Board of Directors

Jeni O’Callaghan is a third generation artist: “for me, art has always been just there, like breathing.” Her art reflects much of the southwest desert she grew up in and still lives in today. Jeni has been coming to the Verde Valley since her grandfather bought Rancho Tres Brisas on the Verde River in 1963. Read more.

Jennifer Diffley is a junior partner in Culp & Kelly, LLP, where she practices in the areas of water and natural resources law, providing support to a variety of non-profit, government, and investment clients on environmental issues and water policy. Read more.

Tony Gioia, a retired U. S. Postal Service worker and business owner, has also served on the Town Council and as Mayor for the Town of Camp Verde. Read more.

Jeanne Swarthout, Ph.D. (Arizona State University, Anthropology) currently resides In Camp Verde. Jeanne has a professional career divided between field archaeology and higher education administration/teaching. Read more.

Dick Lynch grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He has lived in Colorado (where he worked in the ski industry), the Alaskan wilderness (where he served in the U.S. Army Airborne Infantry, worked in truck driving, and worked as a fishing deck hand), and moved to Sedona following a year-long bicycling trip. Read more.

Dean Pefanis and his wife Tammy moved to Arizona in 1995 and currently lives in the Verde Valley. The family lived in Chandler while Dean pursued his IT career; Read more.

Blythe Newell lives in the central Phoenix area. She works in the nonprofit accounting field providing general accounting for mid to large sized organizations. She has experience with capital campaigns, accounting best practices, internal controls, audit and review, as well as nonprofit 990 filings. She understands the importance of a healthy river system and has a deep appreciation for the wildlife and ecosystems they support.

Linda Stitzer is a long-time Arizonan and retired water resource planner who authored several studies assessing water demand and opportunities for water conservation and reuse in the Verde Valley to reduce groundwater pumping impacts to the Verde River. She is especially interested in the potential to “build-in” water use efficiency through land use planning. Read more.

As a young man growing up on a family farm and ranch in my native Arizona, I unknowingly became an advocate for the protection of our global resources and our shared humanity. Our Family share many memories experienced during our time on the Land, eight generations. Shared experiences of our Grandfather and Father building and rebuilding diversion dams on the Gila River and maintaining water wells for irrigation of crops which provided sustenance for the family and domestic animals. Read more.