Moving Arizona Melissa Boyles

In this episode it was my privilege to talk to Katie Gentry. Katie is the Regional Homelessness Program Manager for the Maricopa Association of Governments. Her role within the Human Services Division of MAG is to work with communities and organizations across the Valley to understand how we address homelessness through existing programs and resources as well as new collaborations. Homelessness is a growing challenge for our communities and it’s one that knows no boundaries. Many who are home...

In this episode Phil Gershkovich, President and owner of Cooper Aerial Surveys, joins me to share his perspective on the geospatial industry, how he came to be the owner of Cooper Aerial, and his plans for the future. Cooper Aerial has been a part of the Arizona transportation industry since the sixties with Phil taking ownership in 2016. Since then, he’s grown the company in both range of services as well as geographic markets. He’s one of the few people I know who can pivot from technical, ...

In this episode I caught up Jennifer Pyne. Jen spent twenty-five years in the Valley starting with the completion of her graduate program at Arizona State University and ending as part of the leadership team at Valley Metro. In 2021 she left Arizona to join the Austin Transit Partnership to help build a team and guide the delivery of their multi-billion Project Connect Program. Today she serves as Executive Vice President of Planning & Risk Management. While the two communities...

In this episode I’m excited to share that I have officially begun my new role as Chief of Staff at Valley Metro and I’m celebrating by interviewing someone I started my career with, Alexandra Albert. Alex and I worked together in the early days of light rail planning, design, and construction; she was in public involvement and I was in program management. Over the past twenty-plus years, our careers have taken very different paths. Alex focused on communication, taking on more and more challe...

In this episode, I got to interview kindred spirit, LaShondra Mercurius. LaShondra is the President and co-founder of JLM Talent Partners. Together with her partner and husband, Jayson, they identified a niche market in staffing solutions for the AEC industry. Leveraging the cyclical nature of large-scale infrastructure projects, LaShondra and her team employ a community-centric approach to creating prosperity from policy. Though the current Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act emphasizes e...

In this episode I was joined by Amy Ritz, Project Manager for ADOT’s first major urban freeway reconstruction project, the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvements Project. Amy brings a unique background and perspective to managing an undertaking as significant as redesigning and rebuilding one of the Valley’s busiest freeway corridors. With Amy’s educational background in Political Science, extensive experience working with elected officials, and deep understanding of the utility relocation and proj...