Champions of Education Awards 2022

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Nedda Shafir

Nedda Shafir has been in the field of education for many decades with experience as an elementary teacher, curriculum specialist, adjunct university professor, author, district administrator and public information officer. She has utilized her expertise in the areas of public relations, communications, marketing, business partnerships, community engagement, customer service, media training and crisis management to help businesses, non-profit organizations, schools and districts.

Nedda has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, is a Reading Specialist and is credentialed as a school administrator. She has done educational consulting and presentations nationwide in the areas of communications, community engagement, crisis management, public relations, leadership, strength-based coaching and language arts.

Nedda has a passion for creating sustainable change and assisting organizations in developing strength-based systems of success and has been honored for her work in the area of school public relations and volunteering.

Her volunteer activities include:

☑ Member of Leadership West Class XXIV
☑ Former Chair of the City of Phoenix Youth and Education Commission
☑ Past President of the Arizona School Public Relations Association
☑ Board member of STEM Sports
☑ Board member of Speak Up, Stand Up, Save a Life
☑ Board member of School Connect AZ

Heidi Vega

Heidi Vega serves as the Director of Communications for the Arizona School Boards Association in Phoenix, which serves all school board members, superintendents, and school districts across the state. Her time with ASBA has provided a wealth of professional development in policy, advocacy, and state level initiatives, such as diversity and equity, to better understand the different disparities students face.

Before that, she served as the Director of Communications and Community Engagement with the Deer Valley Unified School District, one of the largest school districts in Arizona spanning over 367 square miles in five different cities, through many initiatives including mass communications, crisis situations, marketing campaigns, community outreach and more.

In 2020, she served as Vice President of Diversity Engagement for the National School Public Relations while keynoting on the importance of equity in public schools for all children across the nation. She is a past chapter president of the Arizona School Public Relations Association. Heidi was named a “35 Under 35” honoree in 2012 by the National School Public Relations Association and was recognized as one of NSPRA’s 2014-15 Front-Runners.

Most recently, Heidi completed her certificate program in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. Heidi grew up in west Glendale in a high poverty neighborhood where she attended public school in the Glendale Elementary School District and is a veteran of the United States Air Force.

Dan Steffen

Dan has had the privilege of serving in ministry since 1988 and was ordained in 1995. He joined the staff of Pure Heart in 2000, serving as the Associate Teaching Pastor. In 2005 Dan accepted the role of Senior Pastor. He has a Masters of Theology degree from Gateway Bible College.  Dan and his wife, Nicole, were married in August of 1998. Together they have three children, Joshua, Luke, and Abigail.

Dr. Mike Richardson

Dr. Mike Richardson is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and Fuller Theological Seminary. He has served in leadership roles and consulted in church, parachurch, and educational organizations, and he has been a speaker and teacher in seminars, conferences, and churches in different parts of the world. For the last 11 years Mike has been on the faculty of the College of Theology at Grand Canyon University. In addition to undergraduate students, he also teaches in the Seminary and Doctoral College for Grand Canyon. Mike and his wife Carol reside in Phoenix, Arizona, near to their 3 adult children, two of which, along with their spouses, have provided three grandchildren … so far.

Ric Pringle

Ric Pringle is best described as a “family man” – his pride and joy is rooted in a marriage of almost 50 years, and he’s “Dad” to five offspring and “Papa Ric” to 12 grandchildren.

Secondarily, Ric is a retired corporate attorney with a career of about 40 years. As senior executive, his role was that of serving on the leadership team for each business for which he was employed. A practitioner of “servant leadership,” he is a strong believer in delegation and empowerment and says micromanagement impedes operational efficiencies and slows staff development and growth.

A transplanted Illinoisan (and graduate of the University of Illinois), Ric is a daily consumer of digital tidbits of the Chicago Tribune. But his love of sunshine, blue skies, and desert makes Arizona his now-permanent home and makes for an ardent fan of the Cardinals.

Linda Livermore

Linda Livermore has a true calling for service and children! Her volunteer efforts have been her driving force during most of her adult life. Her heartfelt desire to help people grow and become their best selves led her to a life of public service including ongoing volunteer work with churches, public schools, service to small groups, financial counseling, and time with local resource centers.

When her three children were young, she was very active in the public schools they attended. Continuing in this tradition, she will again volunteer in the fall of 2022 as her oldest grandson begins kindergarten.

When Linda is not busy giving her time and effort to various projects and groups, she     enjoys time well spent with her husband Kent, her three children, and four grandchildren. Family means everything and they are the joy of her life! Linda lives in Peoria, Arizona and attended Arizona State University graduating with a BA in Communications.

Dean Kuest

Since 1990, Dean Kuest has been a part of the vision and ministry of Central Christian Church of Arizona, Currently, he serves as the Glendale Campus Pastor. Dean is also an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Hope International University where he thoroughly enjoys teaching courses on Team Building and Servant Leadership alongside his father, who is a professor there as well.

Dean is on a life-long journey of discovering how his passion for teaching and leading others can best be used as a peacemaker in an increasingly polarized world. He pursues this work through leading guided discussions on conflict resolution as well as leading discovery trips each year to Israel/Palestine or a learning journey through our Southern States.

He and his wife, Leslie just eclipsed the 30-year marriage mark! They have five sons, four daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren. If he is not at church, you can probably find him in a coffee shop, a local school or at a baseball diamond somewhere in the Valley of the Sun.

Dr. Jennifer Johnson

Previously the Assistant Vice President for Academic Alliances for Grand Canyon University, Dr. Jennifer Johnson serves as the university’s Public School Liaison providing leadership support to K-12 public district schools in Arizona and across the United States. Jennifer co-facilitates the Superintendents Collaborative Network, a program to mentor new Arizona superintendents. In addition, Jennifer and her teammates on the K12 Educational Development team provide educators and students with opportunities to better understand the college-going process and advance their education all the way through a doctoral program. Prior to joining GCU, Jennifer served as the Deputy Superintendent at the Arizona Department of Education and superintendent of the Glendale Union High School District. Dr. Johnson earned her Ed.D from ASU in educational leadership and public policy, her M.A. in curriculum and assessment from California State University and her B.S. in Speech/Theatre/English education from Northern Arizona University.