Appointment Memo

City of Mesa — City Council Study Session (2026-06-08)

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June 8, 2026 
  
TO: 
 
CITY COUNCILMEMBERS 
  
FROM: 
MAYOR MARK FREEMAN 
  
SUBJECT: 
Appointments to Boards and Committees 
  
The following are my recommendations for appointments to the City of Mesa Advisory 
Boards and Committees:  
 
Board of Adjustment – Seven-member board including new appointments. 
 
Gordon Sheffield, District 2. Mr. Sheffield retired from the City of Mesa after 30 years, 
having served in the Development Services Department, Planning Division. He holds a 
bachelor’s degree in geography and urban studies and a master’s in public administration 
from Arizona State University. His first term will expire June 30, 2029. 
 
Jessica Sarkissian, District 5. Ms. Sarkissian is the owner of UpFront Consulting & 
Entitlements, LLC. She earned a bachelor’s degree in regional development from the 
University of Arizona and a master’s degree in community planning from Northern Arizona 
University. Her partial term will expire June 30, 2028. 
 
Spencer Tippetts, District 6. Mr. Tippetts is the chief strategy officer and co-owner of 
Rainforest Plumbing & Air. He holds a bachelor’s degree in global supply chain 
management from Brigham Young University. His first term will expire June 30, 2029. 
 
Economic Development Advisory Board – Nine-member board including new                      
appointments.  
 
Benjamin Ayers, District 1. Mr. Ayers serves as the Co-Office Director at Mancini, an 
architecture and design firm. He holds a bachelor's degree in architectural studies, with a 
minor in urban planning, and a Master of Architecture from Arizona State University. His 
first term will expire June 30, 2029. 
 
Joe O’Reilly, District 5. Mr. O’Reilly is the Founding Director of Arizona State University’s 
Helios Decision Center for Educational Excellence. He holds a bachelor’s degree in 
psychology from Stonehill College, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in psychology from 
the University of Arizona. His first term will expire June 30, 2029.

Nacale Roberts, District 5. Ms. Roberts is the Human Resources Leader at The Boeing 
Company. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College and a Juris Doctor 
degree from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Law. Her partial 
term will expire on June 30, 2028. 
 
Historic Preservation Board – Seven-member board including new appointments.  
 
Sarah Prince, District 1. Ms. Prince is a land use planner and project manager at Pew & 
Lake, PLC. She earned a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from Arizona 
State University. Her first term will expire June 30, 2029. 
 
Human Relations Advisory Board –Eleven-member board including new appointments. 
 
Susan Lawrence, District 5. Ms. Lawrence retired from Rio Salado College after 25 years, 
including serving as the Educational Director. She holds a master’s degree in educational 
leadership from Northern Arizona University, a bachelor’s degree in management from 
Western International University and an associate degree in general studies from Rio 
Salado College. Her partial term will expire June 30, 2027. 
 
Museum & Cultural Advisory Board – Eleven-member board including new 
appointments. 
 
Benjamin Mathias, District 1. Mr. Mathias is a document specialist and customer resource 
specialist at the University of Phoenix. He earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s 
degree in public administration from the University of Phoenix. His partial term will expire 
June 30, 2027. 
 
Gordon Shockley, District 1. Mr. Shockley is an associate/assistant professor of social 
entrepreneurship at the School of Community Resources and Development at Arizona 
State University. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in public policy from George 
Mason University, a master’s degree in art history and graduate certificate in linguistics 
from Arizona State University, a master’s degree in management from Northwestern 
University, and a bachelor’s degree from UCLA. His first term will expire June 30, 2029. 
 
Parks & Recreation Board – Eleven-member board including new appointments. 
 
Lizzy Cupples, District 1. Ms. Cupples is the founder of Data Sortcery, a business that 
provides data organization, analytics, and technology consulting services. She earned a 
bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership from Brigham 
Young University and a Project Management certification from Mesa Community College. 
Her first term will expire June 30, 2029.

Michael Koenig, District 6. Mr. Koenig is senior sales representative at Above and Beyond 
Pool remodeling. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from University 
of Massachusetts Lowell and a master’s degree in business administration from Keller 
Graduate School of Management. His partial term will expire June 30, 2027. 
 
Personnel Appeals Board – Five-member board including new appointments. 
 
Laura Ingegneri, District 6. Ms. Ingegneri is the founder and managing director of HR 
ExecPro, LLC, and has more than 30 years of human resources experience. She earned 
a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ottawa University. Her first term will 
expire June 30, 2029. 
 
Planning & Zoning Board – Seven-member board with three alternate members 
including new appointments. 
 
Chase Hales, District 4. Mr. Hales is a planner for the City of Phoenix and has extensive 
knowledge of planning principles. He earned a bachelor’s degree in urban planning from 
Arizona State University. His first term will expire June 30, 2029.  
 
Misty Klann, District 6. Ms. Klann is the owner of Bluecorn Consulting, LLC, specializing 
in long-range transportation planning focused on tribal transportation initiatives. She holds 
a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northern Arizona University, an 
associate’s certificate in project management from The George Washington University, 
Washington D.C., and a master’s degree in information management from Arizona State 
University. Her first term will expire June 30, 2029. 
 
Scott Thomas, District 6, Alternate Member. Mr. Thomas is a senior project manager at 
Brinkmann Constructors. He has over 20 years’ experience in construction management 
and is an active member of Arizona Builders Alliance. He studied architecture at the 
University of Kentucky. His first term will expire June 30, 2029. 
 
Justin Trexler, District 1, Alternate Member. Mr. Trexler is the founding principle of Shade 
Architects LLC and is a registered architect and a member of the American Institute of 
Architects. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Utah, a 
master’s degree in architecture from Arizona State University and a Master of Real Estate 
Development from the W.P Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. His 
first term will expire June 30, 2029.

Alexis Kay Wagner, District 6, Alternate Member. Ms. Wagner was a program manager 
in the technical training program at U-Haul. She earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s 
degree in political science from Arizona State University. Her first term will expire June 
30, 2029. 
 
Transportation Advisory Board – Eleven-member board including new appointments.  
 
Gennie Fasanella, District 3. Ms. Fasanella is a graphic designer at the City of Tempe, 
Arts and Culture Department. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ringling College 
of Art and Design. Her first term will expire June 30, 2029. 
 
Samuel Taylor, District 1. Mr. Taylor is a senior traffic engineer at Stanley Consultants. 
He studied engineering at Jönköping University, School of Engineering in Sweden, and 
holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in civil engineering from Northern Arizona 
University. His first term will expire June 30, 2029.