Flower Girls focus on scholarship, service
The Board of Visitors 2013-14 flower girls representing the Central Phoenix area are, from left: front row, Stacy Wilmer, Shea Click, Natalie de Guzman, Kelly Gullett and Katy McKone; middle row, Madison Marks, Mackenzie Jones, Hayden Riley and Lizzie Pomeroy; top row, Kristi AmRhein, Danielle Westfall and Genevieve Valladao (photo courtesy of the Board of Visitors).
The Board of Visitors (BOV) has named 42 exceptional high school seniors as Flower Girls for 2013-14. Dressed in traditional white, the Flower Girls will be presented at the BOV’s annual Charity Ball on April 5, 2014, by their fathers or other male family members.
The first Flower Girls appeared 99 years ago, selling flowers as part of a fundraiser for what became St. Luke’s Medical Center. Today, the Flower Girls are models at the annual BOV Fashion Show Luncheon, sponsored in part by Dillard’s, and take part in philanthropic events throughout the year.
The proceeds of the culminating Charity Ball are granted to organizations in the community that provide healthcare for women, children and the elderly. It is the longest running charity fundraiser in Arizona. Last year the BOV granted $800,000 to the community. For more information, visit www.boardofvisitors.org.
Janssen studies in Netherlands
Natalie Janssen
Lauren Janssen, 17, of North Central Phoenix was selected for a Rotary Youth Exchange scholarship program in the Netherlands. After graduating from Arcadia High School in July, a year ahead of schedule, Janssen departed for Meppel, a small town in the northeastern part of the Netherlands.
Janssen started her program by first participating in an intensive language immersion program with Rotary Youth ambassadors from all over world. She will spend the year with three host families, attending school, assisting with English classes, and participating in Rotary meetings, community service projects and a variety of cultural activities.
Janssen will return home briefly in July 2014 after her culmination “Eurotour” program and just prior to starting her freshman year in college. The Rotary Youth Exchange is sponsored by the Phoenix-Camelback Rotary Club and Arizona Rotary District 5510.
Janssen had a busy combined junior/senior year preparing for her exchange, including participating in intensive interviews and speaking at Rotary meetings. Last summer, she attended an educational trip to Peru sponsored by Arcadia High School where she was able to practice her Spanish fluency.
Janssen was an active member of the International Club at Arcadia High School and served as a volunteer for both the Miracle League of Arizona and Highland Manor. As a member of Scottsdale Sister Cities, she served as a youth ambassador from the United States in Alamos, Mexico and in Marrakech, Morocco, during her school breaks.
Janssen’s family has lived in the North Central community near Central and Glendale avenues for more than eight years. She is a graduate of All Saints Episcopal Day School.
Trujillo re-appointed to CLS Board of Directors
Susan Brichler Trujillo, Quarles & Brady LLP
North Central resident Susan Brichler Trujillo, an associate with the Phoenix firm of Quarles & Brady LLP, has been re-appointed to the Community Legal Services (CLS) board of directors by the State Bar of Arizona’s board of governors.
In October 2011 she was appointed to serve the remainder of an unexpired term. Her newly appointed term will run through June of 2019.
CLS is a not-for-profit Arizona law firm incorporated in 1952 as a legal aid program organized to promote “equal access to justice for all.” CLS provides legal services to clients in certain civil (non-criminal) areas of the law that affect the critical needs of the low-income client community.
Trujillo practices in the areas of health law and litigation. Her practice includes the representation of commercial and individual health care clients in contract disputes, licensing and regulatory issues, and litigation matters and the representation of commercial health care clients and health care professionals before state agencies and regulatory boards.
Last year, Trujillo was selected as a Fellow in the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy, a component of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership. She earned her law degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Meyer named 2013 ‘Clerk of the Year’
Cris Meyer
Phoenix City Clerk Cris Meyer was named the 2013 Clerk of the Year by the Arizona Municipal Clerks’ Association (AMCA) at its annual conference last month.
The Municipal Clerk of the Year award is given annually to a deserving candidate selected by the AMCA’s Executive Board to recognize an AMCA member who has made significant contributions to the profession. In addition to advising clerks across the state, Meyer serves as the AMCA Legislative Committee Chair and does training on campaign finance law at each annual elections conference.
“Cris consistently finds new and improved ways of serving the public,” said City Manager David Cavazos. “Those innovations have become models for other local governments. “He is a tremendous asset to the city of Phoenix and is well-deserving of this honor.”
Meyer has been involved in Phoenix elections in various capacities since he joined the city in 1985 and has participated in conducting more than 30 elections. He has managed the development and implementation of Phoenix’s successful early voting by mail program that now accounts for more than 90 percent of all ballots cast.
Most recently, he managed the launch of the city’s innovative voting centers, which is the first in the nation to offer three days of voting, with one of those days being a Saturday.
Meyer is the recipient of several public service awards, including the Governor’s Excellence Award in 1994 for coordinating a state interagency effort to better handle child support cases. He also received a City Excellence Award in 2011 and 1997.
Meyer has a law degree from the University of Illinois and is a member of the Bar in Arizona and Illinois. Prior to joining the city of Phoenix, he worked as a law clerk in federal district court and as assistant attorney general in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
