Nonprofit Adds Diverse Backgrounds and Specialties to Board of Directors
We’re pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to our Board of Directors. SJW’s sole mission is to assist homeless, low-income, and other disadvantaged individuals in their efforts to become self-sufficient through quality employment.
Joining the board are: Sarah Fluke, deputy director of the Arizona Multihousing Association, Kelly Geary, executive advisor of the International Sports Sciences Association and Juan Kingsbury, talent strategist at Career Blindspot.
“We are excited to welcome Sarah, Kelly and Juan to our board, particularly during a special year as we celebrate 35 years of connecting the Valley’s disadvantaged, homeless, and transitioning individuals to quality employment via a wide spectrum of free support and resources including transitional housing,” shared Ritta Fagain, board chair of SJW. “These new board members demonstrate our shared passion and commitment to SJW’s mission, and we look forward to the fresh perspectives they will bring to the important work we do for our clients and the community.”
About Sarah Fluke –– Sarah is the Deputy Director for the Arizona Multihousing Association where she oversees the daily operations for the fifth largest trade association in Arizona. She is honored to be a graduate of the ASU Lodestar’s American Express Leadership Academy for Nonprofit Leaders Class 14. Sarah spearheaded the AMA’s workforce program which launched in 2022 and helps opportunity individuals gain hands-on training for full- time employment with local property management companies.
Sarah shared: “I have a passion for career and technical education which led me to take on developing and launching our workforce program. I have seen firsthand the incredible impact finding a job and career has on someone experiencing instability. The mission of SJW aligns with my passion, and I’m honored to be a part of an organization that supports providing resources and pathways to those looking for employment.”
About Kelly Geary –– Kelly is a go-to entrepreneur, executive and subject matter expert in the recruiting and talent space for high-growth and start-up companies. Currently, Kelly serves as an Executive Advisor to the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), a leading online education company in the Fitness industry. Kelly’s career spans over 24 years of business building experience, six of which were dedicated to founding, growing and successfully selling HireBetter, a highly-regarded executive recruiting firm. She was also the Executive Vice President of People at Headspring-Accenture, a well-known software consulting firm with offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston. Kelly is a graduate of the University of Virginia, and serves on its College Foundation Benefactor’s Society Board. Locally, she also serves as a Board Member and Mentor with New Pathways for Youth and is a long-term volunteer with Harvest Compassion Center.
Kelly shared: “Connecting people to quality work has been at the heart of my professional career, and so the alignment with SJW’s mission is easy to draw. I strongly support SJW’s focus on eliminating every barrier that stands between a person’s willingness to work and their ability to start that meaningful job.”
About Juan Kingsbury –– Juan founded Career Blindspot to work directly with leaders and their ever-changing teams through coaching, workshops and premium assessment application. In 2019, he launched the Career Blindspot Podcast to spread the message of knowing talent, knowing culture and making no excuses in the workplace and has had many local business leaders as guests. Juan is a proud alumni of Glendale Community College and Arizona State University. Locally, he’s worked with Barrett the Honors College and the T.W. Lewis Center for Personal Development working with students to embrace their natural leadership style for career success.
Juan shared: “I joined SJW’s board because I want to support the people and operations that help those ready for help. Job seeking is challenging as is, when you don’t have clean clothes or a home, a resource like SJW can literally be life changing. I’m humbled and excited to be a part of a solution that has a rich success rate and hope to bring SJW more support and funds.”
