Barry J. Baker

Barry J. Baker is a corporate liaison for tourism businesses located in Tusayan, Arizona, near the South Entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. He currently serves as the Tusayan representative on the Coconino Plateau Water Advisory Council and as Chairman of the Tusayan–Grand Canyon Sustainable Energy project. He is also a past member of the Tusayan Fire Protection Planning committee. Baker’s work has included resort consulting, real estate, retail, outdoor recreation, and property and hotel management.

Greg Batie, Board Chair

Greg Batie, now retired, has worked for Nestle Purina (formerly the Ralston Purina Company) for more than twenty-five years. In addition, Batie has owned and operated two Mazda dealerships, and he served as a board member for a community bank in Clarksville, Tennessee. He has worked in many capacities for other civic organizations in multiple communities.

Sally M. Clayton

Sally M Clayton, CPA, has co-owned, with her husband, Clayton & Clayton, PC, for more than twenty years. Based in San Antonio, Texas, her tax practice concentrates in income and estate tax compliance and planning for high net worth families. Clayton formerly worked with Ernst & Whinney and Touche Ross. She has served on numerous local educational and nonprofit boards in her community. She brings to the board extensive interest in e-publishing and promotion, including e-books, apps for iPads and other touch-screen devices, and social media online outlets. 

Nikki Cooley

Nikki Cooley is of the Diné Nation and of the Towering House Clan, born for the Reed People, maternal grandfathers are of the Water that Flows Together Clan, and paternal grandfathers are of the Manygoats Clan. For the last nine years she has been working as a cultural interpreter and river guide on the San Juan River and Colorado River in Grand Canyon. As the co-founder of the Native Guide Training and Cultural Interpretation Program she has helped train more than 30 Natives (Canada and US) in the fundamentals of the river-guiding industry. Cooley currently sits on the Board of the Grand Canyon River Guides Association, serves on the Advisory Panel for Native Voices on the Colorado River and is a co-founder of Fifth World Discoveries.

Jim McDowell

Jim McDowell is retired Chief Executive Officer of AAA Arizona, Inc., an independent affiliate of the American Automobile Association. McDowell previously served on the boards of AAA Arizona, Inc.; AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety; Greater Phoenix Economic Council; Valley of the Sun United Way; the Dean’s Advisory Board at the George Washington University School of Engineering; and many other civic and corporate boards.

Chris Muldoon, Board Vice Chair

Chris Muldoon has more than thirty years of expertise in the area of human communication skills. Founder of CM Communication International, Inc., she researches, coaches and consults with organizations worldwide. As the Manager of Training and Development for the Fred Harvey Corporation and as Deputy Director of the Division of Communications for the Arizona Department of Corrections, she pioneered major efforts in implementing leading-edge communication programs.  Muldoon is currently a board member of AZ Foundation for Women; AT Still Women’s Wellness Program; the Grand Canyon Music Festival and the ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council.

Linda Pallas, Board Secretary

Linda Pallas retired from a career in education.  She worked as Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services for two major school districts in the Metropolitan Detroit area and as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Michigan–Dearborn. While in public education, Pallas served on numerous county and state-level committees dealing with national and state policy. Now retired, Pallas and her husband, Tom, a fellow educator, make their home in Sedona. Pallas serves as Chair of the Arts and Culture Commission for the City of Sedona, Vice President of the Sedona Arts Center and a member of the board of the Sedona Arts Festival.

Paul Schmidt

Paul Schmidt, Attorney & Counselor at Law, practices in the areas of estate planning, probate and nonprofit entity formation and compliance.  He is the Secretary/Treasurer of The Gumbo Foundation, a private family foundation.  His career has included ski area operation and management, governmental budgeting and retail enterprise along with participation on a number of nonprofit boards.

Marsha Sitterley

Marsha Morgan Sitterley spent over 25 years as a Human Resources professional in various industries; the last 15, prior to her retirement, in international healthcare software. She has previously served on the board for Tucson United Way; Pima County Workforce Investment Board; Eller College of Business, U of A; and AIESEC, ASU Chapter. She is a current volunteer with New Beginnings for Women & Children (assist homeless moms in getting back on their feet), and Reading Seed (coaching reading skills). She serves on a Foster Care Review Board and as a mediator with the Arizona Attorney General’s office.

Robert Stieve

Robert Stieve is the Editor in Chief of Arizona Highways magazine. Previously, he served as Managing Editor and then as Editor of PHOENIX magazine. In addition, he has worked for several newspapers and radio stations throughout the country, and was a speechwriter at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. In addition to his work at Arizona Highways, Stieve is an Adjunct Professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Joseph G. Warren, Board Treasurer

Joseph G. Warren Jr. is retired as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of CoorsTek, Inc., a leading supplier to the semiconductor industry. Warren originally joined the Coors’ businesses in 1977 at Coors Container, later becoming VP of Finance for Coors Ceramics followed by CFO. In 1992 he became President of Ceramicon Designs, Ltd., and then CFO of Golden Technologies. At the same time, Warren served as Executive Vice President of Finance and Strategic Planning for the Coors Porcelain Company and as Chairman of the Board of Alpha Optical Company. He was subsequently CFO of White Electronic Designs, Inc. Warren currently serves as Chairman of AAA Arizona Board of Directors, and he has served on the Board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Denver and as President of the Financial Executives Institute, Rocky Mountain Chapter.

Steve Watson

Stephen Watson worked thirty-five years in the marketing and operations areas of several leading hotel franchise groups. His career has taken him from President of the Maryland Chapter of Hotel Sales and Marketing Association to beta testing Web sites for central reservation offices with the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association. Now retired, he is a member of the National Ski Patrol and an EMT. In addition to his professional experience, he is an avid Grand Canyon hiker and enjoys rafting the Colorado River Basin.

Howard Weiner

Howard J. Weiner, M.D., has been practicing Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology for nearly three decades in his adopted home of Dallas, Texas. He is the former president of the medical staff at the Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, and has held numerous leadership positions with hospital and physician groups and associations. The native New Yorker, along with his wife Karen, is a passionate supporter of the arts and currently serves on the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art advisory committee. Howard’s previous affiliations include the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation advisory board and the Dallas Civic Music Board of Trustees. Howard is an avid Grand Canyon hiker, and has participated in numerous Grand Canyon Field Institute classes, including a 2009 Colorado River trip.