Board of Directors

2024-25 Board Leadership

Phil Allsopp (Arizona)

President, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) USA

Phil Allsopp’s professional and academic qualifications span the fields of business and economic development, architecture, system dynamics and public health in both the UK and the US. After decades of research and professional activity, Phil continues to be focused on the effects of public and financial policies on the quality and durability of human habitats; the places we inhabit, and which play decisive roles in shaping and enabling communities to achieve social, economic and environmental resiliency. Phil holds a D.Arch from Kingston University, London and a M.S. in Health Services Planning and Design from Columbia University. In 2009, he was admitted into the Fellowship of the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce – RSA – in London. In 2014, Phil was appointed Adjunct Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability and Senior Sustainability Scientist with ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability. In this role, he conducts collaborative research into complex urban systems with a focus on the social and economic drivers of human health and well-being. 

Andrew Bernier, PhD (Ohio)

Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati

Andrew Bernier’s work weaves together sustainability science and education, systems theory, curriculum, career readiness and organizational design with storytelling and media. Andrew is a visiting assistant professor of STEM Education at the University of Cincinnati and Senior Sustainability Fellow at Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation. He researches and teaches best practices in sustainability education. Andrew has served on leadership teams for civic and academic organizations, including the boards of The Journal of Sustainability Education, Trees Matter, and Cincinnati Public Schools Outside. Andrew has also worked as a public radio science journalist for SPOT 127 Youth Media Center, after years of teaching secondary science.

Elaine Cohen Fogel (Arizona, Canada)

Secretary

Bio coming soon.

Scott Harelson (Arizona)

Board President

Bio coming soon.

Vernon Parker, J.D. (Arizona)

Board President

Vernon is a former attorney and was the first ever Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Agriculture. As the head of the VBP Group, a company specializing in assisting national companies with their government and public relations issues as well as legal and compliance issues. Mr. Parker currently sits on the boards of Abrazo Hospital in the Phoenix metro region, Cerberus Sentinel, and Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance. Current and past clients include, Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Company, Waste Management, Turf Paradise, Crown Realty, Five Star Realty, Square One Restaurant Concepts, Kahala Brands, New Vision, Nuskin, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Small Business Administration, and POSA (Scottsdale Police Association). Mr. Parker served as Mayor of Paradise Valley, Arizona. Along with the Town Council, he helped navigate the Town through one of its toughest economic periods. Mr. Parker served as the first ever Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Agriculture having been nominated by the President of the United States and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. While at USDA, he assisted the department in settling the Pickford lawsuit and many other lawsuits filed against the USDA. Mr. Parker also served as General Counsel of the United States Office of Personnel Management in Washington, DC, and he served in the White House as Special Assistant to President George H. W. Bush.

Sandra Price, J.D., Ph.D. (Missouri/Arizona)

Sandy is a career public servant, serving in all three sectors, representing organizations as diverse as the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, the Center Against Sexual Assault, The Nature Conservancy, the City of Tucson, the Avon Program at the O’Connor House, and many others. A former faculty member at Arizona State University, her interests include sustainability, nonprofit management, community development and organizational ethics. She used her position to bridge scholarship with community, undertaking projects designed to improve community resiliency, or with the potential to innovate community systems change. Sandy was appointed one of six ASU Piper Trust Knowledge Exchange for Resilience Fellows, and was a Sustainability Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and affiliate faculty with the Center for the Study of Race & Democracy and the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics. Sandy has practiced environmental law and holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy.

Ginger Sykes Torres (Arizona)

Bio coming soon.

Jen Yee (Arizona)

Assistant Executive Director, Arizona State Fair

Yee has an extensive background in event and fair management, organization, sponsorship, and media. Jen leads the “best Marketing and Sponsorship Crew anywhere,” creating ideas and solutions for audiences internal, external and otherwise for the Arizona State Fair. She books and produces the Coliseum Concert Series and is also the Public Information Officer (PIO). Jen studied Journalism at ASU, worked in ad agencies, and spent years in radio promotions and sales.

Special thanks to a few original board members who helped Earth Gives take shape:

Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai of the Navajo Nation and formerly of the Arizona state legislature, was scooped up by the Department of the Interior under the leadership of Secretary Deb Haaland. Sen. Peshlakai was a wonderful steward in the few short months she was with us and had a great connection to our very first nonprofit to sign up – the Western Environmental Law Center (WELC). Her daughter has been involved with WELC in a fight over issues relating to pollution. Small world. Big champions. We wish her well in her work for the Interior.

George Basch was engaged deeply in the founding and creation of Earth Gives. At 83-years young, this global adventurer committed so much time, treasure and connections that Earth Gives will be forever indebted to him. In fact, we now have an annual award named after him. Once the pandemic broke, George stepped off to spend quality time making as many global treks that he can to any continent he desires. He’s been to all of them. We wish “Explorer George”, as he is fondly called, safe adventuring.

Debbie Hill J.D. is an attorney, nonprofit CEO, global business executive and consultant. She has demonstrated her passion for leadership, social justice, and economic development, with outstanding success in both corporate and nonprofit environments. Since 2010, her consulting practice – La Cerra Seuno – has focused on local/global economic development, mission/public policy advocacy community partnerships and non-profit business development/funding, among her many accomplishments.