Annual Meeting Voting

Annual Meeting Voting 2025

If you wish to have your vote recorded, please complete the proxy form below. Your vote will be forwarded to the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation and recorded. Only one (1) vote per membership will be accepted.

The membership vote presented by this proxy will be voted at the meeting or any adjournment thereof only if the proxy is received no later than November 25, 2025.

Your membership ID constitutes as your signature.

New Nominees

Jennifer Axle
Jennifer helps clients navigate through all stages of complex commercial litigation, whether in federal or state courts, or any number of arbitration forums. Jennifer frequently works with companies, both large and small, in managing the pitfalls of litigation, including electronic discovery, depositions, motion practice, trials and appeals. Using this experience, Jennifer helps her clients manage the inherent risk of litigation by implementing a business strategy to meet their needs. Jennifer has represented a wide variety of clients in complex business disputes, from publicly traded companies to individuals. Jennifer also has experience with class actions and helping companies obtain insurance coverage from recalcitrant carriers.(Required)
Carla Gartrell
Dr. Carla L. Gartrell, D.V.M., J.D., Dipl. ACVIM (SA) is Dean of Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Glendale. She earned her BS, DVM, Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University and completed an internship at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Michigan State University and earned her JD law degree at North Carolina Central University. She is a member of the American Association of Veterinary Medicine and is an advisory board member of the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association. She is also a member of the American College of Veterinary Medicine – Internal Medicine, American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges, the American Bar Association, and the American Veterinary Medical Law Association. Carla is a small animal board-certified internal medicine specialist and licensed attorney. She enjoys photography, hiking, running, strength training, sewing/crafting and reading.(Required)
Mike Hoover
Since becoming Sundt’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of its Board of Directors, Mike Hoover has led the company’s transformation into one of the country’s largest and most skilled general contractors. Under Mike’s leadership, the company’s annual revenue has quadrupled since 2015 and its geographic reach has expanded from just four states to nearly two dozen. In 2020, Mike led Sundt’s expansion into renewable energy construction by acquiring a leader in the renewable power market and forming Sundt Renewables, LLC. Before moving into his leadership role in October 2016, Mike served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer managing the company’s transportation, mining and industrial, concrete, building, safety and quality control groups. Under his leadership, the company expanded into new markets, including Irvine, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina. Mike has continued Sundt’s tradition of generosity, leading the company’s nonprofit arm, the Sundt Foundation, to cross the $17 million mark in donations made to hundreds of nonprofit organizations across the country. Mike earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona in Tucson and joined Sundt full-time shortly thereafter. During college he spent his summers working on various Sundt jobsites, making him one of the few construction industry leaders to work their way up from laborer to executive. In 2018 he served as President of The Beavers, a national heavy civic organization, and in 2024 was recognized with the Beavers’ Leadership Award. He serves as Chairman for the Construction Industry Safety Initiative (CISI) and is a member of the Construction Industry Round Table. He is also a board member of Greater Phoenix Leadership, an organization of leading CEOs.(Required)
Jim Maetzold
Jim grew up in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area. After attending the University of Wisconsin, he began a 50-year career in the heavy construction industry. He started and was CEO of Heavy Construction Services in Wichita and Worldwide Rental Services in Denver. In 2008, he started PacWest Rentals and PacWest Trading in Phoenix. Jim was a horseman for several decades and is a member of the Verde Vaqueros. He has had a lifelong love of motor sports and was an active road race driver until two years ago. He loves both domestic and international travel and recently completed a Route 66 trip. Jim was a board member of Volunteers of America for 10 years in Denver and Homeless I.D. Project in Phoenix for many years. He supports Horses Help, a therapeutic riding program in Scottsdale. Jim has supported Phoenix Zoo for several years.(Required)
Karen Short
Karen Short has served as a Managing Director and Head of Consumer/Retail Research at leading Wall Street investment banks and as the lead research analyst for Hardlines, Broadlines and Food Retailing. Throughout her 25+ year career on Wall Street, she has been ranked in the very top of the influential Institutional Investor magazine. During that span, she advised corporate management teams and boards of directors on developing successful strategies serving both shareholders and the customer. Corporations include Costco, Walmart, Target, Dollar General and Kroger, among others. She also advised institutional investment clients on the fundamental merits of investing in Consumer/Retail companies – the combined market capitalizations of which approximate $2 trillion. Prior to her time at the boutique research firm Melius Research, Karen was a Managing Director at Credit Suisse, Barclays Plc, Deutsche Bank and BMO Capital. She started her equity research career in 1999 at Lehman Brothers. Prior to Equity Research, Karen spent five years in energy sales and trading. Karen Short also serves as a board member of the Phoenix Zoo, is a member of the AdvisoryCloud Board, a leading platform for advisory boards and capitalizing on advisory work. She is an advisor for Swiftly, an innovative platform that enables retailers to engage with today’s shopper. She also serves as an advisor to Inner Immersion, an organization committed to ensure overburdened, vulnerable and at-risk populations have the opportunity to experience wellness. Karen is a member of the Urban Land Institute (“ULI”) “Gold” sleeve – with a sole focus on consumer/retail and is a member of the ULI Arizona Capital Markets Local Product Council. She is also a founding investor and member of Meaningful Partners which invests in private consumer businesses. Karen earned her B.A. from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and maintains “tri”-citizenship in the US, Canada and the UK.(Required)

Returning Nominees

Brian Baehr
Retired from Grayhawk Development since 2018, Brian was responsible for land acquisition and disposition, and land development operations including master planning, civil engineering, and zoning entitlement. He and the Grayhawk Development staff were responsible for the development of the Grayhawk, Whisper Rock Estates, Saguaro Bloom and Vistal master-planned communities. Construction and development costs of the onsite and offsite infrastructure improvements were in excess of $150,000,000. Prior to joining the Grayhawk Development team, Brian spent 10 years in land planning and development with one of the largest home builders and master-planned community developers in Arizona. During that time, he oversaw land development for all the company’s projects in the Phoenix metro area including: Foothills Club West, Westbrook Village, Ironwood Village, Gold Canyon Ranch and Warner Ranch. Brian has a bachelor’s degree in land planning and urban design and an MBA with an emphasis in finance. Brian enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Kaye, and three adult sons: Matthew, Preston and Riley. Brian’s son, Riley, has been with the Grayhawk team since 2012. Brian currently spends his time consulting with Grayhawk Development and staying fit by playing baseball, boxing, golfing and general exercise. Brian also spends much of his time volunteering in the Parkinson’s disease community by raising money for the Michael J Fox Foundation and promoting exercise as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Brian and his son, Matt, founded the Baehr Challenge, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, in 2010 to raise awareness of the benefits of exercise.(Required)
Avery Crossman
Avery Crossman grew up in Phoenix going to her favorite place, the Phoenix Zoo. (She even had her 6th birthday party there). Her true passion is animals; animals of all shapes and sizes. She has spent many years volunteering for animal causes so joining the Zoo Board was a natural fit. She is devoted to the conservation and preservation of all species for future generations. She loves looking into the eyes of animals and seeing their pure beauty. Avery has been practicing Arizona Worker’s Compensation law exclusively since 1994. She is a State Bar Certified Worker’s Compensation Specialist and is past Co-Chair of the State Bar Worker’s Compensation Section. She has served as a faculty member at the State Bar Seminar on Professionalism and was formerly a Judge Pro Tempore for the Maricopa County Superior Court. In her spare time, Avery loves to travel in what she calls “Animal Tourism.” She plans trips around the nation to volunteer at various animal sanctuaries. She also has two dogs that call her “mom.”(Required)
Kristin Hartman
Kristin Hartman is a fourth generation Japanese-American Arizona native and so proud to raise awareness about wildlife conservation. Her most cherished childhood memories include frequent visits to the zoo with her family and friends. Raising three children of her own has given her a new perspective and the opportunity to continue the legacy and traditions of her childhood at the Phoenix Zoo. She has a background in marketing and development and dedicates much of her time to philanthropy and her three children. She is passionate about traveling the world with her family, allowing exposure to new cultures and wildlife. Trips to Kauai, Ireland, Costa Rica and Japan have contributed to showing firsthand the importance of wildlife conservation to our future generation. She graduated from the U of A with a degree in Marketing and received an MBA from Long Beach State. She worked in college athletics for almost ten years in fundraising and development, including the Sun Devil Club and ASU Foundation. She has been blessed with three beautiful children, Emeri (12), RJ (10) and Rori (8) and is married to Ryan, founder of Avenue North. In her spare time she enjoys playing golf, tennis, hiking, traveling, cooking, dancing, swimming and working out with her family. She is currently a committee co-chair of the Heart Ball for the American Heart Association (since 2020), 2022 winner and 2023 co-chair of Dancing with the Stars for the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona, donors to Child Crisis, Phoenix Rescue Mission and Impact Church.(Required)
Dawn Meidinger
Dawn Meidinger is a partner in Dorsey & Whitney’s natural resources, energy and environmental law practice group. She is an experienced mining attorney with a focus on public land utilization on both the state and federal level and environmental permitting and has represented clients seeking a variety of use authorizations, including exploration and mine plans of operation, special use permits, rights of way, and solar and grazing leases. Many of those matters require working with federal and state agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona State Land Department. In the natural resources law sector, Dawn has multidisciplinary experience in permitting mining, renewable energy and linear projects, and handling all aspects of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance for projects.(Required)
Gabrielle Vitale
Gabrielle (Gabby) is a highly accomplished senior executive with extensive experience in operations, corporate governance, compliance, and risk management throughout her successful career at American Express. She is a strategic leader with deep expertise in cyber, technology, and finance. Gabrielle is qualified to serve as a Board of Director Audit Committee Financial Expert under SEC rules. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Arizona State University and is a member of several global information technology and financial services risk management organizations. She is actively involved in her community and has been a member of the Phoenix Zoo for over 20 years. Gabrielle resides in Scottsdale with her husband, Adrien, and daughter, Audrey.(Required)
Desmond Wilson
Desmond Wilson got involved in wildlife conservation and education shortly after he became a father in 2013. It was through the process of nurturing a newborn that he realized not only how fragile life is but how he needed to do his part to ensure future generations can enjoy wildlife. Growing up on the small Pacific Island of Guam created his insatiable need to explore and experience the Earth. Through extensive travels around the world, he has had the opportunity to experience all sorts of wildlife and cultures. Desmond has always been fascinated with the experiences offered by zoos and is excited to contribute to that aspect. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Global Business Management from Arizona State University. Desmond spends most of his work time helping entrepreneurs build or expand their companies. He exclusively works on ventures and solutions that have a positive impact and are meaningful to his goals. Desmond is married to his beautiful wife (Jessica), they have three young sons, and a backyard filled with various critters. His sons Jadon, Jason, and Jaxon inspire him to do better every day. Jessica is the support structure that makes it all happen.(Required)
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