The volunteer board of directors of the Grand Canyon Association is composed of business and community leaders who commit their time and expertise for the benefit and improvement of the association.
Board
Robert S. Aiken
Washington D.C.
Robert S. Aiken is Vice President, Federal Affairs for Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, having been with the company since 1986. He serves as the company’s chief lobbyist working extensively with members of Congress, their staff and officials at various government agencies and offices including the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior and the White House. Aiken assists Pinnacle’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in formulating corporate policy and strategy on energy, utility, nuclear, environmental, natural resources, conservation and tax issues.
Greg Batie
Sedona, AZ
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.
Larry Clark
LaGrange, KY
Larry W. Clark, Ph.D. is a biochemist that has worked as a medical laboratory director for over twenty years and is currently the president of Bio-ConSult Inc., a firm that assists small businesses with regulatory issues and conducts safety training seminars. He has served as a board member, officer, and/or chair on multiple nonprofit and for-profit boards. Larry has been visiting the Grand Canyon regularly since the 1980's and is interested in the basic science, geology as well as the history and folklore of the canyon. He has hiked and mule-ed the canyon as has rafted the Colorado River multiple times.
Sally M. Clayton
San Antonio, TX
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
Flagstaff, AZ
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.
Robert Diamond
New York, NY
Bob Diamond is a third-generation Phoenix native. He spent virtually his entire career in New York. He was a staff writer of The Arizona Republic and the Los Angels Times as well as an associate editor of FORTUNE in New York. For 17 years until his retirement, he served as senior vice president of Dun & Bradstreet Corporation. Following his retirement Bob served in several advisory roles for, among others, the International Herald Tribune (Paris), Procter & Gamble, Chase, and the Dilenschneider Group. Bob serves on the boards of Reading is Fundamental, Arizona Community Foundation and Heard Museum.
Jim McDowell
Scottsdale, AZ
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 Chair
Phoenix, AZ
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
Sedona, AZ
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.
Marsha Sitterley
Tucson, AZ
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
Phoenix, AZ
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.
Steve Watson
Board Vice Chair
Clarksville, MD
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
Dallas, TX
Howard J. Weiner, M.D. has been practicing gastroenterology for nearly three decades in Dallas, Texas. He is the former president of the medical staff at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, and has held numerous leadership positions with physician groups, hospitals, and other health care business entities. He has served as a board member, officer, and/or chair on multiple nonprofit and for-profit boards. Howard currently serves on the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation board of advisors. Along with his wife Karen, he is a passionate supporter of the arts and currently serves on the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art advisory committee. Howard is an avid Grand Canyon hiker, and has participated in numerous Grand Canyon Field Institute classes, including a 2010 Colorado River trip.
