Meet the Team
Luis Vega - President & Chief Executive Officer
Luis Vega is the new President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona (BBBSAZ), joining the organization with a distinguished background in both the military and nonprofit sectors. His extensive experience and deep commitment to youth empowerment make him an invaluable addition to our team.
Luis’s impressive career includes serving as Senior Vice President of International Operations at Allied Extract, where he led crucial humanitarian missions in Ukraine, successfully evacuating severely injured children from war zones. His tenure at the Krohn Breakthrough Foundation highlighted his exceptional ability to drive organizational growth and impact. Within his first year as Executive Director, Luis’s strategic initiatives and effective fundraising efforts led to a remarkable $3.9 million increase in revenue, greatly enhancing the organization’s impact on youth.
Born and raised in Arizona, Luis earned his degree in Political Science from the University of Arizona. Inspired by the events of 9/11, he joined the U.S. Army, served in Afghanistan, and received a Bronze Star Medal while overseas. His transition to civilian life saw him focus on nonprofit management, with a particular emphasis on veterans, mental health, and youth empowerment.
"It is an honor and privilege to lead this incredible organization and to serve Arizona’s youth and community, which has given me so much," Luis says. "Every child has the potential to create a better world that wasn’t there before them. Positive mentorship and a guiding hand will help them along the way, and there is no better organization than Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona to provide this experience."
Luis is dedicated to expanding BBBSAZ’s mentors, donors, and community outreach to increase our capacity to serve more youth. His strategic and servant leadership promises a new era of growth and innovation for BBBSAZ, continuing the legacy of transforming lives through mentorship and community engagement.
Luis, his wife Nataly, their two-year-old daughter Serephina, and their Doberman puppy are excited to return to Arizona. They are eager to become an active part of the community and contribute to the organization’s mission.
Gina Trotter - Sr. Vice President of Operations
Gina has been a part of the BBBSAZ team since August 1996 and has served in a variety of roles including working directly with matches, recruiting volunteers, and developing special programs. She graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelors in Psychology and earned her Masters of Public Administration from the University of Phoenix. Gina is a member of Class II of the ASU Lodestar Center Generation Next Leadership Academy and earned her Program Manager Certification through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in 2012.
A Big Sister herself, Gina understands the power of mentoring and how it touches lives. She has been matched with 4 Little Sisters over the course of 20 years, with her longest and most recent match lasting 9 years. She is proud to be a part of the BBBSAZ mission and believes that helping children realize their potential is essential for a community to thrive.
Debbie Smith - Vice President of Impact & Innovation
Debbie Smith has been a part of the BBBSAZ team since September 2007 and has served in a variety of roles including working directly with matches, recruiting volunteers, and facilitated various trainings for volunteers, parents/guardians and staff. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelors in Family Studies and Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Debbie completed the Generation Next Nonprofit Leadership Academy, graduated from the Arizona State University Leadership Institute (Go Class 5!) and was honored to be recognized as a Sun Devil 100 in 2024. Debbie has been matched to 3 incredible Little Sisters over the years and strongly believes in the power of mentoring.
When she is not working, Debbie enjoys spending time with her family and friends and of course, watching football!
Aimee Johnson - Director of Event Operations
Aimee Johnson joined the BBBSAZ team in September 2021. After graduating from Arizona State University in 2009 with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and a minor in History, she gained expertise in various fields, including animal rescue, insurance, and even as a flight attendant. Her true passion is for events and nonprofits. Aimee currently oversees all annual fundraising events and third-party events at BBBSAZ, which raise crucial funds for children in the community. She also assists with program-related events that benefit matches, Littles, and families in our program. When not working, she enjoys spending quality time with her loved ones and her adorable dog, Daisy Mae.
Andrea Petrof - Director of Enrollment & Matching
Andrea Petrof has been a part of the BBBS of Central Arizona team since August 2001 and has enjoyed working in all areas of the agency from Events, Marketing, Community Relations, Quality Assurance, and Program. She is also considered the "IT guru" when it comes to BBBSAZ database management. As Director of Community Based Engagement, Andrea oversees the Intake and Enrollment staff, as well as our Parent Engagement Manager.
Andrea is a proud Arizona State University Sun Devil and graduated in 1997 with a Bachelors's in Communication and a minor in Business. Andrea is an alumni Big Sister to Kaycee. The pair were matched 12 years and consider each other family now. Andrea continues to see the impact that mentoring has on a day-to-day basis.
Ashley Doyle - Big Futures Program Director
Ashley joined Big Brothers Big Sisters in December 2022 as a Program Specialist with the Big Futures team and is now serving as the Big Futures Program Director. Although her time with the agency as a staff has been short, Ashley was a Big back in 2009 to her Little Rachel. She has spent many years volunteering not only with Big Brothers Big Sisters, but working with a high-needs population as a Camp Director for 9 years during the summer months, and finds the utmost joy in giving back.
Previous to BBBS, Ashley professionally had worked in the corporate world of hospitality for over 12 years as an Executive Kitchen Manager. When presented with the chance to work in the non-profit sector, she jumped at the opportunity. The return to BBBS has felt kismet for Ashley, and she knows that working with a people-first organization is where her passion lies.
Ashley is an Arizona native who hates the heat but enjoys the beauty of the desert. ASU alum, and full supporter of the Sun Devils, you will find her, her dogs, and her husband hiking mountains on the weekends and trying to avoid all Arizona "wildlife".
David Reynolds - Director of Donation Center
David joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona in February of 2017 and has enjoyed serving in many roles in the Donation Center. David oversees a staff of drivers that collect clothing donations from our communities and partnerships across the Valley. With our long-standing partnership with Savers thrift stores, the donations collected are converted into funding that supports the mentorship programs within the Agency. David also serves as the Building Manager of our new facility, the Nute Family Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentorship Center which was opened in January of 2022.
Originally from Buffalo, New York, David attended the State University of New York at Buffalo and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics in 1999. David brings over 20 years of logistics leadership experience to the Donation Center.
Jolie Armstrong - Director of Community Based Programs
Jolie joined the BBBSAZ family in 2005 and served in her role as a Bilingual Program Specialist until 2010. She returned in 2021 and has since held several roles including Big Futures Program Specialist, Big Futures Program Manager, and Director of Community Based Programs. Jolie has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Arizona State University and a Masters of Science in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. She has been a Big Sister to four Littles in the Site Based and Community Based Programs. Jolie has a passion for Trauma Informed Care and believes in the power and impact that mentoring has on the youth and families that are served through the agency.
Martha DePriest - Director of Special Programs
Martha joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona family in October of 2019. Since then, Martha has held several roles including Bilingual Program Specialist, Enrollment Specialist, Family Engagement Specialist, and Parent Engagement Manager. Now as Director of Special Programs, Martha oversees our Site-Based staff and Site-Based mentoring programs. Martha’s passion for the BBBS mission and our Site-Based programs began to grow when she became a Site-Based Big Sister in 2020.
Originally from Southern California, Martha attended Whittier College where she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Social Work with a minor in Spanish. In college is also where she met her future husband.
Susan Wiltfong - Director of Grants Administration
Susan brings more than 25 years of experience in helping Arizona youth to her current position as Director of Grants Administration. Before joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, she worked at the Phoenix Crisis Nursery, Boswell Hospital Child Development Center and the Nebraska Child Crisis Center. Susan has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and the Family from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (Go Big Red). Having been a Big Sister in college Susan learned early on in her career the positive impact having a mentor can make in a young person's life.
Through her tenure with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, she has held many different positions within the organization including case management, staff supervision and grant coordination. Susan feels privileged to work with the dedicated staff and volunteers at the agency. Susan is married to her husband Tom and has two children, Allison and Phillip.
Administration
Na'Shari Sanders-Williams
Receptionist/Big Futures Program Specialist
nsanderswilliams@bbbsaz.org
Shirley Shauver
Administrative Assistant/Receptionist
sshauver@bbbsaz.org
Development & Marketing
Aimee Johnson
Director of Event Operations
ajohnson@bbbsaz.org
Alma Albarran
Marketing Manager and
Graphic Designer
aalbarran@bbbsaz.org
Holly Erickson
Development/Marketing Assistant
herickson@bbbsaz.org
Noelle Bish
Development Specialist
nbish@bbbsaz.org
Susan Wiltfong
Director of Grants Administration
swiltfong@bbbsaz.org
Teashaunda Kouassi
Donor Database Coordinator
tkouassi@bbbsaz.org
Program
Ana Ridenour
Volunteer Community Relations Coordinator
aridenour@bbbsaz.org
Andrea Petrof
Director of Enrollment & Matching
apetrof@bbbsaz.org
602-393-2906
Annmarie Pattan
Enrollment & Matching Specialist
apd@bbbsaz.org
Ashley Doyle
Director of Big Futures
adoyle@bbbsaz.org
Bobbi Nez
Sr. Program Specialist/Tribal Partnership Coordinator
bnez@bbbsaz.org
602-769-7463
Carrie Emmons
Big Futures Program Specialist
cemmons@bbbsaz.org
Danielle Young
CB Match Support Specialist
dyoung@bbbsaz.org
602-393-2909
Debbie Smith
VP of Impact & Innovation
dsmith@bbbsaz.org
602-393-4136
Ed Stokes
Sr. Big Futures Program Specialist
estokes@bbbsaz.org
Eliza Eckman
Enrollment & Matching Specialist
eeckman@bbbsaz.org
Elsa Rodriguez
Community Relations Coordinator
erodriguez@bbbsaz.org
602-393-4119
Emily Salazar
Big Futures Program Specialist
esalazar@bbbsaz.org
Megan McCullough
Site Based Program Specialist
mmccullough@bbbsaz.org
Eva Siler
Sr. Program Specialist/LGBTQ Coordinator
esiler@bbbsaz.org
Gina Trotter
Sr VP of Operations
gtrotter@bbbsaz.org
Idaly Paez
Match Event Coordinator
ipaez@bbbsaz.org
Isabel Tovar
Community Outreach Specialist
itovar@bbbsaz.org
Jennifer Booth
Sr. Big Futures Program Specialist
jbooth@bbbsaz.org
Jennifer Reed
CB Match Support Specialist
jreed@bbbsaz.org
Jessica Hurtado
Big Futures Program Specialist
jhurtado@bbbsaz.org
Jessica Macias
CB Match Support Specialist
jmacias@bbbsaz.org
Jocelyn Bogar
Site Based Program Specialist
jbogar@bbbsaz.org
Jolie Armstrong
Director of Community Based Programs
jarmstrong@bbbsaz.org
Kaycee Torres
Community Based Program Manager
ktorres@bbbsaz.org
Kaylin Wojciechowski
Enrollment & Matching Manager
kwojciechowski@bbbsaz.org
Liz de la Fuente
Match Support Specialist
ldelafuente@bbbsaz.org
Luz Navarro
Enrollment & Matching Specialist
lnavarro@bbbsaz.org
Na'Shari Sanders-Williams
Receptionist/Big Futures Program Specialist
nsanderswilliams@bbbsaz.org
Martha DePriest
Director of Special Programs
mguzman@bbbsaz.org
Sandra Galache
CB Match Support Specialist
sgalache@bbbsaz.org
Clothing Donation Center - 602-230-8900
David Reynolds
Donation Center Director
dreynolds@bbbsaz.org
Nicholas Sullivan
Donation Dispatch
nsullivan@bbbsaz.org