About the Flinn Foundation

David J. Gullen, M.D., Chair

Dr. David Gullen joined the Flinn board in 1989 and has served as chair since 2002. He has practiced internal medicine in the Valley since 1979, currently at Mayo Clinic, and is board certified in geriatrics and internal medicine. In addition, Dr. Gullen serves as an assistant professor in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, and is involved extensively in the medical community both locally and nationally; he has chaired the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians and is a director of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Prior to joining Mayo Clinic in 2000, Dr. Gullen practiced internal medical at Phoenix Medical Associates. He also served in roles at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, including chairman of the department of internal medicine. He also was an interviewer with the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Dr. Gullen earned his M.D. from UA, his Master of Science degree in microbiology at Arizona State University, and his bachelor's degree from Princeton University. He spent his internship, residency, chief residency, and fellowship at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York.

Steven M. Wheeler, Vice Chair

Steven Wheeler is retired from Arizona Public Service Company, where as executive vice president he oversaw customer service, transmission and distribution operations, price, and state and regulatory matters. Prior to joining APS in 2001, Mr. Wheeler was a partner with Snell & Wilmer, where he was chairman of its energy, natural resources, and environmental law practice group and a member of the firm's executive committee. He joined the Flinn board in 1997 and was elected vice chair in 2007.

Mr. Wheeler's other board leadership roles have included Valley of the Sun United Way (chair), Fiesta Bowl (life director and chair), Arizona Theatre Company (president), Phoenix Art Museum (vice chair), Commission on the Arizona Environment (chair) and Arizona Board of Legal Specialization (chair).

Mr. Wheeler has specialized in environmental and public utility law since 1974. An honors graduate of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Wheeler received his law degree with distinction from Cornell University, where he served as managing editor of the Cornell Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.

Eric M. Reiman, M.D., Secretary

Dr. Eric Reiman currently serves as CEO of Banner Research and executive director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute. He also serves as clinical director of the Neurogenomics Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute; professor and associate head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine; and director of the Arizona Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium. He joined the Flinn board in 1999 and was elected secretary in 2008.

Dr. Reiman’s research has pioneered the application of brain-imaging techniques to the study of normal behaviors and behavioral disorders. Before arriving in Arizona in 1989, he practiced psychiatry at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and was a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. Reiman graduated from Duke University, then studied at Oxford University, and returned to Duke for his medical degree and the first three years of his residency. He completed one further year of residency at the Washington University School of Medicine.

Rosellen C. Papp, C.F.A., Treasurer

Rosellen Papp joined the Flinn board in 1998. A partner and research director at L. Roy Papp and Associates in Phoenix, she has 33 years of experience in security and financial analysis. Papp joined the firm in 1981 upon moving to Arizona from Illinois, where she supervised strategic planning in G.D. Searle & Co.'s pharmaceutical group.

Ms. Papp serves on the Board of Trustees of the Phoenix Art Museum and is a member of Arizona Women’s Forum and ASU Foundation’s Woman and Philanthropy Program. She is a former trustee and past president of the Board of the Desert Botanical Garden.  

After earning her Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Michigan, Ms. Papp graduated with a Master of Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a member of the CFA Institute and was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1984.

Jack B. Jewett, President & CEO

A longtime Arizona leader in health care, education, and public policy, Jack B. Jewett joined the Flinn Foundation in June 2009 as President & CEO.  In this role, he is responsible for all grant programs and operations of the Flinn Foundation.

Mr. Jewett joined the Foundation after serving as Vice President for University Advancement at California State University-Monterey Bay, where he oversaw fundraising, public and media relations, strategic communications, alumni and government relations, and special events.  Previously, he served in a variety of leadership roles within the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in Arizona for more than 40 years.

Before moving to California in 2007, Mr. Jewett held senior public policy and government relations positions with Tucson Medical Center for 13 years. He previously had served as president of Territorial Newspapers, a family-owned publishing and printing company in Tucson.  He served on the Arizona Board of Regents from 1998-2006, including a term as president; and five terms in the Arizona House of Representatives, from 1983-1992, the final two years as majority whip.

A University of Arizona graduate, Mr. Jewett currently serves on the board of directors of the national Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, as well as the Tucson-based Thomas R. Brown Foundations. Previously, he chaired the Governor’s Council on Workforce Policy, and was a member of the Governor’s P-20 Council, and the Early Childhood Development and Health Board. He is a former United Way of Greater Tucson board member and campaign chair, and has served on numerous councils, committees, and advisory groups in education, health care, and workforce policy.

William A. Read, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Research & Special Programs

William Read oversees the Foundation's basic and translational research programs, and serves as the Foundation's lead official in interfacing with the scientific research community. He also guides the Foundation's interest in emerging grant opportunities in the biomedical research sector and measures to assess the impact of Arizona's investments in the biosciences. Dr. Read has been responsible for guiding Foundation programming in biomedical research, medical and graduate medical education, health services research, and health policy studies.

Dr. Read joined the Foundation in 1989 after serving as president of the Hospital Research and Education Trust of the American Hospital Association in Chicago. He also designed and implemented the American Hospital Association's programs in aging and long term care. He also was a faculty member of the schools of medicine, dentistry, and public health at the University of Washington-Seattle, and a faculty member of the Graduate School at Washington University-St. Louis.

Dr. Read holds a bachelor's degree from the University of San Francisco and a doctoral degree in the sociology of health care from Washington University, St. Louis. He has received a number of awards and honors, including being named a Givens Fellow of Washington University and a Crosby Fellow of the American Hospital Association.

Don P. Snider, Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Over a professional career that has spanned nearly 25 years, Mr. Snider has developed extensive experience in investment management, accounting and tax issues, as well as business administration.

Mr. Snider has overall responsibility for the administration of the Foundation's policies relating to investments, budgeting, accounting, internal controls, auditing, insurance, and employee benefits. He also oversees the preparation of the Foundation's annual tax returns, provides technical assistance to grantees, and serves on the Boards of the Arizona Grantmakers' Forum and the Conference of Southwest Foundations.

Prior to joining the Foundation in 1992, Mr. Snider held positions in public accounting and private industry. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Arizona and a graduate of the University of Arizona, where he majored in Finance.

Cathy McGonigle, Executive Vice President

Cathy McGonigle provides strategic leadership for the Foundation’s several program areas, especially the biosciences, the Flinn Scholars Program, and emerging initiatives. She brings to her role particular expertise in management, communications, and policy analysis.

Prior to joining the Foundation in 2010, Ms. McGonigle served for nearly a decade as a senior administrator of the Arizona Board of Regents, including five years as deputy executive director. In that role, she helped manage the Board’s staff and programs; she led strategic initiatives, participated in the higher-education policy formulation, and oversaw public-affairs, communications, and government-affairs activities.

Previously, Ms. McGonigle served as a human-resources consultant for the Arizona Department of Economic Security; human resources manager for the City of Chandler; assistant director of the Administrative Services Division of the Arizona Department of Revenue; and assistant director of Management Services Division of the Arizona Department of Administration, where she spent 25 years.

McGonigle is a summa cum laude graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Business Administration.

Nancy Welch, Vice President, Arizona Center for Civic Leadership

A nationally recognized public-policy analyst, Nancy Welch joined the Flinn Foundation in October 2010 to direct the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership. She came to the Foundation from the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University.

Ms. Welch joined the Morrison Institute in 1989 as a senior research analyst. After leaving in 1999 to join the Insight Group, a Tempe-based research firm, she rejoined Morrison in 2003 as assistant director and soon was promoted to associate director. At Morrison, she managed policy research, project development, and client relationships.

Welch previously served as executive director of the nonprofit Arizona Women’s Education and Employment, and as a planner at the Arizona Department of Economic Security. She earned a master’s degree in History at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

Brad Halvorsen, Vice President, Communications

Brad Halvorsen is the Foundation's longest-serving staff member, having joined the Flinn Foundation in January 1989. As Vice President for Communications, he oversees all facets of the Foundation’s communications activities, including strategic planning, messaging, writing and production of publications, electronic communications, media relations, special events, and internal and grantee communications.

Mr. Halvorsen joined the Foundation after serving as a press aide and campaign press secretary to U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini. He graduated magna cum laude from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunications in 1987.

Mr. Halvorsen has served on the board of directors of the Arizona BioIndustry Association, twice co-chaired the planning committee of the Arizona Bio Expo, and has served as treasurer and national conference chair for the Communications Network for Philanthropy, a national organization of communications professionals at foundations.