Audra Koester Thomas: Chair
Audra Koester Thomas is senior associate with Partners for Strategic Action, Inc., a strategic planning firm based in Fountain Hills, Arizona. PSA specializes in land use planning and strategic plans for local and regional governments in the Southwest. Audra has recently worked on the Pinal County (Arizona) Comprehensive Plan, the Gila River Indian Community (Arizona) Seven Districts Master Plan, and Tomball (Texas) Comprehensive Plan. Prior to joining PSA, Audra worked for The Woodlands, Texas, an international award-winning, master-planned community of 95,000 north of Houston. In The Woodlands, Audra served as project manager for the historic governance project that would provide the unincorporated community the opportunity to eventually incorporate.
Audra has B.S. in Agricultural Leadership and Development from Texas A&M University, as well as a M.A. in Public Administration, a M.A. in Political Science and is finishing her PhD in Political Science, all from the University of Houston. Audra is originally from Dennison, Minnesota where she grew up on a farm and continues to hold interest in the family’s cattle business.
Curt Dunham: Vice-Chair
Curt Dunham is CEO and co-founder of Partners for Strategic Action, Inc. (PSA) a Fountain Hills-based consulting firm established in 1992. PSA specializes in strategic planning and public engagement for communities and government agencies throughout the western United States. Curt is an urban planner who specialties in economic development and research, strategic planning, community development finance, and community consensus building. Curt is a charter member and past Chairman of the Fountain Hills SPAC and was active in the development of the Town’s Strategic Plan. Curt is a Certified Planner from the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Curt holds a BS Degree in Business from Arizona State University and has lived in Fountain Hills since 1995.
Denise Atwood
Denise Atwood is the Director of Provider Contracting & Compliance at Maricopa Integrated Health Systems (MIHS) in Phoenix, Arizona. MIHS is the safety net hospital for Maricopa County. In this position, Denise ensures provider contracts are compliant with federal and state laws, ensures other hospital services are compliant with appropriate regulations and statutes, and conducts internal compliance investigations. Since 2000, Denise has been a freelance contributor for Aspen Publishers, Inc., a Wolters Kluwer business.
Denise holds an Associate Degree in Nursing from Moorpark College, a Bachelors of Specialized Studies in Healthcare Administration from Ohio University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Phoenix School of Law. Denise has lived in Fountain Hills since 1997.
Nick DePorter
Nick DePorter is currently Senior Manager of Recruiting and Outreach for the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University where he has worked for over 10 years. Nick is responsible for all new business development efforts for the W. P. Carey MBA program and leads the recruiting efforts for the Executive MBA program where he is responsible for program promotion and new-lead generation. Since joining ASU in 2000, Nick has held various positions supporting career management, student services, community relations and operations.
Nick received a master of public administration and a bachelor of arts in political science, both from ASU. A recent resident and new dad, Nick and his family are excited to become active here in their new hometown.
Mike Dooley
Mike Dooley mostly recently worked for Phoenix Children's Hospital responsible for new business planning, marketing and communications. He worked on several business plans and long range strategic plan. Prior to coming to Arizona, Mike worked in Children's Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis as Director of Marketing and Communications. In that capacity, he did environmental assessments, planning, as well as Web development and advertising. Before that, Mike was VP of Account Services at an ad agency where conducted market research and wrote marketing plans.
Mike has an MBA from the University of Wisconsin, and a BA from the University of Notre Dame.
Alan Magazine
Alan Magazine has lived in Fountain Hills for four years, first as a half –time resident, and now full-time. Prior to moving to Fountain Hills, he spent his entire career in the Washington, D.C. area. His positions included: eight years as a member of the Fairfax County Virginia Board of Supervisors; President of the Health Industry Manufacturers Association; Founding President of the Council On Competitiveness; Director of Intergovernmental Relations at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Senior Consultant with the Real Estate Research Corp. Additionally, he has served as an independent consultant specializing in economic development.
Alan holds a Ph.D. in government and politics from the University of Maryland, an MPA (public administration) from Kent State University, and a BA in English and political science from Monmouth College (Illinois.)
Barry Spiker
Barry Spiker has nearly 20 years of public and private sector experience, largely leading well-known global management consulting organizations as well as working with governments and NGO's in strategy development. Barry currently serves on the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging and is especially interested in helping our community become more sustainable by balancing the sociological, ecological and economic value of "place".
Barry holds a bachelor of general studies, a master of arts, and a Ph.D. in communication from Ohio University.
Youth Commissioner: Sarah Traylor
Sarah Traylor is a Junior at Fountain Hills High School. She participates in Teen Court, Research Club, Youth Alive, Varsity Track and Field, and Show Choir. Sarah is a member of Falcon Leadership, a group of upper-class men who work together to mentor freshmen and lead the 8th grade Courage Retreat. In the future, she aspires to become a Trauma Surgeon and attend Washington University St. Louis for college.
She looks forward to the opportunities and experience that she will gain from representing the Fountain Hills Youth as a member of the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission.