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Jim Click, Jr. Linkages President
Jim Click Automotive Team CEO
Disabilities have always been at the center of Jim Click’s family focus. In 1975, he was one of the first Tucson employers to offer a workstation for people with developmental disabilities through the Beacon Foundation. Today, Jim employs sixty-eight individuals with disabilities at his dealerships. In 1999, President Bill Clinton presented Jim with the President’s Award from the Committee of Employment of People with Disabilities for his leadership in the development of LINKAGES, a unique non-profit organization that matches individuals with disabilities with employment opportunities. “Jim Click is honored today with a Presidential Award. He has a remarkable passion for empowering Americans with disabilities and helping all Americans to live closer to the idea of opportunity for all. He is, therefore, a true patriot.” President Bill Clinton, White House Ceremony, June 4, 1999
Suzanne Lawder, Linkages Vice-President
Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona CEO
Suzanne Lawder is President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona, Inc., which employs and trains approximately 1300 people annually. She is a 30-year Tucson resident with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and has worked in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Suzanne is a Rotarian, a member of Key Group, a business leads organization, member of the State Rehab Council, member of the Governor’s Council on Workforce Development Policy, and a member of the Pima County Workforce Investment Board.
Dr. Daniel J. Ranieri, Linkages Treasurer
La Frontera Center CEO
Dr. Dan Ranieri is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of La Frontera Center in Tucson Arizona. He has over twenty years of experience in behavioral healthcare and has held positions of leadership in both the public and private sector. Dr. Ranieri is a licensed psychologist, with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Arizona State University. He has practiced as an adult, child, and forensic psychologist; has served as a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University; and has several professional publications. Dr. Ranieri has also presented on numerous topics and serves as a professional consultant.
Dr. Ranieri was hired by La Frontera Center in 1995 with the primary task of transforming the organization from a fee-for-service model to that of full risk-bearing capitation model. Over this period of time, gross revenues have gone from $13.5 to $38 million, staffing has increased by nearly 50%, and quality and efficiency measures have improved dramatically. Dan serves on the Board of Directors of several local and national organizations.
Paul Hawkins, Linkages Secretary
CyraCom Center Manager
Paul Hawkins' experience has included over 18 years in management for Sears Retail division and 15 years in Call Center management in Tucson, Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona. He has served as President of the Tucson Teleservices Industry group which is part of the Greater Tucson Economic Council . He has also served in the community as past president of Old Pueblo Rotary Club and Pantano Little League . Paul has served on numerous boards including the Children’s Museum, Linkages and the Pima School to Work Program. He has taught 3 Call Center management classes at the University of Phoenix . Paul is married to Sally Lanyon as of 7/13/02 and is the father of a 26 year old son and 29 year old daughter. His hobbies include walking, golf, swimming, tennis, and enjoyment of music and art. He has also completed the first Sign Language class at Pima Community College in May 2000.
Larry Aldrich
University Physicians Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations
Larry Aldrich is a General Partner in the Tucson and Scottsdale-based venture capital fund, Valley Ventures III, LP (which focuses on early stage investing in high technology businesses in the Southwestern United States). Prior to becoming a venture capitalist in early 2000 (as the founder of Tucson Ventures), Aldrich was the president and CEO of Tucson Newspapers, responsible for all business aspects for the two daily newspapers in Tucson, Arizona, a $100 + million operation employing more than 700 people. Aldrich has a law degree from Tulane Law School (1997) and a Civil Engineering degree from Georgia Tech (1974). He serves on a number of private sector boards, including UniSource Energy (NYSE-listed) and several private companies. He has been and continues to be involved in local community issues and served as Chairman of the Greater Tucson Economic Council, Chairman of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, and member of the Executive Committee of the University of Arizona Foundation. He also was an adjunct professor in the MIS Department at The Eller College in 1998 and 1999.
Leslie Cohen
Univesity Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) Director
Leslie Cohen graduated with a bachelors degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a juris doctor degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law. She practiced law in the area of civil litigation for many years in both the private and public sectors. She brings to the position extensive experience in developmental disabilities advocacy and policy as well as broad based community connections with stakeholders in government agencies, self-advocacy and family groups, provider agencies and ADD network partners. Ms. Cohen's experience includes over ten years as Executive Director of the Arizona Center for Disability Law, Arizona's protection and advocacy system. She has been a long-time member of the Arizona's Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, including as Chair of its Legislative and Policy Committee. She has served as a consultant to organizations in Arizona and nationally on a wide variety of strategic planning, management and substantive disability issues and as a peer program reviewer for the Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the Center for Mental Health Services. She is a member of the Advisory Council for the Institute for Human Development at Northern Arizona University; Board of Directors of the Primavera Foundation; and the State Bar Committee on Persons with Disabilities in the Legal Profession. Ms. Cohen is Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and adjunct faculty at the Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona.
Steve King
The Beacon Group Executive Director
For more than 30 years, Steve King has led nonprofit agencies serving people with disabilities. He is president and CEO of The Beacon Group SW Inc., an organization that provides vocational and developmental training programs for the disabled in Tucson and Phoenix, Ariz. From 1980 to 2003, he was president of a similar agency, Tetra Corporation. King began his career when he was hired to start the Plymouth County Work Activity Center in Le Mars, Iowa, following his NWC graduation. He holds a master’s degree in rehabilitation administration from the University of San Francisco and has served as chair of the Governor’s State Rehabilitation Advisory Council and president of the National Rehabilitation Association. In 2001 he received the association’s Guy F. Hubbard Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation Management
Dorothy Kret
DKA Advocates CEO
Dorothy Kret received her Bachelors' Degree in Education/Rehabilitation from the University of Arizona and earned her Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Administration from the University of San Francisco. As a vocational rehabilitation specialist for more than 20 years, Dot has helped thousands of people with barriers to employment find and keep jobs. Her businesses, Dorothy Kret & Associates (DKA), which began in 1993 and ArchiveXpress, organized in 2004, were created to accomplish those goals. DKA provides education, training, job development and supported employment services to individuals needing assistance to enter or remain in the world of work and has offices in, Tucson, Phoenix, Douglas and Nogales, Arizona. ArchiveXpress provides a full range of document imaging services(scanning, indexing and archiving) through offices in Tucson and Phoenix, creating jobs for people who have been trained through DKA to be high quality computer operators. She currently serves the community through membership on the Board of Directors of Linkages, Handmaker and the Tucson Children's Museum as well as two international rehabilitation organizations (ARPCT and INABIR). The Tucson Chamber of Commerce named her as the Woman of the Year for 2003
John Marques
University Medical Center Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer
John is the Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona. University Medical Center is the academic teaching hospital for University of Arizona College of Medicine and the only Level 1 Trauma Center in Southern Arizona. Prior to joining University Medical Center, John was Vice President of Human Resources for Crosstown Traders a catalog direct marketing company specializing in women’s apparel, shoes and accessories. Prior to Crosstown Traders Inc, John was the Vice President of Human Resources for LIVE Entertainment Specialty Retail Group in Milford, Massachusetts and the Vice President of Human Resources for CPS Direct Marketing in Phoenix, Arizona. He has also held supervisory and management positions for the Three Phoenix Company in Phoenix, Arizona, Greyhound Corporation in Phoenix, Arizona and the Hanes Corporation in Winston Salem, North Carolina. John was involved in the American Cancer Society as a chairman and team leader for Relay for Life for 8 years. He was involved with United Way for 13 years and was a member of the Board of Directors for the Arizonan’s For a Drug Free Workplace for 5 years.
Stuart Waller
Blake Foundation Community Advocate
Stuart Waller has been working with disabled individuals as well as the community at large his entire life. He is a graduate of Partners in Policymaking and at the kickoff of Linkages, he was honored to give a speech with Senator Dole of Kansas and our own Senator Kobe. One of the speeches that Stuart wrote on Assistive Technology was read on the floor of the State Senate. This speech helped to pass the legislative law for Assistive Technology. Stuart serves on the following boards: Association for Persons in Supported Employment of Arizona, Technology Access Center of Tucson, Linkages, Blake Foundation, and the United Cerebral Palsy of Southern Arizona It is Stuart's intent to put his efforts into better understandings and improved communication as well as quality of life for all
Mark Ziska
Chief People Officer CEO
Mark D. Ziska is the Director of Human Resources for Raytheon Missile Systems. Prior to this position Mark held the positions of Director of Communications for Missile Systems and Director of Human Resources and Employee Services for Hughes Naval and Maritime Systems. Mark has published articles on the prevention of violence in the workplace and heads the Missiles Workplace Violence Prevention Team. In addition to Linkages, Mark is a member of the Board of Directors of the Davis-Monthan 50, Pima Community College Foundation and La Frontera. Mark is certified from Lore Institute as an executive coach. He attended Western Michigan University for his Bachelor degree, majoring in Psychology and California State University at Long Beach for a Masters Degree in Industrial Psychology. Mark is married to Marcy Ziska, they have two elementary school aged children.
Dan Barrett
Raytheon Six Sigma Expert
As well as serving on Raytheon Persons with DisAbilities (RPDA) Southwest Leadership Team since 2001, Dan Barrett, Legally Blind since birth, is the Co-Lead for the Global RPDA Employee Recourse Group. He is a Certified Raytheon Six Sigma Expert, coordinating Six Sigma Specialist (Yellow Belt) Training and Qualification at Raytheon Missile Systems (12,000 employees), in Tucson AZ. Dan has a Bachelor of Science in Human Services Administration from Merrimack College, N Andover, MA and an MBA with a Technology Management concentration from the University of Phoenix, Tucson, AZ. Prior to earning his Six Sigma Expert Certification in 2006, Dan’s expertise was in the areas of Supply Chain Management, Production and Warehouse Supervision. Dan married his wife Karen in 1979 and they have four+ wonderful children. Dan and Karen also serve as foster parents for young children and infants. They are a 4-H Family having several verities of 4H Project Pets. "Yes excellent time management is a requirement." Feel free to Contact Dan Barrett. ("Always eager to breakdown barriers, improve processes, and mentor individuals to achieve their best"). He is available to assist as a "Subject Matter Expert" for the Professional Disability Community.
Jane LaTane
Tohono O'odham Department of Human Resources
Jim Murtagh
Consumer Advocate
Ethan Orr
Linkages Executive Director
Ethan Orr is a native of Tucson and currently serves as the Executive Director for Linkages. Previously Ethan was the Empowerment Zone Administrator for the City of Tucson's Office of Economic Development. He has also worked for the City of South Tucson and as a Council Aide for the City of Tucson City Council. Ethan graduated from the University of Arizona with a BA in History and Political Science, and a Masters in Public Administration. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member for the University of Arizona Political Science Department and the Pima Community College Business Department.
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