic disease management, mental health and access to care. Beyond Mercy Care, Toll has advanced health equity through recent and current service on Dignity Health’s Community Benefit and Health Equity Committee, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council Health Innovation Committee and as board chair of Arizona March of Dimes, championing healthier outcomes for mothers, babies and families across the state.
Jim Nagy, Wildflower
As chief executive officer of Wildflower, Jim Nagy believes a successful business should nourish more than its guests. It should strengthen the community it calls home. To mark Wildflower’s 30th anniversary in Arizona this year, Nagy transformed what could have been a traditional corporate milestone into the company’s largest charitable initiative to date. Under his leadership, Wildflower rallied guests, employees, vendor partners and its loyal “Breadheads” throughout a month-long fundraising campaign benefiting Child Crisis Arizona. More than 20,000 guests chose to round up their purchases at the register, helping raise more than $37,000 to support programs serving vulnerable children and families across the state. Rather than simply celebrating three decades in business, Nagy used the anniversary to demonstrate the power of community partnership, reinforcing his belief that local companies have a responsibility to give back to the people and neighborhoods that have supported them. The campaign became one of the most successful philanthropic initiatives in Wildflower’s 30-year history.
Jenny Holsman Tetreault, Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council
Beginning her three-year term as board chair for Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council in 2026, Jenny Holsman Tetreault is shaping Arizona’s next generation of leaders by modernizing and strengthening how GSACPC serves more than 12,000 girls across 90-plus communities. This year, more than 6,800 girls capped a sweet 2026 Girl Scout Cookie Season by selling over 2.3 million packages, with proceeds staying local to directly fund outdoor experiences, troop adventures and more. Building on its commitment to shaping leaders, the council also kicked off a multiyear charitable partnership with the Women in Sports and Events (WISE) Arizona chapter to create long term engagement and funding to support girls. The momentum continued as GSACPC welcomed 1,100 campers to four Girl Scout properties and introduced new experiences, including Camp Dadventure and Friends and Family Camp. A grant from partner Phoenix Suns/Phoenix Mercury Foundation also brought a new multi-use sports court to life at Shadow Rim Ranch, giving thousands of girls more access to play.
Scott G. Aitken, CFP®, AIF®, Wilde Wealth Management Group
As a partner and Investment Advisor Representative at Wilde Wealth Management Group, Scott G. Aitken, CFP®, AIF®, has helped elevate the locally owned independent advisory firm into one of the top three wealth management firms nationwide within Cetera while expanding its reach across Arizona and the Southwest. This past year, Wilde continued its strategic growth with the opening of a new Chandler office, celebrated by a charitable investment in the Chandler Chamber Foundation. Aitken is helping make an equally meaningful impact through his work with Executive Council 70 (EC-70), where he supports an organization that over the past 18 months has raised and distributed millions of dollars benefiting more than 125 Arizona youth organizations, including Special Olympics Arizona, New Pathways for Youth, Hope Ignites Phoenix, Arizona Helping Hands, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona. Looking ahead, through EC-70 he is also helping champion the new Arizona Youth Charities specialty license plate, through which $17 from every annual plate purchase goes to Executive Council Charities to fund programs helping Arizona youth overcome adversity and reach their full potential.
Kim Clifton, Tierra Antigua Realty
Kim Clifton has made giving back part of how Tierra Antigua Realty does business. The brokerage she co-founded has grown to more than 1,100 agents, many of whom contribute a portion of each property sale to the Tierra Antigua HOPE Foundation, where Clifton leads efforts to address urgent community needs. When a family needs a crib, car seat, dresser or bed to help keep a child safely at home and out of foster care, Kim responds. Since joining CarePortal in partnership with the Arizona Department of Child Safety in December 2024, the Foundation has responded to 275 requests, independently fulfilled 198 requests, served 483 children and generated more than $200,000 in economic impact by providing essential items to families throughout Southern Arizona. The Foundation also delivers 200 backpacks to local youth, serves meals to more than 200 people each month, regularly stocks local food pantries and provides more than 100 care baskets each year to teens transitioning out of foster care. An Arizona REALTOR®, Clifton was named one of just five recipients nationwide of the 2025 National Association of REALTORS® Good Neighbor Award, receiving a $10,000 grant to advance the Foundation’s mission.
