Lin Sue Cooney
Director of Community Engagement
Hospice of the Valley
In 2015, Lin Sue Cooney retired from television after more than 3 decades in broadcast reporting. A member of the 12 News team since 1984, 31 years as an anchor, Cooney proactively joined in the fight against breast cancer with her “Buddy Check 12” reports and developed “Hero Central,” which shined a light on people giving back and overcoming obstacles to do extraordinary things for others.
But, that is not where the Rocky Mountain Emmy Award-winner’s story ends. It is where a new chapter begins.
“I left to be home in the evenings with my family and to begin an ‘encore career’ with Hospice of the Valley (HOV),” says Cooney. “HOV cares for people with dementia, and serious and terminal illnesses while supporting their families with education, understanding and compassion.”
According to Cooney, HOV is about to open an innovative Dementia Care and Education Campus in Arcadia to help families touched by all stages and all types of dementia, a condition that affects nearly 200,000 Arizonans.
“This amazing community resource provides a full-spectrum care and support all in one place,” says Cooney.
The campus features an assisted living center, inpatient care home, inter-generational adult center that promotes meaningful interaction with preschoolers in the adjacent child center, and a community education center open to all.
Trevor Wilde, MBA, AIF®
Chief Executive Officer
Wilde Wealth Management Group
The moment 5-year-old Trevor Wilde jumped barefoot out of his family’s moving van onto the hot Arizona asphalt he felt at home (despite the resulting blisters).
“My parents taught me that you always take care of your home,” says Wilde, who graduated from Horizon High School in 1995 and University of Arizona in 2003 before founding Wilde Wealth Management Group with an eye to offer customized investment and planning advice in a holistic fashion.
The boutique business thrived as a result of its personalized approach, so much so that Wilde was able to “take care of his home” in a big way via personal volunteerism, joining the boards for both Child Crisis Arizona and Junior Achievement. He also began mentoring staff on servant leadership, supporting team members to join boards including Scottsdale Active 20-30 and Chrysalis.
“Perhaps my biggest point of pride as it relates to giving back was founding Wilde for Arizona,” says Wilde.
Wilde for Arizona empowers the entire firm to work together to give back both through fundraising and the donation of time.
“Through the program, we have been able to make a positive impact on over a dozen programs near to our hearts such as Arizona Tuition Connection, Feed my Starving Children and Free Arts for Abused Children,” says Wilde.
Brian D. Steele
Chief Executive Officer
Phoenix Dream Center
End human trafficking.
This is a big statement, but one that Brian D. Steele and Phoenix Dream Center work toward daily.
In the mid-2000s, Steele worked with United Methodist Outreach Ministry (UMOM) on operations of the Watkins Overflow Shelter, which housed 150 single homeless women and 18 homeless families.
“Then life changed in an instant when my wife, Skye, and I were doing outreach and came across a 13-year-old girl,” says Steele. “She was being sex trafficked.”
Mobilizing immediately and getting authorities involved, they were relieved at the speed with which Phoenix Dream Center was able to find her safe shelter.
“We decided then and there to dedicate our lives to fighting human trafficking,” says Steele, who joined Phoenix Dream Center to launch its formal human trafficking recovery program, while Skye became chief executive officer of StreetLightUSA, a collaborative partner with Phoenix Dream Center specializing in Trauma Informed and Behavioral Health Services to young survivors.
Since its inception, the Phoenix Dream Center program has helped recover more than 2,850 females.
“The pandemic brought on a 98% increase in sex traffickers attempting to connect with children online,” says Steele.
According to Steele, vigilance and collaboration are critical now more than ever. Working together, he says, is the key.
Liz Agboola
Chief Executive Officer
Moses Behavioral Care and Senior Placement Services
Most of us have an “a-ha” moment or two in life.
Liz Agboola’s happened in 2013 when her mother called her with a problem.
“My parents volunteered at a local hospital and noticed many of the patients that they helped sat around the entrance doors after discharge,” says Agboola. “We found many of the patients were homeless veterans or suffered from mental illness and had trouble accessing the resources available to them.”
Affected by the information discovered, the Agboola family was inspired to found Senior Placement Services (SPS), a free assistance program that prioritizes Assisted Living Housing for vulnerable adults across Phoenix who are unable to live independently due to medical or mental health concerns.
“Through SPS, we quickly learned housing options were far more limited than we could have imagined,” says Agboola. “So, we were determined to do something about that as well.”
By 2014, Agboola and her family also founded Moses Behavioral Care (MBC), a group of community-based mental health facilities offering 24-hour long term care for the population with Serious Mental Illness, also called SMI.
“We’ve grown MBC to house 60 residents living with SMI,” says Agboola, who serves as the organization’s chief executive officer and today is also a member of the Valleywise Health Foundation board.
Brad Clothier
Executive Vice President of Business Development
Delta Dental of Arizona
Adopted in his native Kansas, Brad Clothier’s family made significant sacrifices to put the wants and needs of their children first, and above all, made sure their children knew they were loved.
“My family chose me,” says Clothier. “As a result, I grew up with an attitude of gratitude, determined to help others feel chosen as best I could.”
Clothier began paying it forward in health field, eventually serving as chief operating officer for healthcare organizations. He also took on volunteer roles with Goodwill, Smiles Change Lives, and more before moving to the Valley to join Delta Dental of Arizona in 2016.
Upon joining Delta Dental, Clothier got involved in the community via board positions with the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation and AZ Biz Link. He also joined the St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) advisory board.
“At the time, SVdP was in the midst of a capital campaign to double the size of its dental clinic,” says Clothier.
Eager to support oral health care for underserved Arizonans, Clothier helped spearhead a $1 million gift from Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation to sustain the operations of the dental clinic through 2027.
“I am proud to say I have tried to make a difference in everything I do, consistent with my upbringing and amazing family,” says Clothier.