Notable Scottsdale WomenScottsdale Women The Latest News - Beauty - Health - Fashion - Food - Shopping in Scottsdale Arizonahttps://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/feed/atom/2024-03-29T07:44:33-07:00Scottsdale WomenJoomla! - Open Source Content ManagementScottsdale Realtor Believes in Networking, Persistence and Connections2021-10-11T22:39:35-07:002021-10-11T22:39:35-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/scottsdale-realtor-believes-in-networking-persistence-and-connectionsHal DeKeyser<p> <img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/peggy_rauch_and_michael_meinerz.jpg" alt="peggy rauch and michael meinerz" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p>Peggy Rauch bolted out of the real estate gate full of energy and persistence, and earned Rookie of the Year and a Multi-Million Dollar Producer in her very first year. In the 30-plus years since then, she’s built a business finding housing dreams for several generations of the same families, mostly in the Scottsdale area.</p>
<p>Varied interests round out her networking connections to the local community, including gourmet food and wine, golf, and her eight grandchildren – and she is a former big game hunter. She has been active in real estate organizations, including holding committee and chair positions, and with community groups. She also has been a manufacturer's representative for active wear and a part-time model.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Photo: Peggy Rauch and Michael Meinerz</strong></p>
<p>While she is a luxury home expert, she doesn’t believe in working solely with a single lifestyle group or price range.</p>
<p>"I learned long ago that everyone's real estate needs are important. My target client is anyone who is interested in working with a knowledgeable agent who will listen carefully and then work hard to meet their real estate objectives,” Rauch says.</p>
<p>“I want to give the same attention and level of service to a first-time $50,000 buyer as to someone who wants to buy a $5 million house or one of our investor clients who buy several properties a year.”</p>
<p>One of her Zillow recommendations notes that Rauch helped them buy a home in the Valley while they were living out of state, and “Peggy made the process easy and stress free.”</p>
<p>Rauch grew up in Philadelphia, one of nine children who had to learn personal and group responsibility at home, has lived in the Phoenix area since 1979. She started out with a big real estate company and realized that she was doing her own marketing and fulfillment and decided to create her own brokerage.</p>
<p>She now works with her husband, Mike Meinerz, at <a href="https://peggyrauchgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Peggy Rauch Luxury Group</a> at 7297 N. Scottsdale Road. Her specialties include buyer's agent, listing agent, relocation and consulting.</p>
<p><strong>Peggy Rauch</strong><br /><strong>602-206-3336</strong><br /><strong><a href="mailto:Peggy@PeggyRauch.com">Peggy@PeggyRauch.com</a></strong></p><p> <img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/peggy_rauch_and_michael_meinerz.jpg" alt="peggy rauch and michael meinerz" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p>
<p>Peggy Rauch bolted out of the real estate gate full of energy and persistence, and earned Rookie of the Year and a Multi-Million Dollar Producer in her very first year. In the 30-plus years since then, she’s built a business finding housing dreams for several generations of the same families, mostly in the Scottsdale area.</p>
<p>Varied interests round out her networking connections to the local community, including gourmet food and wine, golf, and her eight grandchildren – and she is a former big game hunter. She has been active in real estate organizations, including holding committee and chair positions, and with community groups. She also has been a manufacturer's representative for active wear and a part-time model.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Photo: Peggy Rauch and Michael Meinerz</strong></p>
<p>While she is a luxury home expert, she doesn’t believe in working solely with a single lifestyle group or price range.</p>
<p>"I learned long ago that everyone's real estate needs are important. My target client is anyone who is interested in working with a knowledgeable agent who will listen carefully and then work hard to meet their real estate objectives,” Rauch says.</p>
<p>“I want to give the same attention and level of service to a first-time $50,000 buyer as to someone who wants to buy a $5 million house or one of our investor clients who buy several properties a year.”</p>
<p>One of her Zillow recommendations notes that Rauch helped them buy a home in the Valley while they were living out of state, and “Peggy made the process easy and stress free.”</p>
<p>Rauch grew up in Philadelphia, one of nine children who had to learn personal and group responsibility at home, has lived in the Phoenix area since 1979. She started out with a big real estate company and realized that she was doing her own marketing and fulfillment and decided to create her own brokerage.</p>
<p>She now works with her husband, Mike Meinerz, at <a href="https://peggyrauchgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Peggy Rauch Luxury Group</a> at 7297 N. Scottsdale Road. Her specialties include buyer's agent, listing agent, relocation and consulting.</p>
<p><strong>Peggy Rauch</strong><br /><strong>602-206-3336</strong><br /><strong><a href="mailto:Peggy@PeggyRauch.com">Peggy@PeggyRauch.com</a></strong></p>Connecting with Horses During a Global Pandemic2021-05-31T21:53:39-07:002021-05-31T21:53:39-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/connecting-with-horses-during-a-global-pandemicHal DeKeyser<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/horse_and_scottsdale_sunset.jpg" alt="Horse and Scottsdale sunset" /></p>
<p>The horse was the first to know.</p>
<p>The man had recently lost his father, and he was receiving therapy at Ignite Counseling and Equine Psychotherapy in Scottsdale.</p>
<p>Shadow, a dressage horse who specializes in reading human emotion, lives at the ranch and helped the man process his loss.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-left: 30px; float: right; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 340px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/ann_wilson_ignite_ranch_scottsdale.jpg" alt="Ann Wilson, Ignite Ranch Scottsdale" width="340" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Ann Wilson, Ignite Ranch Scottsdale</span></span>“The horse immediately came to him, and I said… ‘You know, Shadow is really drawn to folks that have severe traumatic grief and loss,’” said Ann Wilson, an equine assisted EMDR specialist at the ranch, “He looked at me and said, ‘I just lost eight people in my life, and I just recently lost my father.’ ”</p>
<p>Wilson asked the man if he was okay with this connection with Shadow.</p>
<p>“He's letting me know that connections are okay, because connections have been really hard with COVID…I want to interact with people, but it's hard because I don't want to lose anyone else,” he said.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-right: 30px; float: left; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 300px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/group_at_ignite_ranch_in_scottsdale.jpg" alt="Group at Ignite Ranch in Scottsdale" width="300" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Group at Ignite Ranch in Scottsdale</span></span></p>
<p>There is scientific evidence that horses bring us into our ideal state. So, even if the clients aren’t engaged with the horses, being around the animals makes them feel at ease and peaceful.</p>
<p>Equine’s goal is to give the clients a different perspective of therapy. The horse is the biofeedback machine. It focuses on human and horse contact and gives the therapist insights into the client’s trauma. All the horses on the Ignite ranch are dressage horses, which means they're particularly in-tune to human emotions. These horses are trained to be connected with humans because their main purpose is to be in sync with their rider and develop balance and flexibility.</p>
<p>In a time where humans aren’t able to connect with one another, the horses create a magical space for vulnerability and emotional progress.</p>
<p>“More people have realized that this type of therapy is beneficial, especially during COVID where mental health has been pushed aside, a lot of people are struggling,” Wilson said.</p>
<p>A magical thing happened at Ignite was during a session a couple of months back.</p>
<p>One of the steps to equine-assisted EMDR therapy is bringing up the hardest part of the traumatic experience a client has been through. Wilson said that for this specific client, the hardest part was the feeling of death and dying.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-left: 30px; float: right; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 300px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/horse_therapy_ignite_ranch_scottsdale.jpg" alt="Horse therapy Ignite Ranch Scottsdale" width="300" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Horse therapy Ignite Ranch Scottsdale</span></span>Wilson was in a round pen with her thoroughbred. The horse was behind Wilson and her client was in front of her. Wilson says people should bring up the feeling like you would look suddenly at a snapshot, or like a YouTube video. As the client started to bring up the snapshot, the horse laid out flat on the ground.</p>
<p>In analyzing the animal’s behavior, Wilson said: “So, my horse mind goes, ‘Wait, the round pen is working. We work in the round pen; we don’t sleep here.’ And then my therapeutic side said what is happening?</p>
<p>“I was able to reprocess that memory with my client, and she told me, ‘We're all in this together. We're all here together. We're all going to live. We're all going to die.’ “</p>
<p>“The horse showed her that he felt her pain and showed her that he’s in this with her.”</p>
<p>Equine therapy is especially important for patients right now, as it adheres to COVID-19 health guidelines. Wilson said she has been busy ever since the pandemic started.</p>
<p>People need to know it’s safe to do this and that taking care of mental health is just as important as physical health.</p>
<p><strong>By<a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/mckenna-leavens" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> McKenna Leavens</a></strong><br /><strong><a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scottsdale Digital Group</a></strong></p>
<p> </p><p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/horse_and_scottsdale_sunset.jpg" alt="Horse and Scottsdale sunset" /></p>
<p>The horse was the first to know.</p>
<p>The man had recently lost his father, and he was receiving therapy at Ignite Counseling and Equine Psychotherapy in Scottsdale.</p>
<p>Shadow, a dressage horse who specializes in reading human emotion, lives at the ranch and helped the man process his loss.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-left: 30px; float: right; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 340px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/ann_wilson_ignite_ranch_scottsdale.jpg" alt="Ann Wilson, Ignite Ranch Scottsdale" width="340" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Ann Wilson, Ignite Ranch Scottsdale</span></span>“The horse immediately came to him, and I said… ‘You know, Shadow is really drawn to folks that have severe traumatic grief and loss,’” said Ann Wilson, an equine assisted EMDR specialist at the ranch, “He looked at me and said, ‘I just lost eight people in my life, and I just recently lost my father.’ ”</p>
<p>Wilson asked the man if he was okay with this connection with Shadow.</p>
<p>“He's letting me know that connections are okay, because connections have been really hard with COVID…I want to interact with people, but it's hard because I don't want to lose anyone else,” he said.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-right: 30px; float: left; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 300px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/group_at_ignite_ranch_in_scottsdale.jpg" alt="Group at Ignite Ranch in Scottsdale" width="300" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Group at Ignite Ranch in Scottsdale</span></span></p>
<p>There is scientific evidence that horses bring us into our ideal state. So, even if the clients aren’t engaged with the horses, being around the animals makes them feel at ease and peaceful.</p>
<p>Equine’s goal is to give the clients a different perspective of therapy. The horse is the biofeedback machine. It focuses on human and horse contact and gives the therapist insights into the client’s trauma. All the horses on the Ignite ranch are dressage horses, which means they're particularly in-tune to human emotions. These horses are trained to be connected with humans because their main purpose is to be in sync with their rider and develop balance and flexibility.</p>
<p>In a time where humans aren’t able to connect with one another, the horses create a magical space for vulnerability and emotional progress.</p>
<p>“More people have realized that this type of therapy is beneficial, especially during COVID where mental health has been pushed aside, a lot of people are struggling,” Wilson said.</p>
<p>A magical thing happened at Ignite was during a session a couple of months back.</p>
<p>One of the steps to equine-assisted EMDR therapy is bringing up the hardest part of the traumatic experience a client has been through. Wilson said that for this specific client, the hardest part was the feeling of death and dying.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-left: 30px; float: right; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 300px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/horse_therapy_ignite_ranch_scottsdale.jpg" alt="Horse therapy Ignite Ranch Scottsdale" width="300" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Horse therapy Ignite Ranch Scottsdale</span></span>Wilson was in a round pen with her thoroughbred. The horse was behind Wilson and her client was in front of her. Wilson says people should bring up the feeling like you would look suddenly at a snapshot, or like a YouTube video. As the client started to bring up the snapshot, the horse laid out flat on the ground.</p>
<p>In analyzing the animal’s behavior, Wilson said: “So, my horse mind goes, ‘Wait, the round pen is working. We work in the round pen; we don’t sleep here.’ And then my therapeutic side said what is happening?</p>
<p>“I was able to reprocess that memory with my client, and she told me, ‘We're all in this together. We're all here together. We're all going to live. We're all going to die.’ “</p>
<p>“The horse showed her that he felt her pain and showed her that he’s in this with her.”</p>
<p>Equine therapy is especially important for patients right now, as it adheres to COVID-19 health guidelines. Wilson said she has been busy ever since the pandemic started.</p>
<p>People need to know it’s safe to do this and that taking care of mental health is just as important as physical health.</p>
<p><strong>By<a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/mckenna-leavens" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> McKenna Leavens</a></strong><br /><strong><a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scottsdale Digital Group</a></strong></p>
<p> </p>Scottsdale’s Flower Bar helps locals love flowers (and each other)2021-02-06T20:16:43-07:002021-02-06T20:16:43-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/scottsdales-flower-bar-helps-locals-love-flowers-and-each-otherHal DeKeyser<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/flower_bar_scottsdale_valentine_flowers.jpg" alt="Scottsdale's Flower Bar Valentine flowers" /><br />Megan Carollo, owner of The Flower Bar, ended up in Scottsdale because of a sick loved one. Now she helps gift the most beautiful flowers for people who are lovesick.</p>
<p>When she opened her studio in 2011,she only did luxury events and weddings, which transformed into wider services.</p>
<p>Carollo said she had clients who wanted to do workshops because they were so interested in the flower designs. In 2016, the shop expanded so it could provide event level design and everyday flower giving.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/flowers_wrapped.jpg" alt="Megan Carollo," style="margin-right: 30px; float: left;" />“In 2017, I opened what is now known as the Flower Bar. We have our retail space and our workshop. The idea is that we get to provide inspired designs for the inspired people in everyone's lives,” Carollo said.</p>
<p>The Flower Bar is constantly changing designs, Carollo said, and the flowers are different every season.</p>
<p>“The designs are always fresh; they're always new. We're constantly evolving, and I have crazy attention to detail,” Carollo said. “If someone's really taking the effort to make this gesture, we want it to be special.”</p>
<p>COVID has created innovative ways for the Flower Shop to stay in business. The shop came up with what it calls “plant projects.”</p>
<p>“These projects are essentially kits that come with a vase, soil, rocks, tools and gloves – all the things someone would need to grow their own plant,” Carollo said.</p>
<p>Flower Bar filmed online tutorials so people could plant something at home. This gives the community the opportunity to care for a plant and have something to do during isolation. Carollo said that her team has been working on floral kits and that they will launch soon.</p>
<p>The shop takes pride in its ability to exceed expectations with every single client. A vintage typewriter in the studio make it so all the cards are hand typed and personalized.</p>
<p>“It’s an honor that our clients let us be a part of celebrating another person,” Carollo said.</p>
<p>Carollo explained how she was drawn towards flowers and plants since she was a kid. She loved gardening with her grandmother, and it became a bonding experience.</p>
<p>“When I was working in L.A., my grandparents got sick and it was their final years of life, so I moved to Arizona to be with them. And in doing that I came across the shop,” Carollo said.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="max-width: 1000px; width: 100%; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/megan_carollo_flower_woman.jpg" alt="Megan Carollo of Scottsdale Flower Bar" width="1000" style="width: 100%; margin: initial; float: none;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Megan Carollo of Scottsdale Flower Bar</span></span></p>
<p>“Life's really short, you should do the things you love.”</p>
<p>Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are the two biggest flower holidays of the year, but Carollo said she doesn’t know what to expect this pandemic year.</p>
<p>She said that when Valentine's Day falls on a weekend, people tend to usually go out or go on trips, so statistically they see less flower sales. But with COVID that may change.</p>
<p>“Valentine's Day is really exciting because we have one chance and one day to set everything up and make this moment perfect for this couple. I love being right in the middle of all the excitement,” Carollo said. “I get to see first-hand how much people love each other; I get to be a part of those expressions.”</p>
<p>“It’s amazing to help people celebrate love, especially right now when we need it the most.”</p>
<p>Carollo’s favorite part about the studio is watching people fall in love with the flowers.</p>
<p>“We're here to share all of our knowledge and experience and set people up to succeed, whether it's with a plant or keeping flowers alive in their house,” Carollo said.</p>
<p>“The more we can inform people and chat with them about these things the more excited people get about it. Sharing that excitement and seeing people grow with us has been a great part about the studio and we miss it.”</p>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/flower_bar_scottsdale_interior.jpg" alt="flower bar scottsdale interior" /></p>
<p><a href="https://azflowerbar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flower Bar </a> offering delivery and curbside pickup and it can be scheduled through their website.</p><p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/flower_bar_scottsdale_valentine_flowers.jpg" alt="Scottsdale's Flower Bar Valentine flowers" /><br />Megan Carollo, owner of The Flower Bar, ended up in Scottsdale because of a sick loved one. Now she helps gift the most beautiful flowers for people who are lovesick.</p>
<p>When she opened her studio in 2011,she only did luxury events and weddings, which transformed into wider services.</p>
<p>Carollo said she had clients who wanted to do workshops because they were so interested in the flower designs. In 2016, the shop expanded so it could provide event level design and everyday flower giving.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/flowers_wrapped.jpg" alt="Megan Carollo," style="margin-right: 30px; float: left;" />“In 2017, I opened what is now known as the Flower Bar. We have our retail space and our workshop. The idea is that we get to provide inspired designs for the inspired people in everyone's lives,” Carollo said.</p>
<p>The Flower Bar is constantly changing designs, Carollo said, and the flowers are different every season.</p>
<p>“The designs are always fresh; they're always new. We're constantly evolving, and I have crazy attention to detail,” Carollo said. “If someone's really taking the effort to make this gesture, we want it to be special.”</p>
<p>COVID has created innovative ways for the Flower Shop to stay in business. The shop came up with what it calls “plant projects.”</p>
<p>“These projects are essentially kits that come with a vase, soil, rocks, tools and gloves – all the things someone would need to grow their own plant,” Carollo said.</p>
<p>Flower Bar filmed online tutorials so people could plant something at home. This gives the community the opportunity to care for a plant and have something to do during isolation. Carollo said that her team has been working on floral kits and that they will launch soon.</p>
<p>The shop takes pride in its ability to exceed expectations with every single client. A vintage typewriter in the studio make it so all the cards are hand typed and personalized.</p>
<p>“It’s an honor that our clients let us be a part of celebrating another person,” Carollo said.</p>
<p>Carollo explained how she was drawn towards flowers and plants since she was a kid. She loved gardening with her grandmother, and it became a bonding experience.</p>
<p>“When I was working in L.A., my grandparents got sick and it was their final years of life, so I moved to Arizona to be with them. And in doing that I came across the shop,” Carollo said.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="max-width: 1000px; width: 100%; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/megan_carollo_flower_woman.jpg" alt="Megan Carollo of Scottsdale Flower Bar" width="1000" style="width: 100%; margin: initial; float: none;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Megan Carollo of Scottsdale Flower Bar</span></span></p>
<p>“Life's really short, you should do the things you love.”</p>
<p>Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are the two biggest flower holidays of the year, but Carollo said she doesn’t know what to expect this pandemic year.</p>
<p>She said that when Valentine's Day falls on a weekend, people tend to usually go out or go on trips, so statistically they see less flower sales. But with COVID that may change.</p>
<p>“Valentine's Day is really exciting because we have one chance and one day to set everything up and make this moment perfect for this couple. I love being right in the middle of all the excitement,” Carollo said. “I get to see first-hand how much people love each other; I get to be a part of those expressions.”</p>
<p>“It’s amazing to help people celebrate love, especially right now when we need it the most.”</p>
<p>Carollo’s favorite part about the studio is watching people fall in love with the flowers.</p>
<p>“We're here to share all of our knowledge and experience and set people up to succeed, whether it's with a plant or keeping flowers alive in their house,” Carollo said.</p>
<p>“The more we can inform people and chat with them about these things the more excited people get about it. Sharing that excitement and seeing people grow with us has been a great part about the studio and we miss it.”</p>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/flower_bar_scottsdale_interior.jpg" alt="flower bar scottsdale interior" /></p>
<p><a href="https://azflowerbar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flower Bar </a> offering delivery and curbside pickup and it can be scheduled through their website.</p>Scottsdale Chefs - Rochelle Daniel, Fat Ox Restaurant & Lounge2021-01-26T20:55:50-07:002021-01-26T20:55:50-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/scottsdale-chefs-rochelle-daniel-fat-ox-restaurant-loungeHal DeKeyser<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/fat_ox_interior.jpg" alt="fat ox interior" /></p>
<p> When she was 15, Chef Rochelle Daniel started preparing food for Serena, her hungry, then happy, older sister. Since then, she has continued creating outstanding dishes –– and making many more people happy at restaurants in Arizona.</p>
<p>The Phoenix native has been the executive chef at the <strong><a href="http://www.ilovefatox.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fat Ox in Scottsdale</a></strong> since its opening in November 2016. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant in the former Quilted Bear space at the southeast corner of Lincoln and Scottsdale roads is Chef/co-owner Matt Carter’s inspired celebration of the hearty cuisine of the Piedmont area of rural Italy.</p>
<p>Carter is well known for his first Valley restaurant, Zinc Bistro, and The Mission and House Brasserie, all in Scottsdale. His business partners for Fat Ox are Valley restaurateurs Brian Raab and Mark Drinkwater, son of former Scottsdale Mayor Herb Drinkwater.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/fat_ox_executive_chef_rochelle_daniel._courtesy_fat_ox.jpg" alt="Fat Ox Executive Chef Rochelle Daniel" style="margin-right: 30px; float: left;" />“Our family was always cooking from scratch and eating together, so that’s what being a chef is for me: bringing people together and making them happy through food,” explained Daniel.</p>
<p>“None of my family members were chefs, but we were always big into cooking from scratch and eating together as a family,” she added. “My mom was a health nut and made us eat healthy, so I thought going into a kitchen I could cook with butter and sugar and cream.”</p>
<p>The name, “Fat Ox” (“bue grasso” in Italian) derives from the eponymous food festival held every December in <strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncalvo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moncalvo</a></strong>, a village in Piedmont, about 28 miles east of Turin in northern Italy. In addition to local cattlemen, Fiera del Bue Grasso also attracts the country’s top chefs and winemakers; together they prepare a traditional meat stew as part of the festivities.</p>
<p>In addition to meat dishes aligning with the cattle-country inspiration, Chef Daniel and her team also offer dishes from the Ligurian coast, centering on Genoa and Sicily. These include poultry and seafood plates roasted over local mesquite; cheeses, house-made pastas, and Caesar salads.</p>
<p>The food can be paired with Fat Ox’s cocktails, craft beers, and a fine wines overseen by house sommelier Mark Rink. To complement Chef Daniel’s selections, he shared a 2016 Il Borro IGT from Tuscany, a magnificently balanced blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, aged in French oak barrels for more than a year.</p>
<p>Fat Ox “showcases how to use authentic, quality products and still have a modern approach to it,” Chef Daniel said. “We like to take one product and do multiple techniques to showcase it.”</p>
<p>For instance, the highly respected Chicago Meats by Linz is a purveyor of choice at the restaurant, and its prime Angus is used in a number of her plates. That includes a starter Chef Daniel suggested, the smooth but delightfully tangy Linz prime beef tartare, with white balsamic, preserved lemon and Parmesan and marigold leaves, and variously sized steaks such as 8-ounce Wagyu ribeye cap, the 16-ounce New York, and the 20-ounce bone-in ribeye.</p>
<p>Chef Carter noted the longevity and continuing success of their relationship: “Because we’ve worked together in a kitchen for more than 10 years, consulted on other projects such as menu development and recipe testing, we have definitely established a comfort level and a similar approach to solving problems,” he said.</p>
<p>“And, even though she’s got a completely different creative skill set when it comes to plating and food styling, it’s complementary to mine,” he added, “and I knew it would be good to have a female chef’s touch in that area.” </p>
<h2>Phoenix to Scottsdale to Sedona to Phoenix</h2>
<p>Chef Daniel attended Madison No.1 Elementary School in Phoenix and Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria, before graduating from the now-closed Scottsdale Culinary Institute. She then worked for five years in professional kitchens Valleywide including Arrowhead Country Club, Continental Catering, The Four Seasons, and the Painted Horse Cafe. At this time, she also was personal chef for families with nutritional needs.</p>
<p>She first worked for Chef Carter at his Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale, was mentored by him, and excelled. He named her chef de cuisine.</p>
<p>“He taught me the brigade system and the classic French techniques that I still use today, how to run a restaurant and working under pressure,” she explained. Under the brigade system, each station prepares a different part of the menu, such as the poissonier (fish cook) and the sauté cook.</p>
<p>Two other Zinc Bistro chefs, Jeremy McMillan and Adam Schop, taught her to nurture a thick skin, especially in a male-dominated industry.</p>
<p>“They made me tough, which definitely helped me being a female in the kitchen,” she explained. “The pressure of working with them at Zinc just made me a better chef.” </p>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/scottsdale_fat_ox_restaurant_interior.jpg" alt="Scottsdale Fat Ox interior" /></p>
<p>But the glass ceiling made her work harder. “Now I feel that people embrace female chefs,” she said. “But in a kitchen, a woman does have to prove herself a bit more than being a male.”</p>
<p>Following her work at Zinc Bistro, she was the executive chef for both Cress on Oak Creek and Etch Kitchen & Bar at L’Auberge de Sedona. “I learned how to run a food and beverage department at a resort, all the financial responsibility and budgeting, how to run multiple outlets and building, and designing my own kitchen,” she said.</p>
<p>She has also offered food demonstrations through Food Network and was selected as a featured chef for the Bocuse d’Or Team USA fundraiser.</p>
<p>“It was an honor to be selected to one of the most prestigious chef competitions in the world and cook for a fundraiser for Team USA, which was held here at a private home in Scottsdale.”</p>
<p>Among her many other honors is being named to the Valley’s “Top 5 Sous Chefs” by the Arizona Republic and as “Best Sous Chef” by AZcentral.com; she was inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame for 2017.</p>
<p>Now, at Fat Ox, she also schedules chef’s tasting menus to showcase foods she wants to cook but aren’t on the menu. In this spirit, I enjoyed the Prince Edward Island Mussels and the magnificent Lorighittas, with foie butter and fresh winter truffles, a dish which in some way should join that menu.</p>
<p>“With these items,” Daniel said, “it’s fun for me to be able to experiment on a smaller scale.”</p>
<h2>The Fat Ox Experience</h2>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/scottsdale_fat_ox_restaurant_exterior.jpg" alt="Scottsdale Fat Ox Restaurant exterior" />In Daniel’s career, she has prepared modern Asian; French; Latin; fast-casual; traditional and contemporary American; and now Italian at Fat Ox. Even with this culinary breadth, she said, “It’s about the whole experience, not just the food.”</p>
<p>That includes the well-designed space by 3rd story Architecture & Interior Design, blending the urbane look of Milan (leather, designer denim, and a long marble-topped, brass-lined bar) with the rustic themes of Arizona and Italy’s cattle country such as wood paneling and communal style tables.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-left: 30px; float: right; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 200px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/rosso_creste_di_gallo_fat_ox.jpg" alt="Rosso Creste di Gallo, Fat Ox" width="200" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Rosso Creste di Gallo, Fat Ox</span></span>Chef’s flexible dinner-only menu is designed for sharing among friends. The first, Antipasti, Formaggio & Salumi, for example, includes the Linz Prime Beef Tartare and the Burrata di Stefano, which perfectly balances sweet, sour and spicy elements such as roasted butternut squash, kumquat agrodolce and red peppers. It’s served with the house fedunta bread.</p>
<p>The Primi Piatti are all made in house, “fatto en caso,” such as one of the chef’s signature dishes, the Rosso Creste di Gallo, with red wine, duck sausage, and huckleberries.</p>
<p>“It’s particularly important to me because it represents my French background fitting in with my current Italian cuisine at Fat Ox,” Daniel said.</p>
<p>And, Secondi Piatti, or main courses, include the meats and fish, slow roasted in a wood-burning grill and rotisserie, such as the 40-ounce Linz Porterhouse, which four can share. Said chef: “I like to do smaller plates but multiple courses where you get to explore and be more adventurous.”</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Fat Ox is open nightly for dinner Sunday through Thursday (5–9 p.m.) and Friday through Saturday (5–10 p.m.). For more information, visit <a href="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/ilovefatox.com" target="_blank">ilovefatox.com</a> or call 480.307.6900 for reservations .</strong></em></p>
<p>By <strong><a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/dave-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David M. Brown</a></strong><br /><a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Scottsdale Digital Group</strong><br /></a><strong>Photos courtesy Fat Ox, Scottsdale</strong></p>
<p> </p><p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/fat_ox_interior.jpg" alt="fat ox interior" /></p>
<p> When she was 15, Chef Rochelle Daniel started preparing food for Serena, her hungry, then happy, older sister. Since then, she has continued creating outstanding dishes –– and making many more people happy at restaurants in Arizona.</p>
<p>The Phoenix native has been the executive chef at the <strong><a href="http://www.ilovefatox.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fat Ox in Scottsdale</a></strong> since its opening in November 2016. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant in the former Quilted Bear space at the southeast corner of Lincoln and Scottsdale roads is Chef/co-owner Matt Carter’s inspired celebration of the hearty cuisine of the Piedmont area of rural Italy.</p>
<p>Carter is well known for his first Valley restaurant, Zinc Bistro, and The Mission and House Brasserie, all in Scottsdale. His business partners for Fat Ox are Valley restaurateurs Brian Raab and Mark Drinkwater, son of former Scottsdale Mayor Herb Drinkwater.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/fat_ox_executive_chef_rochelle_daniel._courtesy_fat_ox.jpg" alt="Fat Ox Executive Chef Rochelle Daniel" style="margin-right: 30px; float: left;" />“Our family was always cooking from scratch and eating together, so that’s what being a chef is for me: bringing people together and making them happy through food,” explained Daniel.</p>
<p>“None of my family members were chefs, but we were always big into cooking from scratch and eating together as a family,” she added. “My mom was a health nut and made us eat healthy, so I thought going into a kitchen I could cook with butter and sugar and cream.”</p>
<p>The name, “Fat Ox” (“bue grasso” in Italian) derives from the eponymous food festival held every December in <strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncalvo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moncalvo</a></strong>, a village in Piedmont, about 28 miles east of Turin in northern Italy. In addition to local cattlemen, Fiera del Bue Grasso also attracts the country’s top chefs and winemakers; together they prepare a traditional meat stew as part of the festivities.</p>
<p>In addition to meat dishes aligning with the cattle-country inspiration, Chef Daniel and her team also offer dishes from the Ligurian coast, centering on Genoa and Sicily. These include poultry and seafood plates roasted over local mesquite; cheeses, house-made pastas, and Caesar salads.</p>
<p>The food can be paired with Fat Ox’s cocktails, craft beers, and a fine wines overseen by house sommelier Mark Rink. To complement Chef Daniel’s selections, he shared a 2016 Il Borro IGT from Tuscany, a magnificently balanced blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, aged in French oak barrels for more than a year.</p>
<p>Fat Ox “showcases how to use authentic, quality products and still have a modern approach to it,” Chef Daniel said. “We like to take one product and do multiple techniques to showcase it.”</p>
<p>For instance, the highly respected Chicago Meats by Linz is a purveyor of choice at the restaurant, and its prime Angus is used in a number of her plates. That includes a starter Chef Daniel suggested, the smooth but delightfully tangy Linz prime beef tartare, with white balsamic, preserved lemon and Parmesan and marigold leaves, and variously sized steaks such as 8-ounce Wagyu ribeye cap, the 16-ounce New York, and the 20-ounce bone-in ribeye.</p>
<p>Chef Carter noted the longevity and continuing success of their relationship: “Because we’ve worked together in a kitchen for more than 10 years, consulted on other projects such as menu development and recipe testing, we have definitely established a comfort level and a similar approach to solving problems,” he said.</p>
<p>“And, even though she’s got a completely different creative skill set when it comes to plating and food styling, it’s complementary to mine,” he added, “and I knew it would be good to have a female chef’s touch in that area.” </p>
<h2>Phoenix to Scottsdale to Sedona to Phoenix</h2>
<p>Chef Daniel attended Madison No.1 Elementary School in Phoenix and Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria, before graduating from the now-closed Scottsdale Culinary Institute. She then worked for five years in professional kitchens Valleywide including Arrowhead Country Club, Continental Catering, The Four Seasons, and the Painted Horse Cafe. At this time, she also was personal chef for families with nutritional needs.</p>
<p>She first worked for Chef Carter at his Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale, was mentored by him, and excelled. He named her chef de cuisine.</p>
<p>“He taught me the brigade system and the classic French techniques that I still use today, how to run a restaurant and working under pressure,” she explained. Under the brigade system, each station prepares a different part of the menu, such as the poissonier (fish cook) and the sauté cook.</p>
<p>Two other Zinc Bistro chefs, Jeremy McMillan and Adam Schop, taught her to nurture a thick skin, especially in a male-dominated industry.</p>
<p>“They made me tough, which definitely helped me being a female in the kitchen,” she explained. “The pressure of working with them at Zinc just made me a better chef.” </p>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/scottsdale_fat_ox_restaurant_interior.jpg" alt="Scottsdale Fat Ox interior" /></p>
<p>But the glass ceiling made her work harder. “Now I feel that people embrace female chefs,” she said. “But in a kitchen, a woman does have to prove herself a bit more than being a male.”</p>
<p>Following her work at Zinc Bistro, she was the executive chef for both Cress on Oak Creek and Etch Kitchen & Bar at L’Auberge de Sedona. “I learned how to run a food and beverage department at a resort, all the financial responsibility and budgeting, how to run multiple outlets and building, and designing my own kitchen,” she said.</p>
<p>She has also offered food demonstrations through Food Network and was selected as a featured chef for the Bocuse d’Or Team USA fundraiser.</p>
<p>“It was an honor to be selected to one of the most prestigious chef competitions in the world and cook for a fundraiser for Team USA, which was held here at a private home in Scottsdale.”</p>
<p>Among her many other honors is being named to the Valley’s “Top 5 Sous Chefs” by the Arizona Republic and as “Best Sous Chef” by AZcentral.com; she was inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame for 2017.</p>
<p>Now, at Fat Ox, she also schedules chef’s tasting menus to showcase foods she wants to cook but aren’t on the menu. In this spirit, I enjoyed the Prince Edward Island Mussels and the magnificent Lorighittas, with foie butter and fresh winter truffles, a dish which in some way should join that menu.</p>
<p>“With these items,” Daniel said, “it’s fun for me to be able to experiment on a smaller scale.”</p>
<h2>The Fat Ox Experience</h2>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/scottsdale_fat_ox_restaurant_exterior.jpg" alt="Scottsdale Fat Ox Restaurant exterior" />In Daniel’s career, she has prepared modern Asian; French; Latin; fast-casual; traditional and contemporary American; and now Italian at Fat Ox. Even with this culinary breadth, she said, “It’s about the whole experience, not just the food.”</p>
<p>That includes the well-designed space by 3rd story Architecture & Interior Design, blending the urbane look of Milan (leather, designer denim, and a long marble-topped, brass-lined bar) with the rustic themes of Arizona and Italy’s cattle country such as wood paneling and communal style tables.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-left: 30px; float: right; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 200px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/rosso_creste_di_gallo_fat_ox.jpg" alt="Rosso Creste di Gallo, Fat Ox" width="200" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Rosso Creste di Gallo, Fat Ox</span></span>Chef’s flexible dinner-only menu is designed for sharing among friends. The first, Antipasti, Formaggio & Salumi, for example, includes the Linz Prime Beef Tartare and the Burrata di Stefano, which perfectly balances sweet, sour and spicy elements such as roasted butternut squash, kumquat agrodolce and red peppers. It’s served with the house fedunta bread.</p>
<p>The Primi Piatti are all made in house, “fatto en caso,” such as one of the chef’s signature dishes, the Rosso Creste di Gallo, with red wine, duck sausage, and huckleberries.</p>
<p>“It’s particularly important to me because it represents my French background fitting in with my current Italian cuisine at Fat Ox,” Daniel said.</p>
<p>And, Secondi Piatti, or main courses, include the meats and fish, slow roasted in a wood-burning grill and rotisserie, such as the 40-ounce Linz Porterhouse, which four can share. Said chef: “I like to do smaller plates but multiple courses where you get to explore and be more adventurous.”</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Fat Ox is open nightly for dinner Sunday through Thursday (5–9 p.m.) and Friday through Saturday (5–10 p.m.). For more information, visit <a href="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/ilovefatox.com" target="_blank">ilovefatox.com</a> or call 480.307.6900 for reservations .</strong></em></p>
<p>By <strong><a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/dave-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David M. Brown</a></strong><br /><a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Scottsdale Digital Group</strong><br /></a><strong>Photos courtesy Fat Ox, Scottsdale</strong></p>
<p> </p>Scottsdale Interior Designer Tanya Shively –– WELL Designed™ Homes 2021-01-10T00:40:35-07:002021-01-10T00:40:35-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/scottsdale-interior-designer-tanya-shively-%E2%80%93%E2%80%93-well-designed%E2%84%A2-homesHal DeKeyser<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/shively_transformed_this_paradise_valley_kitchen_with_new_cabinets_countertops_backsplash_appliances_plumbing_and_lightingjpg.jpg" alt="Photo above: Shively designed Paradise Valley kitchen " /></p>
<p>For years, Scottsdale interior designer Tanya Shively has promoted healthy homes, healthy living and a healthy Earth –– all particularly worthy goals during COVID-19.</p>
<p>She is celebrating 15 years of Sesshu Design Associates, which provides sustainably focused interiors for her clients in and out of the Valley. The name honors the 15th-century Japanese artist, Sesshū Tōyō.</p>
<p><em><strong>Photo above: Shively transformed this Paradise Valley kitchen with new cabinets, countertops, backsplash, appliances, plumbing and lighting. Photo Joe Cottita.</strong></em></p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-left: 30px; float: right; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 240px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/tanya_shively.jpg" alt="Tanya Shively" width="240" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Tanya Shively</span></span>“Your home can be any style, from traditional elegance to modern minimalism, and still be healthy and sustainable,” said Shively, ASID, one of the Arizona’s first LEED-accredited interior designers. Administered by Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification documents that a building is environmentally friendly.</p>
<p>She has completed many large and small renovations as well as whole homes based on her “WELL Designed” principles of Wellness and Wellbeing, Eco-consciousness, Luxury and Livability.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #339966;">First of a series celebrating interior designers in the Scottsdale area.</span><br /></strong></h3>
<p>“The concept is that we design your home to support how you want to live, with special attention to creating a healthy home for your family,” explained Shively, who offices in the Cattle Track arts compound and is moving in February to the Miller and Indian School roads area, also in Scottsdale. “The win-win of choosing materials that are better for your health and respectful of the planet’s resources is our overarching mission.”</p>
<p>But “WELL Designed” concepts extend beyond these, said the Scottsdale resident. “It takes the idea of living well into emotional concepts of well being and wellness, which rating systems do not address.”</p>
<h2>COVID-19 Has Changed Us & Our Homes</h2>
<p>Shively was born in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and grew up admiring and visiting adjacent Grand Teton National Park. “The love of nature, preserving its beauty for future generations and protecting the environment, was always part of my mindset,” she said.</p>
<p>Her father had asthma, which also inspired her to create home interiors free from toxins, mold, dander, allergens and other dangerous elements. “I knew that I wanted to provide a high level of design for clients who wanted to be more sustainable and healthy,” she added.</p>
<p>Early on, architect and author Ed Mazria fortified her eco-awareness. He started the 2030 Project, which envisioned making all architecture sustainable by 2030.</p>
<p>“He opened my eyes to what an impact architecture and buildings have on the environment and, therefore, how much we can change by being more thoughtful about how we design,” Shively noted. <br /> <br />After living in Michigan and Montana, she moved to the Valley in 1992 and worked with Susie Hersker and Design Directives, part of the Interior Studio Group in the Scottsdale Airpark. She then opened Sesshu Design in December 2005, fully committed to green principles.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 500px; width: 100%;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/a_great_view_.jpg" alt="A great view is very inspiring and a good focal point for creating motivation in your exercise room. Photo Technogym." width="500" style="width: 100%; margin: initial; float: none;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">A great view is very inspiring and a good focal point for creating motivation in your exercise room. Photo Technogym.</span></span></p>
<p>Some of these directives include using nontoxic materials, extensive natural light, reclaimed woods and establishing connections to nature through courtyards, fountains, plants and plant walls. Other well-being components she incorporates are lighting-control systems, which can mimic the circadian rhythm of natural daylight, generating more daily alertness and more restful sleep.</p>
<p>For her clients, she also specifies ENERGY STAR® appliances and Smart home technology to monitor and control a home for comfort and utilities savings. Administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy, the program furthers energy efficiency.</p>
<p>Increasingly popular is Universal Design (UD) which includes directives for making a home more accessible and useful for everyone, in particular, the wheelchair bound, the frail or those with arthritis. For them, just turning traditional door knobs and faucets can be difficult. Universal Design elements include fewer stairs, well-lighted passageways, the careful placement of rugs to avoid hazards, lighting-control systems that automatically provide a lit pathway, lowered countertops and vanity tops and widened hallways.</p>
<p>Additionally, home automation systems automatically control window coverings according to sun patterns, helping reduce energy consumption from air-conditioning and eliminating stressful glare. “The drapes/blinds/shades close during the hottest part of the summer day,” she said, “and they can also open to allow passive solar heat gain during winter months.”</p>
<p>And, touchless faucets in the kitchen and bath are becoming more popular and help minimize the spread of germs. Whatever the size of your home or its level of luxury, the health of you and your family, friends and guests –– is paramount.</p>
<p>“When planning your new-build or renovation, don’t make that an afterthought,” she said. “In time spent and cost, it’s best to start with the healthy design priorities and tactics up front rather than adding them later in the process.”</p>
<h2>COVID-19 Has Changed How We Look at Our Homes</h2>
<p>As the pandemic has shifted more time away from the office, it has underscored the benefits of a healthy home. “People have realized just how important their health is and also how their living environment can impact and affect both their physical and mental well being,” she explained. “Our homes are truly our sanctuaries and refuges from the world, and creating a space which lifts your spirit and functions throughout your daily activities is something we all deserve.”</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 700px; width: 100%;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/shivel2.jpg" alt="Shively refreshed this living room of this Desert Mountain contemporary home designed by Bing Hu. Photo Jerry Portelli Architectural Photographic Special" width="700" style="width: 100%; margin: initial; float: none;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Shively refreshed this living room of this Desert Mountain contemporary home designed by Bing Hu. Photo Jerry Portelli Architectural Photographic Special</span></span></p>
<p>Feng Shui (“wind water”) principles, maximizing energy flow into the home, maintains its popularity. These centuries-old Chinese principles emphasize home siting and the placement of doors and windows and even furniture. “With so many people working from home, the proper layout of your workspace for both comfort and function is so much more apparent,” she said.</p>
<p>“For years, my clients have been asking me about exercise rooms, and meditation rooms and dedicated offices are becoming popular, with people staying at home more and reconsidering their living spaces,” she added, noting that her clients are also inquiring about enhancing their outdoor spaces.</p>
<p>Because of the staying-at-home lifestyle and pandemic-generated negativity, her clients are also requesting for bolder, more dramatic color in paints, fabrics and accessories. And, in powder rooms and dining rooms, texture and darker walls are popular.</p>
<p>“Where neutrals are still around, they are trending toward warmer tones again,” she added. “They still want the light, bright, open feeling, so walls and flooring tend to be on the lighter side but maybe not white anymore. At the very least, bringing in some colorful accents in pillows or occasional chairs can help to liven up a space.”</p>
<p>“Grey does not make us feel happy, and color definitely has the power to lift our moods,” she said. “I think we have all had enough of the depressing news this year, and are eager to feel cheerful again.”</p>
<p><em>Tanya Shively is available at 480.275.2968, <a href="mailto:tanya@sesshudesign.com">tanya@sesshudesign.com</a>, <a href="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/Facebook.com/sesshudesign" target="_blank"><strong>Facebook.com/sesshudesign</strong></a> and through <strong><a href="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/sesshudesign.com" target="_blank">sesshudesign.com</a></strong>.</em></p>
<p>By <a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/dave-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>David M. Brown</strong></a><br /><a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Scottsdale Digital Group</strong></a></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p> </p><p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/shively_transformed_this_paradise_valley_kitchen_with_new_cabinets_countertops_backsplash_appliances_plumbing_and_lightingjpg.jpg" alt="Photo above: Shively designed Paradise Valley kitchen " /></p>
<p>For years, Scottsdale interior designer Tanya Shively has promoted healthy homes, healthy living and a healthy Earth –– all particularly worthy goals during COVID-19.</p>
<p>She is celebrating 15 years of Sesshu Design Associates, which provides sustainably focused interiors for her clients in and out of the Valley. The name honors the 15th-century Japanese artist, Sesshū Tōyō.</p>
<p><em><strong>Photo above: Shively transformed this Paradise Valley kitchen with new cabinets, countertops, backsplash, appliances, plumbing and lighting. Photo Joe Cottita.</strong></em></p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-left: 30px; float: right; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 240px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/tanya_shively.jpg" alt="Tanya Shively" width="240" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Tanya Shively</span></span>“Your home can be any style, from traditional elegance to modern minimalism, and still be healthy and sustainable,” said Shively, ASID, one of the Arizona’s first LEED-accredited interior designers. Administered by Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification documents that a building is environmentally friendly.</p>
<p>She has completed many large and small renovations as well as whole homes based on her “WELL Designed” principles of Wellness and Wellbeing, Eco-consciousness, Luxury and Livability.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #339966;">First of a series celebrating interior designers in the Scottsdale area.</span><br /></strong></h3>
<p>“The concept is that we design your home to support how you want to live, with special attention to creating a healthy home for your family,” explained Shively, who offices in the Cattle Track arts compound and is moving in February to the Miller and Indian School roads area, also in Scottsdale. “The win-win of choosing materials that are better for your health and respectful of the planet’s resources is our overarching mission.”</p>
<p>But “WELL Designed” concepts extend beyond these, said the Scottsdale resident. “It takes the idea of living well into emotional concepts of well being and wellness, which rating systems do not address.”</p>
<h2>COVID-19 Has Changed Us & Our Homes</h2>
<p>Shively was born in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and grew up admiring and visiting adjacent Grand Teton National Park. “The love of nature, preserving its beauty for future generations and protecting the environment, was always part of my mindset,” she said.</p>
<p>Her father had asthma, which also inspired her to create home interiors free from toxins, mold, dander, allergens and other dangerous elements. “I knew that I wanted to provide a high level of design for clients who wanted to be more sustainable and healthy,” she added.</p>
<p>Early on, architect and author Ed Mazria fortified her eco-awareness. He started the 2030 Project, which envisioned making all architecture sustainable by 2030.</p>
<p>“He opened my eyes to what an impact architecture and buildings have on the environment and, therefore, how much we can change by being more thoughtful about how we design,” Shively noted. <br /> <br />After living in Michigan and Montana, she moved to the Valley in 1992 and worked with Susie Hersker and Design Directives, part of the Interior Studio Group in the Scottsdale Airpark. She then opened Sesshu Design in December 2005, fully committed to green principles.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 500px; width: 100%;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/a_great_view_.jpg" alt="A great view is very inspiring and a good focal point for creating motivation in your exercise room. Photo Technogym." width="500" style="width: 100%; margin: initial; float: none;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">A great view is very inspiring and a good focal point for creating motivation in your exercise room. Photo Technogym.</span></span></p>
<p>Some of these directives include using nontoxic materials, extensive natural light, reclaimed woods and establishing connections to nature through courtyards, fountains, plants and plant walls. Other well-being components she incorporates are lighting-control systems, which can mimic the circadian rhythm of natural daylight, generating more daily alertness and more restful sleep.</p>
<p>For her clients, she also specifies ENERGY STAR® appliances and Smart home technology to monitor and control a home for comfort and utilities savings. Administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy, the program furthers energy efficiency.</p>
<p>Increasingly popular is Universal Design (UD) which includes directives for making a home more accessible and useful for everyone, in particular, the wheelchair bound, the frail or those with arthritis. For them, just turning traditional door knobs and faucets can be difficult. Universal Design elements include fewer stairs, well-lighted passageways, the careful placement of rugs to avoid hazards, lighting-control systems that automatically provide a lit pathway, lowered countertops and vanity tops and widened hallways.</p>
<p>Additionally, home automation systems automatically control window coverings according to sun patterns, helping reduce energy consumption from air-conditioning and eliminating stressful glare. “The drapes/blinds/shades close during the hottest part of the summer day,” she said, “and they can also open to allow passive solar heat gain during winter months.”</p>
<p>And, touchless faucets in the kitchen and bath are becoming more popular and help minimize the spread of germs. Whatever the size of your home or its level of luxury, the health of you and your family, friends and guests –– is paramount.</p>
<p>“When planning your new-build or renovation, don’t make that an afterthought,” she said. “In time spent and cost, it’s best to start with the healthy design priorities and tactics up front rather than adding them later in the process.”</p>
<h2>COVID-19 Has Changed How We Look at Our Homes</h2>
<p>As the pandemic has shifted more time away from the office, it has underscored the benefits of a healthy home. “People have realized just how important their health is and also how their living environment can impact and affect both their physical and mental well being,” she explained. “Our homes are truly our sanctuaries and refuges from the world, and creating a space which lifts your spirit and functions throughout your daily activities is something we all deserve.”</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block; border: 1px solid rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 700px; width: 100%;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/shivel2.jpg" alt="Shively refreshed this living room of this Desert Mountain contemporary home designed by Bing Hu. Photo Jerry Portelli Architectural Photographic Special" width="700" style="width: 100%; margin: initial; float: none;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Shively refreshed this living room of this Desert Mountain contemporary home designed by Bing Hu. Photo Jerry Portelli Architectural Photographic Special</span></span></p>
<p>Feng Shui (“wind water”) principles, maximizing energy flow into the home, maintains its popularity. These centuries-old Chinese principles emphasize home siting and the placement of doors and windows and even furniture. “With so many people working from home, the proper layout of your workspace for both comfort and function is so much more apparent,” she said.</p>
<p>“For years, my clients have been asking me about exercise rooms, and meditation rooms and dedicated offices are becoming popular, with people staying at home more and reconsidering their living spaces,” she added, noting that her clients are also inquiring about enhancing their outdoor spaces.</p>
<p>Because of the staying-at-home lifestyle and pandemic-generated negativity, her clients are also requesting for bolder, more dramatic color in paints, fabrics and accessories. And, in powder rooms and dining rooms, texture and darker walls are popular.</p>
<p>“Where neutrals are still around, they are trending toward warmer tones again,” she added. “They still want the light, bright, open feeling, so walls and flooring tend to be on the lighter side but maybe not white anymore. At the very least, bringing in some colorful accents in pillows or occasional chairs can help to liven up a space.”</p>
<p>“Grey does not make us feel happy, and color definitely has the power to lift our moods,” she said. “I think we have all had enough of the depressing news this year, and are eager to feel cheerful again.”</p>
<p><em>Tanya Shively is available at 480.275.2968, <a href="mailto:tanya@sesshudesign.com">tanya@sesshudesign.com</a>, <a href="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/Facebook.com/sesshudesign" target="_blank"><strong>Facebook.com/sesshudesign</strong></a> and through <strong><a href="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/sesshudesign.com" target="_blank">sesshudesign.com</a></strong>.</em></p>
<p>By <a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/dave-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>David M. Brown</strong></a><br /><a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Scottsdale Digital Group</strong></a></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p> </p>For Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale co-owner, pandemic means more community giving2020-12-11T22:26:19-07:002020-12-11T22:26:19-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/for-mercedes-benz-scottsdale-co-owner-pandemic-means-more-community-givingHal DeKeyser<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/mercedes_scottsdale_1000.jpg" alt="Mercedes Benz Scottsdale showroom" /></p>
<p class="western">Responding to the effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable members of the community, Anita Theisen, co-owner of <strong><a href="https://www.mbscottsdale.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale</a></strong>, and husband Chuck have established the dealership’s yearlong D.R.I.V.E initiative supporting Valley causes and charities. Many have lost critical funding because of the economic downturn.</p>
<p class="western">Providing $5,000 each month to a specific group, Donations for Recovery & Investment began in June with Phoenix-based Fresh Start Women’s /Foundation, which provides education, resources and support for women in crisis. The pandemic has forced many couples to remain at home, and domestic violence has spiked nationwide.</p>
<p class="western">In May, the Theisens chose the Arizona Children’s Association, helping with pandemic-specific issues for highly vulnerable children; Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank and the Scottsdale Fire Fighters Association followed. The most recent beneficiary is One Step Beyond, a private nonprofit benefiting adults with intellectual disabilities. Next up is GiGi’s Playhouse, which increases awareness for those with Down syndrome through education and empowerment.</p>
<p class="western"><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-left: 30px; float: right; max-width: 250px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/anita_theisen_mercedes-benz_of_scottsdale_250.jpg" alt="Anita Theisen, Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale " width="250" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Anita Theisen, Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale </span></span>“As we all experience unprecedented events, Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale is grateful to be in a position to assist organizations that provide essential services,” she said. “We hope everyone can also join us in supporting our D.R.I.V.E. initiative, and each month we will be encouraging everyone in our dealership’s extended family to also donate to these incredible organizations. Now more than ever, small businesses and nonprofit organizations need our support to help get through these challenging times.”</p>
<p class="western">She added: “We are a family deeply rooted in the community. Everyone is suffering through this pandemic, but it has affected some far worse than others, in particular, those whose jobs do not allow them to work from home. There is a great urgency now. We want to help.”</p>
<p class="western">The focus is food insecurity, mental health and domestic violence because these are areas where the need for support has intensified because of the pandemic, the lock downs and resulting job losses. “Our goal is to help with the immediate crisis needs,” she said. “We sincerely hope that the difficulties many families are experiencing from the pandemic have eased by the middle of 2021.”</p>
<p class="western">DRIVE continues Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale’s historical commitment to organizations that support the community. These include the Jones-Gordon School, for students with special needs, Homeward Bound, Arizona Science Center, HopeKids, Health Network Foundation, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic and Valley View Leadership.</p>
<p class="western">Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale, 4725 North Scottsdale Road, was the Phoenix Motor Company at Third Avenue and Indian School Road in mid-town Phoenix. Anita’s father-in-law, Joe Theisen, bought the dealership out of bankruptcy in 1964 and made it thrive. Now, at 50-plus years, it is the oldest Mercedes-Benz dealership in Arizona. Chuck, in fact, is the third generation in his family to be a car dealer because his maternal grandfather also owned dealerships, she explained.</p>
<p class="western">The dealership moved to the Scottsdale Fashion Square location at the end of 2012 and today employs 100 people. “We were thrilled when we found this piece of property,” she said. “We are now in the heart of our customer base.</p>
<p class="western">“There are other dealerships in the Valley that are owned and operated by publicly traded companies. We are a family-owned, independent, local business and feel fortunate to be able to live and work here,” she added.</p>
<p class="western">“We know our community because we are a part of it.”</p>
<p class="western"><b>A Family Tradition of Service</b></p>
<p class="western">Anita’s background is in architecture and commercial real estate development, and Chuck came into the business as a lawyer with an MBA. Both have graduated from the National Automobile Dealers Association General Dealership Management program. “This has turned out to be an excellent combination for the automotive business,” she explained. “We love working together and feel fortunate that we are able to do so. Family and business are one and the same for me.” </p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/mercedes-benz_of_scottsdale_showroom_900.jpg" alt="Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale showroom" width="900" style="width: 100%; margin: initial; float: none;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale showroom</span></span></p>
<p class="western">She grew up outside Washington, D.C. Her family is mixed; her mother’s background is European, her father’s is Indian. As a result, she experienced many differences such as diet, religions, holidays and clothing.</p>
<p class="western">“The two sides of my family look nothing alike, pray differently and eat totally different foods. But, they have a shared focus on the importance of education and service to one’s community,” she said. “As an adult, I feel grateful to have this mixed background. I am very comfortable with diversity. We need to see each other as individuals, not as labels.”</p>
<p class="western">Her bachelor’s degree is from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. She worked at MIT in a research lab, then moved to Los Angeles to earn a master’s in architecture.</p>
<p class="western">“Upon graduation, I was offered a job in London working in publishing on architecture books, so of course I took it!” Theisen said. She stayed in London for about five and a half years, working in publishing and curating exhibitions for museums. </p>
<p class="western">Returning to the United States, she attended New York University for a second master’s degree, this in Real Estate Finance and Development. She moved to Arizona in 2005 and met Chuck the following year.</p>
<p class="western">“Arizona became my heart home,” she said.</p>
<p class="western">Her community interests center on education. She is a vice-chair of the board of trustees of the Arizona Science Center, which she has been associated with for about a decade.</p>
<p class="western">“I think a lot about formal vs. informal education and the roles that institutions outside our schools play in helping young people learn,” Theisen said. She’s also involved with initiatives to help students with dyslexia, which affects several family members. </p>
<p class="western">The community has responded to the generosity in these particularly challenging times.</p>
<p class="western">Jan Terhune, executive director of Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank, thanked Anita, Chuck and the dealership, saying, “We are navigating the 2020 and 2021 ‘back to school’ landscape and ramping up our Meals to Grow student hunger relief programs. Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale’s very generous gift will help with the distribution of over 10,000 backpack meals to area students ages 4–21.”</p>
<p class="western">One Step Beyond executive director of Arizona Development & Communications, Jeff Swanson, said people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities are more likely to die from COVID-19, causing an added and continual crisis for these individuals. [They] and their families thrive on routine, familiar activities and people, such as family and friends. They may not understand why they need to wear a mask in public or why they aren’t able to meet with or hug their friends.”</p>
<p class="western">And Jacob Schmitt, president and CEO of the Arizona Children’s Association, said, “The children and families we serve have been personally hit hard during this pandemic, as many live on fixed incomes and face limited financial resources. This gift will go a long way to guarantee that our families have the resources available to ensure they have what they need to help weather this storm.”</p>
<p class="western"><strong>By <a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/dave-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David M. Brown<br /></a></strong><a href="https://www.azwriter.com/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>AZWriter.com</strong><br /></a><a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>Scottsdale Digital Group</b></a></p>
<p class="western"> </p><p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/mercedes_scottsdale_1000.jpg" alt="Mercedes Benz Scottsdale showroom" /></p>
<p class="western">Responding to the effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable members of the community, Anita Theisen, co-owner of <strong><a href="https://www.mbscottsdale.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale</a></strong>, and husband Chuck have established the dealership’s yearlong D.R.I.V.E initiative supporting Valley causes and charities. Many have lost critical funding because of the economic downturn.</p>
<p class="western">Providing $5,000 each month to a specific group, Donations for Recovery & Investment began in June with Phoenix-based Fresh Start Women’s /Foundation, which provides education, resources and support for women in crisis. The pandemic has forced many couples to remain at home, and domestic violence has spiked nationwide.</p>
<p class="western">In May, the Theisens chose the Arizona Children’s Association, helping with pandemic-specific issues for highly vulnerable children; Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank and the Scottsdale Fire Fighters Association followed. The most recent beneficiary is One Step Beyond, a private nonprofit benefiting adults with intellectual disabilities. Next up is GiGi’s Playhouse, which increases awareness for those with Down syndrome through education and empowerment.</p>
<p class="western"><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-left: 30px; float: right; max-width: 250px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/anita_theisen_mercedes-benz_of_scottsdale_250.jpg" alt="Anita Theisen, Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale " width="250" style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Anita Theisen, Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale </span></span>“As we all experience unprecedented events, Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale is grateful to be in a position to assist organizations that provide essential services,” she said. “We hope everyone can also join us in supporting our D.R.I.V.E. initiative, and each month we will be encouraging everyone in our dealership’s extended family to also donate to these incredible organizations. Now more than ever, small businesses and nonprofit organizations need our support to help get through these challenging times.”</p>
<p class="western">She added: “We are a family deeply rooted in the community. Everyone is suffering through this pandemic, but it has affected some far worse than others, in particular, those whose jobs do not allow them to work from home. There is a great urgency now. We want to help.”</p>
<p class="western">The focus is food insecurity, mental health and domestic violence because these are areas where the need for support has intensified because of the pandemic, the lock downs and resulting job losses. “Our goal is to help with the immediate crisis needs,” she said. “We sincerely hope that the difficulties many families are experiencing from the pandemic have eased by the middle of 2021.”</p>
<p class="western">DRIVE continues Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale’s historical commitment to organizations that support the community. These include the Jones-Gordon School, for students with special needs, Homeward Bound, Arizona Science Center, HopeKids, Health Network Foundation, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic and Valley View Leadership.</p>
<p class="western">Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale, 4725 North Scottsdale Road, was the Phoenix Motor Company at Third Avenue and Indian School Road in mid-town Phoenix. Anita’s father-in-law, Joe Theisen, bought the dealership out of bankruptcy in 1964 and made it thrive. Now, at 50-plus years, it is the oldest Mercedes-Benz dealership in Arizona. Chuck, in fact, is the third generation in his family to be a car dealer because his maternal grandfather also owned dealerships, she explained.</p>
<p class="western">The dealership moved to the Scottsdale Fashion Square location at the end of 2012 and today employs 100 people. “We were thrilled when we found this piece of property,” she said. “We are now in the heart of our customer base.</p>
<p class="western">“There are other dealerships in the Valley that are owned and operated by publicly traded companies. We are a family-owned, independent, local business and feel fortunate to be able to live and work here,” she added.</p>
<p class="western">“We know our community because we are a part of it.”</p>
<p class="western"><b>A Family Tradition of Service</b></p>
<p class="western">Anita’s background is in architecture and commercial real estate development, and Chuck came into the business as a lawyer with an MBA. Both have graduated from the National Automobile Dealers Association General Dealership Management program. “This has turned out to be an excellent combination for the automotive business,” she explained. “We love working together and feel fortunate that we are able to do so. Family and business are one and the same for me.” </p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/mercedes-benz_of_scottsdale_showroom_900.jpg" alt="Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale showroom" width="900" style="width: 100%; margin: initial; float: none;" role="figure" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale showroom</span></span></p>
<p class="western">She grew up outside Washington, D.C. Her family is mixed; her mother’s background is European, her father’s is Indian. As a result, she experienced many differences such as diet, religions, holidays and clothing.</p>
<p class="western">“The two sides of my family look nothing alike, pray differently and eat totally different foods. But, they have a shared focus on the importance of education and service to one’s community,” she said. “As an adult, I feel grateful to have this mixed background. I am very comfortable with diversity. We need to see each other as individuals, not as labels.”</p>
<p class="western">Her bachelor’s degree is from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. She worked at MIT in a research lab, then moved to Los Angeles to earn a master’s in architecture.</p>
<p class="western">“Upon graduation, I was offered a job in London working in publishing on architecture books, so of course I took it!” Theisen said. She stayed in London for about five and a half years, working in publishing and curating exhibitions for museums. </p>
<p class="western">Returning to the United States, she attended New York University for a second master’s degree, this in Real Estate Finance and Development. She moved to Arizona in 2005 and met Chuck the following year.</p>
<p class="western">“Arizona became my heart home,” she said.</p>
<p class="western">Her community interests center on education. She is a vice-chair of the board of trustees of the Arizona Science Center, which she has been associated with for about a decade.</p>
<p class="western">“I think a lot about formal vs. informal education and the roles that institutions outside our schools play in helping young people learn,” Theisen said. She’s also involved with initiatives to help students with dyslexia, which affects several family members. </p>
<p class="western">The community has responded to the generosity in these particularly challenging times.</p>
<p class="western">Jan Terhune, executive director of Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank, thanked Anita, Chuck and the dealership, saying, “We are navigating the 2020 and 2021 ‘back to school’ landscape and ramping up our Meals to Grow student hunger relief programs. Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale’s very generous gift will help with the distribution of over 10,000 backpack meals to area students ages 4–21.”</p>
<p class="western">One Step Beyond executive director of Arizona Development & Communications, Jeff Swanson, said people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities are more likely to die from COVID-19, causing an added and continual crisis for these individuals. [They] and their families thrive on routine, familiar activities and people, such as family and friends. They may not understand why they need to wear a mask in public or why they aren’t able to meet with or hug their friends.”</p>
<p class="western">And Jacob Schmitt, president and CEO of the Arizona Children’s Association, said, “The children and families we serve have been personally hit hard during this pandemic, as many live on fixed incomes and face limited financial resources. This gift will go a long way to guarantee that our families have the resources available to ensure they have what they need to help weather this storm.”</p>
<p class="western"><strong>By <a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/dave-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David M. Brown<br /></a></strong><a href="https://www.azwriter.com/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>AZWriter.com</strong><br /></a><a href="https://www.scottsdaledigitalgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>Scottsdale Digital Group</b></a></p>
<p class="western"> </p>Survey – Scottsdale’s a Top 10 City for Women2020-06-27T20:47:56-07:002020-06-27T20:47:56-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/survey-%E2%80%93-scottsdales-a-top-10-city-for-womenHal DeKeyser<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/successful_woman.jpg" alt="Successful woman" /></p>
<p>We know Scottsdale is a great place to live for most who call it home. A new ranking puts Scottsdale in the top 20 cities in America for women.</p>
<p>The West’s Most Western Town came in at No. 7.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.kake.com/story/42286371/cities-where-women-are-most-successful-2020-edition" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> According to the findings</a>,</strong></span> Scottsdale:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em> “finishes in the top 20 for three different metrics: It ranks 19th-highest for percentage of women with a bachelor’s degree (54.77%), 18th-highest for median annual earnings for full-time working women ($57,749) and 13th-highest for percentage of full-time working women with earnings of at least $75,000 (39.25%).”</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The top 5, according to the SmartAsset survey, were Cary, NC (in the Raleigh-Durham tech Triangle); Washington DC area and Arlington, VA, (home to federal government employees); tech and Boeing heavy Seattle; and Minneapolis, which got on the list thanks to more than half the population having bachelor’s degrees.</p>
<p>Before too much gloating wells up, know that Chandler, AZ, came in 6<sup>th</sup>, just above Scottsdale. Gilbert also made the Top 50 list, coming in at 42<sup>nd</sup>. No other Arizona municipalities were represented.</p>
<p>Both Scottsdale and Chandler moved up one position from the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://smartasset.com/checking-account/where-women-are-most-successful-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">same study in 2019</a></strong></span>, while Gilbert fell from 14<sup>th</sup> to 42<sup>nd</sup>.</p><p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/successful_woman.jpg" alt="Successful woman" /></p>
<p>We know Scottsdale is a great place to live for most who call it home. A new ranking puts Scottsdale in the top 20 cities in America for women.</p>
<p>The West’s Most Western Town came in at No. 7.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.kake.com/story/42286371/cities-where-women-are-most-successful-2020-edition" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> According to the findings</a>,</strong></span> Scottsdale:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em> “finishes in the top 20 for three different metrics: It ranks 19th-highest for percentage of women with a bachelor’s degree (54.77%), 18th-highest for median annual earnings for full-time working women ($57,749) and 13th-highest for percentage of full-time working women with earnings of at least $75,000 (39.25%).”</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The top 5, according to the SmartAsset survey, were Cary, NC (in the Raleigh-Durham tech Triangle); Washington DC area and Arlington, VA, (home to federal government employees); tech and Boeing heavy Seattle; and Minneapolis, which got on the list thanks to more than half the population having bachelor’s degrees.</p>
<p>Before too much gloating wells up, know that Chandler, AZ, came in 6<sup>th</sup>, just above Scottsdale. Gilbert also made the Top 50 list, coming in at 42<sup>nd</sup>. No other Arizona municipalities were represented.</p>
<p>Both Scottsdale and Chandler moved up one position from the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://smartasset.com/checking-account/where-women-are-most-successful-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">same study in 2019</a></strong></span>, while Gilbert fell from 14<sup>th</sup> to 42<sup>nd</sup>.</p>3 Women Lead Next Gen at Scottsdale’s Candelaria Design Associates2020-06-17T22:20:49-07:002020-06-17T22:20:49-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/3-women-lead-next-gen-at-scottsdales-candelaria-design-associatesHal DeKeyser<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/health/fitness/candaleria_team.jpg" alt="Candaleria execs" /> Three women partners are leading the next generation at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.candelariadesign.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Candelaria Design Associates.</a></strong></span></p>
<p>Founded by Mark Candelaria, AIA, 21 years ago in Phoenix, this architecture firm is widely celebrated for its luxury home designs, customized to each owner’s lifestyle.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Photo: Candelaria Design Associates partners Meredith Thomson, Vivian Ayala, Mark Candelaria, Evelyn Jung. (Photo: Pearl Blossom Photography)</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The trio of principals at Scottsdale-based CDA are Vivian Ayala, who joined the firm in July 2000; Evelyn Jung, who has been with the company since October 2005; and Meredith Thomson, AIA, an architect hired in the spring of 2013. Complementing them are 15 associate architects and support staff including Tiffany Candelaria, Mark’s daughter and the media manager, and the firm’s Director of Lasting Impressions, Janice Rantanen.</p>
<p>“Vivian, Evelyn, and Meredith have not only helped Candelaria grow in the past two decades, but these multi-talented women have also allowed us to achieve and maintain our signature of imagining lifestyle-driven homes for our clients, homes that we design to their design,” says Candelaria, a Denver native who attended ASU’s architecture school.</p>
<p>CDA’s history of homes range from 2,000 to 60,000-plus square feet, mostly in up-market Valley communities such as Arcadia in Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Desert Mountain, Estancia and Silverleaf in north Scottsdale, and out-of-state in areas including Santa Barbara, California, and the Hamptons in Long Island, New York.</p>
<p>“Each of these women has been essential to our team’s success,” adds Candelaria, who has recently transitioned to a robust semi-retirement including home designing, hosting gourmet cooking classes, blogging and podcasting, and leading travel tours to Napa, Spain, and Italy. Those are scheduled to resume in 2021.</p>
<p>“I often get the sound bites and the glitter,” he adds, “but Vivian, Evelyn, and Meredith, and my wonderful wife Isabel have all allowed me to step back a bit and enjoy some of my life’s other passions.”</p>
<h2>Vivian Ayala –– The Hills Are Alive</h2>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/health/fitness/vivian_ayala_was_the_architect_for_casa_ibiza_arizona_candelaria_design_associates_rendering_jeff_simutis.jpg" alt="Casa Ibiza, Arizona " /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Vivian Ayala was the principal for Casa Ibiza, Arizona (Candelaria Design Associates, rendering Jeff Simutis)</strong></p>
<p>A year after founding CDA, Mark already needed assistance at the drawing boards. He quickly added Jeffrey Kramer, a registered architect, and Vivian Ayala. Born in Puerto Rico, she graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in environmental design and added a master’s in architecture at Arizona State University in 2000.</p>
<p>Her job start is a classic story of determination. Candelaria tells it often.</p>
<p>She heard about the opening shortly after graduation and called for what became a “life-changing” interview. She immediately impressed Mark with her portfolio, work ethic, and spirited personality.</p>
<p>But, with a Puerto Rican accent from her birthplace, Mark sensed possible communication challenges. So he held off making the hire and left for one of his early Italy tours. When he returned, Vivian was diligently working at one of the firm’s computers, thinking that she had been offered the job.</p>
<p>Candelaria asked his front desk coordinator what had happened.</p>
<p>“We thought you hired her,” she told Mark.</p>
<p>“Vivian showed up the next day, so we put her to work,” she replied. “I asked how her work was,” Mark recalls, “and she responded, ‘Amazing!’ Well, let’s keep her then’ was my happy response.”</p>
<p>Ayala has been with the firm since and was named a principal and part owner on May 12, 2017.</p>
<p>“Anything is possible with hard work and commitment,” Mark says.</p>
<p>“I grew up in a very small family atmosphere, and I am the middle child of three daughters,” notes Ayala, who will celebrate 20 years at CDA in July. “My older and younger sisters chose to be in the medical field, while I, as middle child, decided to go on the more artistic side with my interests in art and architecture.”</p>
<p>Today, she enjoys her family, 14-year-old daughter, Gabby. “She is one of my biggest teachers,” Ayala says. “I love to spend time with this young soul who makes me laugh every second.”</p>
<p>At CDA, she and Thomson are both Directors of Architecture and Production. Ayala specializes in hillside projects in Paradise Valley, which have always been her passion.</p>
<p>“I have been blessed beyond words to have been given the opportunity, along with these strong women, to become a principal of our company,” she adds. “It is amazing to share the dynamics of this women trio and the much fun we have every day.”</p>
<p>Candelaria has inspired excellence in her and everyone, she says: “excellence from the moment you serve a coffee to a client, from the moment you make a client smile, from the moment your client shares their personal journey. He offers everyone in the team opportunities and incentives to excel and to succeed.”</p>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/health/fitness/sanctuary_home_vivian_ayala_architect_candelaria_design_associates._photo_courtesy_candelaria_design_associates.jpg" alt="Sanctuary home, Vivian Ayala, architect," /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Sanctuary home, Vivian Ayala, principal, Candelaria Design Associates. (Photo courtesy Candelaria Design Associates)</strong></p>
<h2> Evelyn Jung –– At Home at Work, At Work at Home</h2>
<p>Jung joined CDA in October 2005 as Mark’s executive assistant. Two years later, as the Great Recession began its multi-year stay in Arizona, she became the firm’s Director of Finance and HR. On Jan. 8, 2015, she was named an associate and three years later a partner.</p>
<p>She manages the business operations, human resources, marketing, and business development.</p>
<p>“It’s my job to keep the company running smoothly, so my partners can focus on the architecture,” she says. A football devotee, she sees it as a metaphor for what makes a team great: “I use ‘coaching’ as a comparison to management every day.” </p>
<p>Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, she moved to Japan and throughout the United States for more than 20 years with her Air Force family.</p>
<p>“Traveling is in my blood, and I have always appreciated different cultures, religions, and scenery,” she says. “When you move from place to place, you learn how to adapt and adjust, so it was valuable experience at an early age.” </p>
<p>She moved to Phoenix when she was 14 with her mother. Later, after working in management at David’s Bridal in Scottsdale, she decided to take a temporary job so she could focus on her education at ASU. This brought her to CDA.</p>
<p>“My pursuit for my degree at ASU was sidelined for a while, but slowly and surely I’m very close to completing my bachelor’s degree of science in economics –– for my kids at the very least,” she says. She’s also working on a real estate license.</p>
<p>Many companies, Jung believes, forget that team members are mothers, fathers, wives, and husbands.</p>
<p>“Our jobs are only one part of our lives. We find it very important connecting with our team and now more than ever making sure that they are mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy,” she says, noting that the CDA team has been working at home since March because of the pandemic.</p>
<p>As a result, she has been challenged by her many duties for the firm while also home-schooling her two boys, Nathan, 8, and Evan, 5.</p>
<p>“All you can do when you don’t have a choice is adjust and adapt, which is what our family did by working in the day and teaching at night.”</p>
<p>She and Scott celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on June 5.</p>
<p>“He is forever my beacon,” she says. “I don’t know how it happened, but I’m surrounded by people that I love and adore at work and home.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 1rem; caret-color: auto;">The people and the culture at CDA reveal the spirit of the multifaceted Candelaria, one of whose core messages is, echoing similar thoughts of her mentors and parents: “You don’t have to be wealthy to live well.”</span></p>
<p> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>“Our mission encompasses so many aspects of our lives: architecture, business, food, travel, marketing, and art,” Jung adds. “My partners Vivian and Meredith and my constant mentor, Mark, have the same passion and talent, which makes our team unstoppable.” </p>
<h2>Meredith Thomson –– The Joyous Puzzle of a Remodel</h2>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/health/fitness/arcadia_home_rebuild_meredith_thomson_architect_candelaria_design_associates._photo_meredith_thomson.jpg" alt="Arcadia home rebuild, Meredith Thomson, architect" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Arcadia home rebuild, Meredith Thomson, principal, Candelaria Design Associates. (Photo Meredith Thomson)</strong></p>
<p>Thomson is also a Director of Architecture Design and Production. “We always have at least two of us on a project, and we work in tandem with the project managers,” she says. “Mark, Vivian, and I are in constant communication, so we all have a good understanding of goals for each project, so we can jump in at any time to give guidance.”</p>
<p>She grew up in the citrus-lush Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix. Her parents moved to the Valley from Indiana, and they live there during the summer and in Arizona for the winter.</p>
<p>After graduating from Xavier High School, Thomson attended the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, graduating in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. For her fourth year of the program, she traveled throughout Italy and Europe, which intensified her passion for traditional design.</p>
<p>Back in the United States, she interned that summer in Chicago with Liederbach and Graham Architects, which helped her discover residential architecture.</p>
<p>After graduation, she went farther east to work with Fairfax and Sammons Architects in New York City. For three years she completed projects in and outside of Manhattan, including a West Village townhouse and a Long Island summer home.</p>
<p>Missing the West, she started making her way back home and ended up at Peter Pennoyer Architects, a New York-based firm with a San Francisco office. She then transitioned to interior design with Tucker and Marks Interior Design, also in the city. In all, she was in San Francisco for seven years.</p>
<p>She returned to Phoenix in the spring of 2013. Her brother and his family moved from San Francisco as well. Today Thomson lives with her boyfriend Ryan and his three “adorable kids,” Ellie, Patrick, and Tatum. </p>
<p>“When looking for firms to transition to leaving San Francisco, I was thrilled to be introduced to Mark and his team,” she recalls. “My mom actually recommended I reach out to him because she was seeing his signs all over the place. There was an instant connection about hand drafting and traditional architecture, and I knew I had found my home.”</p>
<p>Meredith became a partner and principal of Candelaria Design in December 2018.</p>
<p>“Evelyn and Vivian are two of the strongest, hardest-working, and smartest women I know,” she says. “I am honored to be by their side. They elevate me, and each of them brings something unique to our team.”</p>
<p>Thomson loves renovations, as much of her work in New York and San Francisco was on existing homes.</p>
<p>“I love the puzzle of a remodel and applying my knowledge of traditional traits like symmetry, proportion, and scale but introducing more modern touches,” she says. “It has really turned out to be my passion.”</p>
<h2>Designing the Next Decades</h2>
<p>The CDA future: Expand the firm’s luxury home portfolio throughout the country, develop its exciting lifestyle brand, and continue the legacy of quality architecture and customer service.</p>
<p>“All of us know that being truthful to ourselves and our clients will lead to the path we all want: success,” Ayala says.</p>
<p>Adds Thompson: “We come to work every day not for a job but for the passion we share at Candelaria. The day it becomes a job is the day our magic disappears. I strive to make sure that magic continues.”</p>
<p>And Jung: “Mark has taught us that finding people with the same drive and ambition only makes the firm stronger. At the same time, we encourage collaboration and leave the egos at the door. All of us want to continue a legacy that eliminates glass ceilings, encourages innovative designs, and inspires people to live life to the fullest.”</p>
<p><strong>David M. Brown is a Valley-based freelancer (azwriter.com).</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/health/fitness/candaleria_team.jpg" alt="Candaleria execs" /> Three women partners are leading the next generation at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.candelariadesign.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Candelaria Design Associates.</a></strong></span></p>
<p>Founded by Mark Candelaria, AIA, 21 years ago in Phoenix, this architecture firm is widely celebrated for its luxury home designs, customized to each owner’s lifestyle.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Photo: Candelaria Design Associates partners Meredith Thomson, Vivian Ayala, Mark Candelaria, Evelyn Jung. (Photo: Pearl Blossom Photography)</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The trio of principals at Scottsdale-based CDA are Vivian Ayala, who joined the firm in July 2000; Evelyn Jung, who has been with the company since October 2005; and Meredith Thomson, AIA, an architect hired in the spring of 2013. Complementing them are 15 associate architects and support staff including Tiffany Candelaria, Mark’s daughter and the media manager, and the firm’s Director of Lasting Impressions, Janice Rantanen.</p>
<p>“Vivian, Evelyn, and Meredith have not only helped Candelaria grow in the past two decades, but these multi-talented women have also allowed us to achieve and maintain our signature of imagining lifestyle-driven homes for our clients, homes that we design to their design,” says Candelaria, a Denver native who attended ASU’s architecture school.</p>
<p>CDA’s history of homes range from 2,000 to 60,000-plus square feet, mostly in up-market Valley communities such as Arcadia in Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Desert Mountain, Estancia and Silverleaf in north Scottsdale, and out-of-state in areas including Santa Barbara, California, and the Hamptons in Long Island, New York.</p>
<p>“Each of these women has been essential to our team’s success,” adds Candelaria, who has recently transitioned to a robust semi-retirement including home designing, hosting gourmet cooking classes, blogging and podcasting, and leading travel tours to Napa, Spain, and Italy. Those are scheduled to resume in 2021.</p>
<p>“I often get the sound bites and the glitter,” he adds, “but Vivian, Evelyn, and Meredith, and my wonderful wife Isabel have all allowed me to step back a bit and enjoy some of my life’s other passions.”</p>
<h2>Vivian Ayala –– The Hills Are Alive</h2>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/health/fitness/vivian_ayala_was_the_architect_for_casa_ibiza_arizona_candelaria_design_associates_rendering_jeff_simutis.jpg" alt="Casa Ibiza, Arizona " /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Vivian Ayala was the principal for Casa Ibiza, Arizona (Candelaria Design Associates, rendering Jeff Simutis)</strong></p>
<p>A year after founding CDA, Mark already needed assistance at the drawing boards. He quickly added Jeffrey Kramer, a registered architect, and Vivian Ayala. Born in Puerto Rico, she graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in environmental design and added a master’s in architecture at Arizona State University in 2000.</p>
<p>Her job start is a classic story of determination. Candelaria tells it often.</p>
<p>She heard about the opening shortly after graduation and called for what became a “life-changing” interview. She immediately impressed Mark with her portfolio, work ethic, and spirited personality.</p>
<p>But, with a Puerto Rican accent from her birthplace, Mark sensed possible communication challenges. So he held off making the hire and left for one of his early Italy tours. When he returned, Vivian was diligently working at one of the firm’s computers, thinking that she had been offered the job.</p>
<p>Candelaria asked his front desk coordinator what had happened.</p>
<p>“We thought you hired her,” she told Mark.</p>
<p>“Vivian showed up the next day, so we put her to work,” she replied. “I asked how her work was,” Mark recalls, “and she responded, ‘Amazing!’ Well, let’s keep her then’ was my happy response.”</p>
<p>Ayala has been with the firm since and was named a principal and part owner on May 12, 2017.</p>
<p>“Anything is possible with hard work and commitment,” Mark says.</p>
<p>“I grew up in a very small family atmosphere, and I am the middle child of three daughters,” notes Ayala, who will celebrate 20 years at CDA in July. “My older and younger sisters chose to be in the medical field, while I, as middle child, decided to go on the more artistic side with my interests in art and architecture.”</p>
<p>Today, she enjoys her family, 14-year-old daughter, Gabby. “She is one of my biggest teachers,” Ayala says. “I love to spend time with this young soul who makes me laugh every second.”</p>
<p>At CDA, she and Thomson are both Directors of Architecture and Production. Ayala specializes in hillside projects in Paradise Valley, which have always been her passion.</p>
<p>“I have been blessed beyond words to have been given the opportunity, along with these strong women, to become a principal of our company,” she adds. “It is amazing to share the dynamics of this women trio and the much fun we have every day.”</p>
<p>Candelaria has inspired excellence in her and everyone, she says: “excellence from the moment you serve a coffee to a client, from the moment you make a client smile, from the moment your client shares their personal journey. He offers everyone in the team opportunities and incentives to excel and to succeed.”</p>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/health/fitness/sanctuary_home_vivian_ayala_architect_candelaria_design_associates._photo_courtesy_candelaria_design_associates.jpg" alt="Sanctuary home, Vivian Ayala, architect," /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Sanctuary home, Vivian Ayala, principal, Candelaria Design Associates. (Photo courtesy Candelaria Design Associates)</strong></p>
<h2> Evelyn Jung –– At Home at Work, At Work at Home</h2>
<p>Jung joined CDA in October 2005 as Mark’s executive assistant. Two years later, as the Great Recession began its multi-year stay in Arizona, she became the firm’s Director of Finance and HR. On Jan. 8, 2015, she was named an associate and three years later a partner.</p>
<p>She manages the business operations, human resources, marketing, and business development.</p>
<p>“It’s my job to keep the company running smoothly, so my partners can focus on the architecture,” she says. A football devotee, she sees it as a metaphor for what makes a team great: “I use ‘coaching’ as a comparison to management every day.” </p>
<p>Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, she moved to Japan and throughout the United States for more than 20 years with her Air Force family.</p>
<p>“Traveling is in my blood, and I have always appreciated different cultures, religions, and scenery,” she says. “When you move from place to place, you learn how to adapt and adjust, so it was valuable experience at an early age.” </p>
<p>She moved to Phoenix when she was 14 with her mother. Later, after working in management at David’s Bridal in Scottsdale, she decided to take a temporary job so she could focus on her education at ASU. This brought her to CDA.</p>
<p>“My pursuit for my degree at ASU was sidelined for a while, but slowly and surely I’m very close to completing my bachelor’s degree of science in economics –– for my kids at the very least,” she says. She’s also working on a real estate license.</p>
<p>Many companies, Jung believes, forget that team members are mothers, fathers, wives, and husbands.</p>
<p>“Our jobs are only one part of our lives. We find it very important connecting with our team and now more than ever making sure that they are mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy,” she says, noting that the CDA team has been working at home since March because of the pandemic.</p>
<p>As a result, she has been challenged by her many duties for the firm while also home-schooling her two boys, Nathan, 8, and Evan, 5.</p>
<p>“All you can do when you don’t have a choice is adjust and adapt, which is what our family did by working in the day and teaching at night.”</p>
<p>She and Scott celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on June 5.</p>
<p>“He is forever my beacon,” she says. “I don’t know how it happened, but I’m surrounded by people that I love and adore at work and home.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 1rem; caret-color: auto;">The people and the culture at CDA reveal the spirit of the multifaceted Candelaria, one of whose core messages is, echoing similar thoughts of her mentors and parents: “You don’t have to be wealthy to live well.”</span></p>
<p> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>“Our mission encompasses so many aspects of our lives: architecture, business, food, travel, marketing, and art,” Jung adds. “My partners Vivian and Meredith and my constant mentor, Mark, have the same passion and talent, which makes our team unstoppable.” </p>
<h2>Meredith Thomson –– The Joyous Puzzle of a Remodel</h2>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/health/fitness/arcadia_home_rebuild_meredith_thomson_architect_candelaria_design_associates._photo_meredith_thomson.jpg" alt="Arcadia home rebuild, Meredith Thomson, architect" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Arcadia home rebuild, Meredith Thomson, principal, Candelaria Design Associates. (Photo Meredith Thomson)</strong></p>
<p>Thomson is also a Director of Architecture Design and Production. “We always have at least two of us on a project, and we work in tandem with the project managers,” she says. “Mark, Vivian, and I are in constant communication, so we all have a good understanding of goals for each project, so we can jump in at any time to give guidance.”</p>
<p>She grew up in the citrus-lush Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix. Her parents moved to the Valley from Indiana, and they live there during the summer and in Arizona for the winter.</p>
<p>After graduating from Xavier High School, Thomson attended the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, graduating in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. For her fourth year of the program, she traveled throughout Italy and Europe, which intensified her passion for traditional design.</p>
<p>Back in the United States, she interned that summer in Chicago with Liederbach and Graham Architects, which helped her discover residential architecture.</p>
<p>After graduation, she went farther east to work with Fairfax and Sammons Architects in New York City. For three years she completed projects in and outside of Manhattan, including a West Village townhouse and a Long Island summer home.</p>
<p>Missing the West, she started making her way back home and ended up at Peter Pennoyer Architects, a New York-based firm with a San Francisco office. She then transitioned to interior design with Tucker and Marks Interior Design, also in the city. In all, she was in San Francisco for seven years.</p>
<p>She returned to Phoenix in the spring of 2013. Her brother and his family moved from San Francisco as well. Today Thomson lives with her boyfriend Ryan and his three “adorable kids,” Ellie, Patrick, and Tatum. </p>
<p>“When looking for firms to transition to leaving San Francisco, I was thrilled to be introduced to Mark and his team,” she recalls. “My mom actually recommended I reach out to him because she was seeing his signs all over the place. There was an instant connection about hand drafting and traditional architecture, and I knew I had found my home.”</p>
<p>Meredith became a partner and principal of Candelaria Design in December 2018.</p>
<p>“Evelyn and Vivian are two of the strongest, hardest-working, and smartest women I know,” she says. “I am honored to be by their side. They elevate me, and each of them brings something unique to our team.”</p>
<p>Thomson loves renovations, as much of her work in New York and San Francisco was on existing homes.</p>
<p>“I love the puzzle of a remodel and applying my knowledge of traditional traits like symmetry, proportion, and scale but introducing more modern touches,” she says. “It has really turned out to be my passion.”</p>
<h2>Designing the Next Decades</h2>
<p>The CDA future: Expand the firm’s luxury home portfolio throughout the country, develop its exciting lifestyle brand, and continue the legacy of quality architecture and customer service.</p>
<p>“All of us know that being truthful to ourselves and our clients will lead to the path we all want: success,” Ayala says.</p>
<p>Adds Thompson: “We come to work every day not for a job but for the passion we share at Candelaria. The day it becomes a job is the day our magic disappears. I strive to make sure that magic continues.”</p>
<p>And Jung: “Mark has taught us that finding people with the same drive and ambition only makes the firm stronger. At the same time, we encourage collaboration and leave the egos at the door. All of us want to continue a legacy that eliminates glass ceilings, encourages innovative designs, and inspires people to live life to the fullest.”</p>
<p><strong>David M. Brown is a Valley-based freelancer (azwriter.com).</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>'Unapologetic: All Women, All Year' - at SMoCA2020-05-10T17:56:59-07:002020-05-10T17:56:59-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/unapologetic-all-women-all-year-at-smocaLynn McColley<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/dorothy_fratt_red_mesa_1977._courtesy_scottsdale_fine_arts.jpg" alt="Dorothy Fratt's Red Mesa, 1977. (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)" /></p>
<p>“Unapologetic: All Women, All Year” at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) can now be enjoyed virtually, including listings, descriptions, and images of the artworks.</p>
<p><strong>(Image above: Dorothy Fratt's Red Mesa, 1977. (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)</strong></p>
<p>Celebrating the quality and diverse work of women artists, the exhibition opened Feb. 15, 2020 but has not been accessible since SMoCA closed March 16 in the city’s battle against COVID-19. The exhibition continues through Jan. 16, 2021.</p>
<p>“As we pivot and adapt to this temporary disruption, we are thrilled to bring one of our exhibitions online as a reminder of how important art is in all our lives,” says Jennifer McCabe, director and chief curator at SMoCA, 7374 E. Second St. “Now, more than ever, we can find inspiration and hope from the arts.”</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-right: 30px; float: left; max-width: 294px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/louise_nevelson_lullaby_for_jumbo_1966._courtesy_scottsdale_fine_arts_smaller.jpg" alt="Louise Nevelson, Lullaby for Jumbo, 1966. (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)" width="294" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Louise Nevelson, Lullaby for Jumbo, 1966. (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)</span></span>The exhibition, comprising 35 40 woman artists worldwide, celebrates diversity. Materials include traditional wood, bronze, and innovative nylon cord and mediums such as modernist bronze sculpture, large abstract shaped canvases, conceptual art, written word, photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture, collage, and mixed-media installation art.</p>
<p>Subject matter ranges from identity, connotations of beauty, abstraction, nature, domestic violence to war, politics, power dynamics, women’s rights/issues, and heritage. Racial diversity is recognized, too: Black, Native American, Latina, Middle Eastern, Asian, and White women artists are represented.</p>
<p>Lauren R. O’Connell, assistant curator, and Keshia Turley, curatorial assistant, selected the artworks from the collection of approximately 1,850 that the museum stewards for the city.<br />Women artists with Scottsdale connection</p>
<p> In particular, “Unapologetic” includes work by three artists who had or have a close connection to Scottsdale:</p>
<p><strong>• Beth Ames Swartz (born 1936), a visual artist and long-time Paradise Valley resident;</strong><br /><strong>• Her daughter, Julianne (born 1967), now living and working in upper New York State;</strong><br /><strong>• Sculptor Louise Nevelson (1899–1988), who lived and worked at Cattle Track Arts Compound in Scottsdale during the 1970s; and</strong><br /><strong>• Field color painter Dorothy Fratt (1923–2017), also a frequent Cattle Track guest, whose studio was in her home on the east side of Camelback Mountain</strong>.</p>
<p>Other Arizona-connected artists participating are Angella Ellsworth, Muriel Magenta, Adria Pecora, Sue Chenoweth, Laurie Lundquist, and Mayme Kratz, Phoenix; Barbara Penn, Cristina Cardenas, Bailey Doogan, Tucson, and Melanie Yazzie, Ganado.</p>
<p>“The exhibition looks to expand art historical discourse about female artists, who in the past have been overlooked due to their gender,” O’Connell says, referring to a recent study showing that only 15 percent of national art museum permanent collections are by women and even less women of color. “This number does not mean that there are fewer women artists but rather that institutions have prioritized collecting work by primarily Western male artists.”</p>
<p>These practices are beginning to change in these more equitable times, and SMoCA hopes “Unapologetic” will be a catalyst for greater inclusiveness.</p>
<p>“Most importantly, this exhibition is reflective of a broader conversation about what cultural spaces and institutions should aspire to be and encompass,” Turley explains. “Our spaces should reflect the diversity that is apparent in our own society, where individuals of all gender, race, sexuality, ability, and ethnicity — among many other differences — can feel a sense of connection and solidarity.”</p>
<p>Claudia Bernardi (born 1955), a participating Argentinian artist, says, “The title of this exhibition is so true to who we are as women... [T]he artists selected to be part of this exhibition share a professional life where we had to learn how to be assertive, clear-visioned, and ‘Unapologetic’ in order to continue creating the work we do and defending why we do it. Using the word ‘unapologetic’ to me comes from a place of strength; we aren’t looking to be combative, but we also aren’t asking for permission.”</p>
<h2>Louise Nevelson and Dorothy Fratt</h2>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block; max-width: 2266px; width: 100%;" role="figure"><img style="display: block; margin: initial; width: 100%; float: none;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/windows_to_the_west_louise_nevelson_scottsdale_mall._courtesy_scottsdale_public_arts.jpg" alt="Windows to the West, Louise Nevelson, Scottsdale Mall. (Courtesy Scottsdale Public Arts)" width="2266" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Windows to the West, Louise Nevelson, Scottsdale Mall. (Courtesy Scottsdale Public Arts)</span></span></p>
<p>Nevelson, whose last exhibition at SMoCA was “[dis]functional: Products of Conceptual Design” in 2017, was assertive, clear-visioned, and unapologetic. One of the 20th-century’s most important sculptors, she is represented in the exhibition with her serigraph collage, “Lullaby for Jumbo” (1966), one of a dozen of her works in the SMoCA collection.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-left: 30px; float: right; max-width: 300px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; width: 100%; float: none;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/nevelson_smaller.jpg" alt="In the living room of the Dorothy Fratt and Bud Cooper home on Camelback Mountain, Louise Nevelson, left, chats with Cooper's niece, JoAnne Hutchison Cooper, left, and an art critic." width="300" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">In the living room of the Dorothy Fratt and Bud Cooper home on Camelback Mountain, Louise Nevelson, left, chats with Cooper's niece, JoAnne Hutchison Cooper, left, and an art critic.</span></span>Made with Including photographs of Nevelson’s assemblage sculptures, “Lullaby for Jumbo” has two layers: a black silkscreen of a complete sculpture on a yellow background and a black-and-white silkscreen of a sculpture cut into the shape of an opening cupboard. “The overlaying images create an abstract still life of her two-dimensional works, allowing the artist to push the boundaries of assemblage, collage, minimalism, and abstraction,” O’Connell explains.</p>
<p>One of her many visits to Scottsdale was in 1973 to dedicate her COR-TEN steel “Windows to the West,” now beautifully patinaeing in the Civic Center Mall.</p>
<p>“Cattle Track people worked hard to get the piece in place and put together because one piece had fallen off on trip here,” recalls Janie Ellis, owner of the Cattle Track Arts Compound. Her parents, George and Rachael, homesteaded there in the early 1930s.</p>
<p>Nevelson, along with Philip Curtis (1907–2000), the great magic-realist painter and also a resident of Cattle Track after locating to the Valley in 1947, were preparing for some reveling in Scottsdale. He bought her a ten-gallon hat and cowgirl boots, Ellis recalls. She immediately put them on and asked, “Do you think Scottsdale is ready for me?”Fratt was ready for Phoenix when she and her first husband, Nicholas, and their four young sons moved to the desert from Washington, D.C., in 1958. There her father, Hugh Miller, had been chief photographer at “The Washington Post” for 36 years and president of the White House News Photographers Association.</p>
<p>She had started painting at 9, when her parents enrolled her in class drawing live nudes. At 15, she won first prize in the Corcoran Gallery Student Art Show.</p>
<p>“Mom was tired of the winters back East, and she wanted the open space and the beautiful light of Arizona,” says her son, Greg, who notes that she taught him to appreciate good art and identify bad art.</p>
<p>They rented a home in the Windsor neighborhood of north Phoenix and later, after her divorce, she purchased a home a block away, with the help of her parents. They built a studio in the back where she gave classes in color theory and painting. Future husband, Curtis ‘Bud’ Calvin Cooper, Jr., a rancher and farmer, was a student. The couple were also frequent guests at Cattle Track, where Fratt’s memorial service was held in 2017.</p>
<p>In the late 1960s, Cooper hired the celebrated Arizona architect, Paul Yeager, to design a home near Scottsdale on the east end of Camelback Mountain. Fratt helped with the design, including the stained glass windows. There they raised Greg and his young brother, Peter; the two older brothers had already moved out. As a wedding gift, Cooper asked Yaeger to design an art studio on the property; here she worked.</p>
<p>“It was in this home she entertained such notable art scene personalities as Howard and Jean Lipman, José and Geny Bermudez, and Louise Nevelson,” Greg says, noting that it was his mom who advocated for Nevelson to be the artist to complete what became “Windows on the West.”</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/dorothy_fratt_red_mesa_1977._courtesy_scottsdale_fine_arts.jpg" alt="Red Mesa by Dorothy Fratt (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Red Mesa by Dorothy Fratt (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)</strong></p>
<p>Fratt’s single work for “Unapologetic” is the colorful “Red Mesa” (1977, acrylic on canvas), one of eight pieces the museum possesses of her work. Her last showing at SMoCA was in 2013. A member of the Scottsdale Fine Arts Council and 2000 recipient of the Arizona Governor’s Artist of the Year Award, she also has works in Arizona collections at the Phoenix Art Museum, the Tucson Museum of Art, and the Museum of Northern Arizona.</p>
<p>“Red Mesa” is a landmark in Apache County in northern Arizona.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-left: 30px; float: right; max-width: 173px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/dorothy_fratt_circa_1970s._courtesy_greg_fratt_sm.jpg" alt="Dorothy Fratt, circa 1970s. (Courtesy Greg Fratt)" width="173" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Dorothy Fratt, circa 1970s. (Courtesy Greg Fratt)</span></span>“Using color as an emotive language, Fratt worked in abstraction and color field painting to explore visual landscapes. Everything from a line to a <span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-right: 30px; float: left; max-width: 183px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/dorothy_fratt_works_in_her_camelback_mountain_studio_circa_1960s._courtesy_greg_fratt_sm.jpg" alt="dorothy fratt works in her camelback mountain studio circa 1960s. courtesy greg fratt sm" width="183" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Dorothy Fratt works in her Camelback Mountain studio in 1975. (Courtesy Greg Fratt)</span></span>dot, no matter how small, was a channel for color and an opportunity for experimentation,” O’Connell says. She quotes art critic Harry Wood, who wrote of Fratt’s work, “Although the colors ignite each other with their brilliance, they seem to melt together, with the inevitability and ease of natural law.”</p>
<p>“My mom was a colorist, and she drew from nature, whose forms inspired her, such as those in Navajo country, including ‘Red Mesa’ in the exhibition,” says Fratt, who lives in Louisiana.</p>
<p>He notes that her work is being shown simultaneously in three locations, at SMoCA; in the “Leap of Color” exhibition at Yares Art Gallery, New York City; and in the Paderborn Museum in the Westphalia area of Germany. </p>
<p>Fratt notes that art historians connect her to the Washington Color School with notable artists such as Kenneth Nolan and Morris Louis. However, “She did not want to be associated with a group,” he says.</p>
<p>“She was someone who stood up fearlessly for quality in art,” he adds. “She was her toughest critic. She didn’t paint to please anyone but herself; she painted to meet her own high standards.”</p>
<p>She wanted to be, and was, Dorothy Fratt.</p>
<h2>Beth Ames Swartz</h2>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-left: 30px; float: right; max-width: 353px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/beth_ames_swartz_smoke_drawing_no._7_1976._courtesy_scottsdale_fine_arts_sm.jpg" alt="Beth Ames Swartz, Smoke Drawing No. 7, 1976.(Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)" width="353" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Beth Ames Swartz, Smoke Drawing No. 7, 1976.(Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)</span></span>Swartz came to the Valley one year later than Fratt, in 1959, with her husband, Melvin, who thought the Southwest was a good place to start a law practice.</p>
<p>Born into a distinguished family, she was accepted into the fine arts program at the prestigious High School of Music and Art in New York City. She continued her art studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and New York University where she earned a master’s degree before moving to Arizona.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-right: 30px; float: left; max-width: 180px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/beth_ames_swartz._c2015_beth_ames_swartz_all_rights_reserved_sm.jpg" alt="beth ames swartz. c2015 beth ames swartz all rights reserved sm" width="180" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Beth Ames Swartz</span></span>Painting and exhibiting while raising two children, Swartz was chosen to exhibit in many prestigious museum exhibitions early in her career, including the First Western States Biennial, which traveled to various sites including The National Museum of American Art in Washington, DC.</p>
<p>Years later, Swartz returned to New York, where she met her current husband, art dealer John D. Rothschild. In 1995, they returned to Arizona to stay and stayed. In 2002, The Phoenix Art Museum had a retrospective of her work, “Beth Ames Swartz: Reminders of Invisible Light.”</p>
<p>Her single work for “Unapologetic” is “Smoke Drawing No. 7” from 1976, created by passing a specially treated paper over a lit candle. These early smoke drawings –– she completed about 50 –– led to her later “Fireworks” series.</p>
<p>The exploration of fire led her to the great Jewish mystical work, the Kabbalah, she says. In 1976, she visited Israel and produced the “Israel Revisited” works, later shown at the Jewish Museum in New York and throughout the country in 1981–83, and her “Ten Sites” series, celebrating the lives of Biblical heroines such as Rachel and Rebekah.</p>
<p>Swartz has always worked in series. Her “A Moving Point of Balance,” for example, is a participatory environment with seven-foot paintings, music and color light baths; it was a 10-year project and traveled to nine museums nationwide.</p>
<p>This series is included in the 2017 AZPBS 29-minute documentary, “Beth Ames Swartz/Reminders of Invisible Light,” which will re-air nationally on PBS starting in May. Six catalogs and three books documenting her career and the documentary have been recently accepted in the prestigious archive at Getty Research Institute in California.</p>
<p>Her paintings document her journeys, actual and spiritual, to lands and locales, as well as philosophical, wisdom, and religious systems.</p>
<p>“I have always been committed to spiritual point of view, and I have found through my journeys that all life is sacred, and kindness and compassion are what we owe each other,” she says. For her life’s work, she received the 2001 Governor's Arts Award, the highest given by the state of Arizona.</p>
<p>Swartz says she wants to “translate philosophical concepts into aesthetic visual experiences.” And, the New York critic Donald Kuspit has called her a “postmodern spiritualist, using the variety of spiritual traditions to make a universal point.”</p>
<p>To assist others, she has hosted the Artists Breakfast Club at various locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area for almost two decades. The group connects artists, curators, and art professionals one to one and advocates for art in general. “It is the basis of my work, the basis of my life,” she says.</p>
<p>Swartz has always been driven to be the best artist she can be –– not the best woman artist. Still, she hopes “Unapologetic” will focus attention on the under appreciation and under representation of female artists in museums.</p>
<p>"These are exciting times to be a woman artist," she says. "Arizona-based artists, particularly women, have something unique to say, and I am honored to be included in this very important statement about bravery, courage, persistence, and talent.”</p>
<p><a href="https://smoca.org/exhibition/unapologetic-all-women-all-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Click here</strong></a> to enjoy the exhibition.</p>
<p><strong>By David M. Brown, a Valley-based writer (azwriter.com).</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/dorothy_fratt_red_mesa_1977._courtesy_scottsdale_fine_arts.jpg" alt="Dorothy Fratt's Red Mesa, 1977. (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)" /></p>
<p>“Unapologetic: All Women, All Year” at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) can now be enjoyed virtually, including listings, descriptions, and images of the artworks.</p>
<p><strong>(Image above: Dorothy Fratt's Red Mesa, 1977. (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)</strong></p>
<p>Celebrating the quality and diverse work of women artists, the exhibition opened Feb. 15, 2020 but has not been accessible since SMoCA closed March 16 in the city’s battle against COVID-19. The exhibition continues through Jan. 16, 2021.</p>
<p>“As we pivot and adapt to this temporary disruption, we are thrilled to bring one of our exhibitions online as a reminder of how important art is in all our lives,” says Jennifer McCabe, director and chief curator at SMoCA, 7374 E. Second St. “Now, more than ever, we can find inspiration and hope from the arts.”</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-right: 30px; float: left; max-width: 294px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/louise_nevelson_lullaby_for_jumbo_1966._courtesy_scottsdale_fine_arts_smaller.jpg" alt="Louise Nevelson, Lullaby for Jumbo, 1966. (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)" width="294" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Louise Nevelson, Lullaby for Jumbo, 1966. (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)</span></span>The exhibition, comprising 35 40 woman artists worldwide, celebrates diversity. Materials include traditional wood, bronze, and innovative nylon cord and mediums such as modernist bronze sculpture, large abstract shaped canvases, conceptual art, written word, photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture, collage, and mixed-media installation art.</p>
<p>Subject matter ranges from identity, connotations of beauty, abstraction, nature, domestic violence to war, politics, power dynamics, women’s rights/issues, and heritage. Racial diversity is recognized, too: Black, Native American, Latina, Middle Eastern, Asian, and White women artists are represented.</p>
<p>Lauren R. O’Connell, assistant curator, and Keshia Turley, curatorial assistant, selected the artworks from the collection of approximately 1,850 that the museum stewards for the city.<br />Women artists with Scottsdale connection</p>
<p> In particular, “Unapologetic” includes work by three artists who had or have a close connection to Scottsdale:</p>
<p><strong>• Beth Ames Swartz (born 1936), a visual artist and long-time Paradise Valley resident;</strong><br /><strong>• Her daughter, Julianne (born 1967), now living and working in upper New York State;</strong><br /><strong>• Sculptor Louise Nevelson (1899–1988), who lived and worked at Cattle Track Arts Compound in Scottsdale during the 1970s; and</strong><br /><strong>• Field color painter Dorothy Fratt (1923–2017), also a frequent Cattle Track guest, whose studio was in her home on the east side of Camelback Mountain</strong>.</p>
<p>Other Arizona-connected artists participating are Angella Ellsworth, Muriel Magenta, Adria Pecora, Sue Chenoweth, Laurie Lundquist, and Mayme Kratz, Phoenix; Barbara Penn, Cristina Cardenas, Bailey Doogan, Tucson, and Melanie Yazzie, Ganado.</p>
<p>“The exhibition looks to expand art historical discourse about female artists, who in the past have been overlooked due to their gender,” O’Connell says, referring to a recent study showing that only 15 percent of national art museum permanent collections are by women and even less women of color. “This number does not mean that there are fewer women artists but rather that institutions have prioritized collecting work by primarily Western male artists.”</p>
<p>These practices are beginning to change in these more equitable times, and SMoCA hopes “Unapologetic” will be a catalyst for greater inclusiveness.</p>
<p>“Most importantly, this exhibition is reflective of a broader conversation about what cultural spaces and institutions should aspire to be and encompass,” Turley explains. “Our spaces should reflect the diversity that is apparent in our own society, where individuals of all gender, race, sexuality, ability, and ethnicity — among many other differences — can feel a sense of connection and solidarity.”</p>
<p>Claudia Bernardi (born 1955), a participating Argentinian artist, says, “The title of this exhibition is so true to who we are as women... [T]he artists selected to be part of this exhibition share a professional life where we had to learn how to be assertive, clear-visioned, and ‘Unapologetic’ in order to continue creating the work we do and defending why we do it. Using the word ‘unapologetic’ to me comes from a place of strength; we aren’t looking to be combative, but we also aren’t asking for permission.”</p>
<h2>Louise Nevelson and Dorothy Fratt</h2>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block; max-width: 2266px; width: 100%;" role="figure"><img style="display: block; margin: initial; width: 100%; float: none;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/windows_to_the_west_louise_nevelson_scottsdale_mall._courtesy_scottsdale_public_arts.jpg" alt="Windows to the West, Louise Nevelson, Scottsdale Mall. (Courtesy Scottsdale Public Arts)" width="2266" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Windows to the West, Louise Nevelson, Scottsdale Mall. (Courtesy Scottsdale Public Arts)</span></span></p>
<p>Nevelson, whose last exhibition at SMoCA was “[dis]functional: Products of Conceptual Design” in 2017, was assertive, clear-visioned, and unapologetic. One of the 20th-century’s most important sculptors, she is represented in the exhibition with her serigraph collage, “Lullaby for Jumbo” (1966), one of a dozen of her works in the SMoCA collection.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="margin-left: 30px; float: right; max-width: 300px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; width: 100%; float: none;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/nevelson_smaller.jpg" alt="In the living room of the Dorothy Fratt and Bud Cooper home on Camelback Mountain, Louise Nevelson, left, chats with Cooper's niece, JoAnne Hutchison Cooper, left, and an art critic." width="300" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">In the living room of the Dorothy Fratt and Bud Cooper home on Camelback Mountain, Louise Nevelson, left, chats with Cooper's niece, JoAnne Hutchison Cooper, left, and an art critic.</span></span>Made with Including photographs of Nevelson’s assemblage sculptures, “Lullaby for Jumbo” has two layers: a black silkscreen of a complete sculpture on a yellow background and a black-and-white silkscreen of a sculpture cut into the shape of an opening cupboard. “The overlaying images create an abstract still life of her two-dimensional works, allowing the artist to push the boundaries of assemblage, collage, minimalism, and abstraction,” O’Connell explains.</p>
<p>One of her many visits to Scottsdale was in 1973 to dedicate her COR-TEN steel “Windows to the West,” now beautifully patinaeing in the Civic Center Mall.</p>
<p>“Cattle Track people worked hard to get the piece in place and put together because one piece had fallen off on trip here,” recalls Janie Ellis, owner of the Cattle Track Arts Compound. Her parents, George and Rachael, homesteaded there in the early 1930s.</p>
<p>Nevelson, along with Philip Curtis (1907–2000), the great magic-realist painter and also a resident of Cattle Track after locating to the Valley in 1947, were preparing for some reveling in Scottsdale. He bought her a ten-gallon hat and cowgirl boots, Ellis recalls. She immediately put them on and asked, “Do you think Scottsdale is ready for me?”Fratt was ready for Phoenix when she and her first husband, Nicholas, and their four young sons moved to the desert from Washington, D.C., in 1958. There her father, Hugh Miller, had been chief photographer at “The Washington Post” for 36 years and president of the White House News Photographers Association.</p>
<p>She had started painting at 9, when her parents enrolled her in class drawing live nudes. At 15, she won first prize in the Corcoran Gallery Student Art Show.</p>
<p>“Mom was tired of the winters back East, and she wanted the open space and the beautiful light of Arizona,” says her son, Greg, who notes that she taught him to appreciate good art and identify bad art.</p>
<p>They rented a home in the Windsor neighborhood of north Phoenix and later, after her divorce, she purchased a home a block away, with the help of her parents. They built a studio in the back where she gave classes in color theory and painting. Future husband, Curtis ‘Bud’ Calvin Cooper, Jr., a rancher and farmer, was a student. The couple were also frequent guests at Cattle Track, where Fratt’s memorial service was held in 2017.</p>
<p>In the late 1960s, Cooper hired the celebrated Arizona architect, Paul Yeager, to design a home near Scottsdale on the east end of Camelback Mountain. Fratt helped with the design, including the stained glass windows. There they raised Greg and his young brother, Peter; the two older brothers had already moved out. As a wedding gift, Cooper asked Yaeger to design an art studio on the property; here she worked.</p>
<p>“It was in this home she entertained such notable art scene personalities as Howard and Jean Lipman, José and Geny Bermudez, and Louise Nevelson,” Greg says, noting that it was his mom who advocated for Nevelson to be the artist to complete what became “Windows on the West.”</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/dorothy_fratt_red_mesa_1977._courtesy_scottsdale_fine_arts.jpg" alt="Red Mesa by Dorothy Fratt (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Red Mesa by Dorothy Fratt (Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)</strong></p>
<p>Fratt’s single work for “Unapologetic” is the colorful “Red Mesa” (1977, acrylic on canvas), one of eight pieces the museum possesses of her work. Her last showing at SMoCA was in 2013. A member of the Scottsdale Fine Arts Council and 2000 recipient of the Arizona Governor’s Artist of the Year Award, she also has works in Arizona collections at the Phoenix Art Museum, the Tucson Museum of Art, and the Museum of Northern Arizona.</p>
<p>“Red Mesa” is a landmark in Apache County in northern Arizona.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-left: 30px; float: right; max-width: 173px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/dorothy_fratt_circa_1970s._courtesy_greg_fratt_sm.jpg" alt="Dorothy Fratt, circa 1970s. (Courtesy Greg Fratt)" width="173" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Dorothy Fratt, circa 1970s. (Courtesy Greg Fratt)</span></span>“Using color as an emotive language, Fratt worked in abstraction and color field painting to explore visual landscapes. Everything from a line to a <span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-right: 30px; float: left; max-width: 183px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/dorothy_fratt_works_in_her_camelback_mountain_studio_circa_1960s._courtesy_greg_fratt_sm.jpg" alt="dorothy fratt works in her camelback mountain studio circa 1960s. courtesy greg fratt sm" width="183" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Dorothy Fratt works in her Camelback Mountain studio in 1975. (Courtesy Greg Fratt)</span></span>dot, no matter how small, was a channel for color and an opportunity for experimentation,” O’Connell says. She quotes art critic Harry Wood, who wrote of Fratt’s work, “Although the colors ignite each other with their brilliance, they seem to melt together, with the inevitability and ease of natural law.”</p>
<p>“My mom was a colorist, and she drew from nature, whose forms inspired her, such as those in Navajo country, including ‘Red Mesa’ in the exhibition,” says Fratt, who lives in Louisiana.</p>
<p>He notes that her work is being shown simultaneously in three locations, at SMoCA; in the “Leap of Color” exhibition at Yares Art Gallery, New York City; and in the Paderborn Museum in the Westphalia area of Germany. </p>
<p>Fratt notes that art historians connect her to the Washington Color School with notable artists such as Kenneth Nolan and Morris Louis. However, “She did not want to be associated with a group,” he says.</p>
<p>“She was someone who stood up fearlessly for quality in art,” he adds. “She was her toughest critic. She didn’t paint to please anyone but herself; she painted to meet her own high standards.”</p>
<p>She wanted to be, and was, Dorothy Fratt.</p>
<h2>Beth Ames Swartz</h2>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-left: 30px; float: right; max-width: 353px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/beth_ames_swartz_smoke_drawing_no._7_1976._courtesy_scottsdale_fine_arts_sm.jpg" alt="Beth Ames Swartz, Smoke Drawing No. 7, 1976.(Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)" width="353" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Beth Ames Swartz, Smoke Drawing No. 7, 1976.(Courtesy Scottsdale Fine Arts)</span></span>Swartz came to the Valley one year later than Fratt, in 1959, with her husband, Melvin, who thought the Southwest was a good place to start a law practice.</p>
<p>Born into a distinguished family, she was accepted into the fine arts program at the prestigious High School of Music and Art in New York City. She continued her art studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and New York University where she earned a master’s degree before moving to Arizona.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="border-color: rgb(142, 140, 140); margin-right: 30px; float: left; max-width: 180px; display: inline-block;" role="figure"><img style="margin: initial; float: none; width: 100%;" role="figure" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/beth_ames_swartz._c2015_beth_ames_swartz_all_rights_reserved_sm.jpg" alt="beth ames swartz. c2015 beth ames swartz all rights reserved sm" width="180" /><span style="text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 3px; color: #222222; display: block;">Beth Ames Swartz</span></span>Painting and exhibiting while raising two children, Swartz was chosen to exhibit in many prestigious museum exhibitions early in her career, including the First Western States Biennial, which traveled to various sites including The National Museum of American Art in Washington, DC.</p>
<p>Years later, Swartz returned to New York, where she met her current husband, art dealer John D. Rothschild. In 1995, they returned to Arizona to stay and stayed. In 2002, The Phoenix Art Museum had a retrospective of her work, “Beth Ames Swartz: Reminders of Invisible Light.”</p>
<p>Her single work for “Unapologetic” is “Smoke Drawing No. 7” from 1976, created by passing a specially treated paper over a lit candle. These early smoke drawings –– she completed about 50 –– led to her later “Fireworks” series.</p>
<p>The exploration of fire led her to the great Jewish mystical work, the Kabbalah, she says. In 1976, she visited Israel and produced the “Israel Revisited” works, later shown at the Jewish Museum in New York and throughout the country in 1981–83, and her “Ten Sites” series, celebrating the lives of Biblical heroines such as Rachel and Rebekah.</p>
<p>Swartz has always worked in series. Her “A Moving Point of Balance,” for example, is a participatory environment with seven-foot paintings, music and color light baths; it was a 10-year project and traveled to nine museums nationwide.</p>
<p>This series is included in the 2017 AZPBS 29-minute documentary, “Beth Ames Swartz/Reminders of Invisible Light,” which will re-air nationally on PBS starting in May. Six catalogs and three books documenting her career and the documentary have been recently accepted in the prestigious archive at Getty Research Institute in California.</p>
<p>Her paintings document her journeys, actual and spiritual, to lands and locales, as well as philosophical, wisdom, and religious systems.</p>
<p>“I have always been committed to spiritual point of view, and I have found through my journeys that all life is sacred, and kindness and compassion are what we owe each other,” she says. For her life’s work, she received the 2001 Governor's Arts Award, the highest given by the state of Arizona.</p>
<p>Swartz says she wants to “translate philosophical concepts into aesthetic visual experiences.” And, the New York critic Donald Kuspit has called her a “postmodern spiritualist, using the variety of spiritual traditions to make a universal point.”</p>
<p>To assist others, she has hosted the Artists Breakfast Club at various locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area for almost two decades. The group connects artists, curators, and art professionals one to one and advocates for art in general. “It is the basis of my work, the basis of my life,” she says.</p>
<p>Swartz has always been driven to be the best artist she can be –– not the best woman artist. Still, she hopes “Unapologetic” will focus attention on the under appreciation and under representation of female artists in museums.</p>
<p>"These are exciting times to be a woman artist," she says. "Arizona-based artists, particularly women, have something unique to say, and I am honored to be included in this very important statement about bravery, courage, persistence, and talent.”</p>
<p><a href="https://smoca.org/exhibition/unapologetic-all-women-all-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Click here</strong></a> to enjoy the exhibition.</p>
<p><strong>By David M. Brown, a Valley-based writer (azwriter.com).</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>She links passion to personality from Scottsdale firm2020-03-17T01:06:28-07:002020-03-17T01:06:28-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/she-links-passion-to-personality-from-scottsdale-firmHal DeKeyser<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Rock_climbing_in_Thailand_Beth_Ciaramello.jpg" alt="Rock climbing in Thailand Beth Ciaramello" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rock climbing in Thailand</strong></p>
<p>It was a disconnected experience in college followed by a career-ending injury in the military that led Beth Ciaramello to helping disabled service members and others find their true talents and careers though a Scottsdale company.</p>
<p>Oh, and a year-long trip around the world, living in and working from a different country every month. (More on that later.)</p>
<p>Ciaramello, 35, now is home-based in Scottsdale working for LearnKey, a global provider of on-demand education and employability training solutions. Using Know Your Talent’s behavior-based surveys and industry certifications, she helps job-seekers with disabilities find not just jobs that they are capable of doing but those that fit their talents, personalities, and passions.</p>
<p>The company has clients worldwide and works with about 300 employers and 1,000 veterans. That allows Ciaramello to work remotely, which she takes full advantage of. She’s about to move to Australia for eight months – again, to work remotely, serving Arizona and international job-seekers.</p>
<p>Her history also helped her learn how to do that, so let’s back up a few years.</p>
<h2>The college try – then the Army</h2>
<p><img style="margin: 3px; float: left; border: #000000;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Beth_C_mug.jpg" alt="Beth Ciaramello" width="176" height="194" />After graduating high school in the Valley, she went to the University of Arizona, and hated it. She recalls not really being ready for college but went anyway . . . because that’s what you do. Instead of the dorms, where she would meet new people, she lived in a run-down apartment away from campus.</p>
<p>“It was so ghetto, too disconnected from campus,” she recalls, pondering that a “gap year” away from education might have been what she really needed.</p>
<p>“So obviously, my next choice was the military,” she said, laughing.</p>
<p>Because she was one of few females in a Military Police unit – and at 5’11” and a former volleyball and softball player – “I was trying to be tough.” That led to her falling in a training course and fracturing her pelvis in three places, making it difficult to run.</p>
<p>After a year of the Army and a medical discharge, she found herself a civilian again, wondering what to do.</p>
<h2>Finding her passion and niche</h2>
<p>She then found herself working for Corinthian colleges as a receptionist and worked her way up, eventually getting to Career Services.</p>
<p>“I just fell in love with coaching and placement, helping people find their niche so they could fit into their career.”</p>
<p>But when she was in the final class for her bachelor’s degree, the company closed down suddenly, and she was out on the street with a cardboard box of desk supplies.</p>
<p>“I not only lost my education, but I lost my job,” Ciaramello said.</p>
<p>She began looking for work that fit her new passion of helping people find their own career passion.</p>
<p>“I was being very picky” she recalled, but “anything related to my role required a bachelor’s degree.”</p>
<p>So she enrolled into college, earned a B.S. in Business Administration, and “waited for something amazing.”</p>
<h2>The Scottsdale opportunity</h2>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Beth_Ciaramello_teaching_course_2.jpg" alt="Beth Ciaramello leading course" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Beth leading a growth and development course</strong></p>
<p>Eventually she started working for LearnKey in Scottsdale, developing its job-ready team. Her program works mostly with veterans who are at least 10% disabled, mainly in IT related certifications. Her role is coaching and training vets in the field of their choice using the vocational rehab program that offers them a stipend while being retrained from their military jobs, which the disability prevents them from doing.</p>
<p>The Know Your Talent’s behavior-based surveys analyze individuals not only by aptitude and skills but at a deeper level, including personality type, so the vets are comfortable in the workplace in which they land.</p>
<p>“In the military, you never really sit down and discover your natural strengths,” Ciaramello said. “You just do what you’re told.”</p>
<p>LearnKey’s educational pathway process “starts with the end in mind.”</p>
<p>She tells of a veteran whose military job required rapid-fire decisions, and he had an epiphany after he took the survey and discovered for the first time his true, more contemplative nature.</p>
<p>He had been struggling professionally and internally, thinking there was something wrong with him. He thought he had personality shortcomings, she said, but “he was just in the wrong job. “</p>
<p>“It was such a fast-paced scenario (in his military job), she said. “The No. 1 driver was quantity over quality, and he really felt he was in the wrong space.” The vet wound up in a role that required well-studied analysis with quality over quantity, and he flourished, now making north of $70,000.</p>
<p>Behavior matters in job success and enjoyment. You wouldn’t place an extrovert in a program where they would sit in a room all by themselves and analyze data, while a high-conformity personality would do well in a more solitary compliance role.</p>
<h2>A new home country every month</h2>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Beth_hiking_the_Inca_Trail_in_Peru.jpg" alt="Beth hiking the Inca Trail in Peru" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Hiking the Inca Trail in Peru</strong></p>
<p>A couple of years ago, she convinced her employer that traveling is not only good for the soul but helps people understand and connect to a wider range of cultures, personalities, and, interests. Her worldwide travels through an organization called Remote Year also made her better at helping others as it’s useful in understanding a wider range of people.</p>
<p>Her year-long-plus sojourn took her to Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Morocco, Croatia, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and Australia – some on her own before and after the scheduled trip.</p>
<p>She and more than two dozen others lived in apartments, sometimes in roommate settings, working odd hours to keep up with their job duties remotely and immersing themselves in the local culture.</p>
<p><img style="border: 2px none #000000; float: left;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Beth_at_makeshift_desk_on_the_road.jpg" alt="Beth at makeshift desk on the road" width="163" height="215" />Their travel group was christened “Kanyini,” an Australian aboriginal word that means “connectedness.” They still had to match hours with the clients in other-side-of-the-world times zones. They worked odd hours, often with exasperating internet connections and other complications, using Skype, Zoom, Go to Meeting and other internet tools. She would video call people “to stay connected and see their faces.”</p>
<p>“In Asia; I worked overnight,” she said. “In Europe, it was in the evening. In Latin America, it seemed so (comparatively) easy because of the time zone.”</p>
<p>“I learned a lot interacting with people in other industries and working with them these crazy hours” she said.</p>
<p>“Sleep is optional. If you’re not working, then your adventuring, so sleep is not a priority.”</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>And adventure they did.</h2>
<p>She hiked the Inca Trail to the ancient cityruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, and rock-climbed with monkeys in Thailand. They hiked the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and rode camels in the Sahara.</p>
<p>“The Sahara is endless, and it’s incredibly beautiful.”</p>
<p>Through the group, they would set up local how-to and immersion events, like the time she made a razor-sharp traditional knife in Vietnam – with neither the native instructor nor the students sharing a language.</p>
<p>“I have a video of me fruit-ninja-ing,” she said.</p>
<p>Her journeys opened her eyes to what she’s good at, and is fulfilled doing – and translating that to clients.</p>
<p>“That’s one of my passions, helping people come out of their comfort zone so they can grow and develop personally and professionally. The longer we stay in the comfort zone, the less we challenge ourselves. My hope is to inspire people to get out of their comfort zone so they can test themselves and their limits and grow.”</p>
<p>Now it’s off to Down Under, where she’ll continue working for the Scottsdale office, serving job-seeking vets here and around the planet.</p>
<p>“The more you learn about people, the more you can help them,” she said, “so experiencing different cultures elevates my ability to help other people and understand different perspectives.”</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Beth_Ciaramello_with_growth_seminar_students_in_Croatia.jpg" alt="Beth with a growth and development seminar in Croatia" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Beth with a growth and development seminar in Croatia</strong></p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Rock_climbing_in_Thailand_Beth_Ciaramello.jpg" alt="Rock climbing in Thailand Beth Ciaramello" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rock climbing in Thailand</strong></p>
<p>It was a disconnected experience in college followed by a career-ending injury in the military that led Beth Ciaramello to helping disabled service members and others find their true talents and careers though a Scottsdale company.</p>
<p>Oh, and a year-long trip around the world, living in and working from a different country every month. (More on that later.)</p>
<p>Ciaramello, 35, now is home-based in Scottsdale working for LearnKey, a global provider of on-demand education and employability training solutions. Using Know Your Talent’s behavior-based surveys and industry certifications, she helps job-seekers with disabilities find not just jobs that they are capable of doing but those that fit their talents, personalities, and passions.</p>
<p>The company has clients worldwide and works with about 300 employers and 1,000 veterans. That allows Ciaramello to work remotely, which she takes full advantage of. She’s about to move to Australia for eight months – again, to work remotely, serving Arizona and international job-seekers.</p>
<p>Her history also helped her learn how to do that, so let’s back up a few years.</p>
<h2>The college try – then the Army</h2>
<p><img style="margin: 3px; float: left; border: #000000;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Beth_C_mug.jpg" alt="Beth Ciaramello" width="176" height="194" />After graduating high school in the Valley, she went to the University of Arizona, and hated it. She recalls not really being ready for college but went anyway . . . because that’s what you do. Instead of the dorms, where she would meet new people, she lived in a run-down apartment away from campus.</p>
<p>“It was so ghetto, too disconnected from campus,” she recalls, pondering that a “gap year” away from education might have been what she really needed.</p>
<p>“So obviously, my next choice was the military,” she said, laughing.</p>
<p>Because she was one of few females in a Military Police unit – and at 5’11” and a former volleyball and softball player – “I was trying to be tough.” That led to her falling in a training course and fracturing her pelvis in three places, making it difficult to run.</p>
<p>After a year of the Army and a medical discharge, she found herself a civilian again, wondering what to do.</p>
<h2>Finding her passion and niche</h2>
<p>She then found herself working for Corinthian colleges as a receptionist and worked her way up, eventually getting to Career Services.</p>
<p>“I just fell in love with coaching and placement, helping people find their niche so they could fit into their career.”</p>
<p>But when she was in the final class for her bachelor’s degree, the company closed down suddenly, and she was out on the street with a cardboard box of desk supplies.</p>
<p>“I not only lost my education, but I lost my job,” Ciaramello said.</p>
<p>She began looking for work that fit her new passion of helping people find their own career passion.</p>
<p>“I was being very picky” she recalled, but “anything related to my role required a bachelor’s degree.”</p>
<p>So she enrolled into college, earned a B.S. in Business Administration, and “waited for something amazing.”</p>
<h2>The Scottsdale opportunity</h2>
<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Beth_Ciaramello_teaching_course_2.jpg" alt="Beth Ciaramello leading course" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Beth leading a growth and development course</strong></p>
<p>Eventually she started working for LearnKey in Scottsdale, developing its job-ready team. Her program works mostly with veterans who are at least 10% disabled, mainly in IT related certifications. Her role is coaching and training vets in the field of their choice using the vocational rehab program that offers them a stipend while being retrained from their military jobs, which the disability prevents them from doing.</p>
<p>The Know Your Talent’s behavior-based surveys analyze individuals not only by aptitude and skills but at a deeper level, including personality type, so the vets are comfortable in the workplace in which they land.</p>
<p>“In the military, you never really sit down and discover your natural strengths,” Ciaramello said. “You just do what you’re told.”</p>
<p>LearnKey’s educational pathway process “starts with the end in mind.”</p>
<p>She tells of a veteran whose military job required rapid-fire decisions, and he had an epiphany after he took the survey and discovered for the first time his true, more contemplative nature.</p>
<p>He had been struggling professionally and internally, thinking there was something wrong with him. He thought he had personality shortcomings, she said, but “he was just in the wrong job. “</p>
<p>“It was such a fast-paced scenario (in his military job), she said. “The No. 1 driver was quantity over quality, and he really felt he was in the wrong space.” The vet wound up in a role that required well-studied analysis with quality over quantity, and he flourished, now making north of $70,000.</p>
<p>Behavior matters in job success and enjoyment. You wouldn’t place an extrovert in a program where they would sit in a room all by themselves and analyze data, while a high-conformity personality would do well in a more solitary compliance role.</p>
<h2>A new home country every month</h2>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Beth_hiking_the_Inca_Trail_in_Peru.jpg" alt="Beth hiking the Inca Trail in Peru" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Hiking the Inca Trail in Peru</strong></p>
<p>A couple of years ago, she convinced her employer that traveling is not only good for the soul but helps people understand and connect to a wider range of cultures, personalities, and, interests. Her worldwide travels through an organization called Remote Year also made her better at helping others as it’s useful in understanding a wider range of people.</p>
<p>Her year-long-plus sojourn took her to Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Morocco, Croatia, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and Australia – some on her own before and after the scheduled trip.</p>
<p>She and more than two dozen others lived in apartments, sometimes in roommate settings, working odd hours to keep up with their job duties remotely and immersing themselves in the local culture.</p>
<p><img style="border: 2px none #000000; float: left;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Beth_at_makeshift_desk_on_the_road.jpg" alt="Beth at makeshift desk on the road" width="163" height="215" />Their travel group was christened “Kanyini,” an Australian aboriginal word that means “connectedness.” They still had to match hours with the clients in other-side-of-the-world times zones. They worked odd hours, often with exasperating internet connections and other complications, using Skype, Zoom, Go to Meeting and other internet tools. She would video call people “to stay connected and see their faces.”</p>
<p>“In Asia; I worked overnight,” she said. “In Europe, it was in the evening. In Latin America, it seemed so (comparatively) easy because of the time zone.”</p>
<p>“I learned a lot interacting with people in other industries and working with them these crazy hours” she said.</p>
<p>“Sleep is optional. If you’re not working, then your adventuring, so sleep is not a priority.”</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>And adventure they did.</h2>
<p>She hiked the Inca Trail to the ancient cityruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, and rock-climbed with monkeys in Thailand. They hiked the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and rode camels in the Sahara.</p>
<p>“The Sahara is endless, and it’s incredibly beautiful.”</p>
<p>Through the group, they would set up local how-to and immersion events, like the time she made a razor-sharp traditional knife in Vietnam – with neither the native instructor nor the students sharing a language.</p>
<p>“I have a video of me fruit-ninja-ing,” she said.</p>
<p>Her journeys opened her eyes to what she’s good at, and is fulfilled doing – and translating that to clients.</p>
<p>“That’s one of my passions, helping people come out of their comfort zone so they can grow and develop personally and professionally. The longer we stay in the comfort zone, the less we challenge ourselves. My hope is to inspire people to get out of their comfort zone so they can test themselves and their limits and grow.”</p>
<p>Now it’s off to Down Under, where she’ll continue working for the Scottsdale office, serving job-seeking vets here and around the planet.</p>
<p>“The more you learn about people, the more you can help them,” she said, “so experiencing different cultures elevates my ability to help other people and understand different perspectives.”</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Beth_Ciaramello_with_growth_seminar_students_in_Croatia.jpg" alt="Beth with a growth and development seminar in Croatia" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Beth with a growth and development seminar in Croatia</strong></p>Scottsdale Stadium boss has her childhood dream job2020-03-06T00:30:21-07:002020-03-06T00:30:21-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/scottsdale-stadium-boss-has-her-childhood-dream-jobHal DeKeyser<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Stephanie_Tippett_at_Scottsdale_Stadium.jpg" alt="Stephanie Tippett at Scottsdale Stadium" />The energy is crackling at Scottsdale Stadium as Stephanie Tippett begins her day in a new office and a new era at one of the city’s most revered landmarks.</p>
<p>Construction workers hustle to finish last-minute projects; vendors deploy food, souvenirs and mounds of bottled water in advance of a new Cactus League season. Players in crisp uniforms gather for official photo day amid a gaggle of media and an aromatic breakfast buffet.</p>
<p>In the center of the vortex is Tippett, a Scottsdale native, graduate of Saguaro High School and host to what is arguably Scottsdale’s most important winter visitor – the San Francisco Giants.</p>
<h2>Scottsdale Stadium coordinator makes it all run smoothly</h2>
<p>As stadium coordinator, it is Tippett’s job to ensure this annual awakening unfolds without a flaw. From the playing fields and locker rooms to the beer tents and grandstands, it is her job to make the ballet known as Scottsdale spring training run safely, smoothly, and on time.</p>
<p>In February and March that means overseeing two dozen fulltime staff and contract workers, seven-day work weeks, long hours, and the stress of keeping thousands of game-day guests happy.</p>
<p>Tippett is right where she wants to be.</p>
<p>“I used to go to spring training games as a child,” she said. “I used to say to myself, ‘When I grow up, I’m going to work here.’ It was always on my radar.”</p>
<p>It didn’t take Tippett long to realize that dream. After earning a degree in parks and recreation management from Northern Arizona University, she applied to just one employer – the city of Scottsdale.</p>
<p>“I bleed Scottsdale,” she explained.</p>
<h2>She worked her way up the baseball stadium ladder</h2>
<p>It took her several months to snag a part-time job with the city and then almost a year to turn that into a fulltime gig. As fate would have it, it was at Scottsdale Stadium as an assistant. Now more than a decade later Tippett is entering her third year overseeing stadium operations. And it’s a year unlike any other, not just at Scottsdale Stadium but the entire Cactus League.</p>
<p>The construction wrapping up this warm February day caps a roughly $51 million expansion and renovation project to Scottsdale Stadium. A new entry plaza, press area and locker rooms are part of the changes but the looming two-story addition to the southern flank of the stadium is the headline attraction.</p>
<h2>Scottsdale adds convention space to stadium</h2>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Tippett_in_new_convention_space.jpg" alt="Tippett in new convention space" /></p>
<p>The city of Scottsdale has added 14,000 square feet of convention and special event space to the stadium – a first in the Cactus League and an effort to turn the Old Town Scottsdale ballpark into more than just a sports attraction.</p>
<p>Tippett has had the privilege of helping to shape the expansion from its start on a white board to its christening this spring.</p>
<p>“This is one of a kind,” she said, motioning to the addition just outside her office, still stacked with moving boxes. “It’s something the community identified as a need, and it’s really shifting the role of the stadium from a seasonal venue to a year-round destination.”</p>
<p>Local hoteliers, conference planners, and tourism officials all played a role in the design of the expansion. And the city didn’t have to look too far for a role model.</p>
<p>The Giants have worked the same magic with Oracle Park, its home field in San Francisco. More than 250 non-baseball events now take place annually at Oracle, said Tippett. The amenities have expanded to include a nearby pier, three yachts, and a parking lot besides the bay-front stadium.</p>
<p>The Scottsdale Stadium version is anchored to dry land, but expectations are also full sail.</p>
<h2>Record events booked at Scottdale Stadium</h2>
<p>Tippett said the stadium has booked more than 20 events this April, a record for the facility. And that’s before the launch of a new marketing plan designed to add more sizzle to the facility’s red-hot potential.</p>
<p>“We’re excited,” she said. “There is a buzz in the community. This is all new. There is nothing else like it in the Cactus League.”</p>
<p>Tippett is no stranger to trailblazing. She’s among the first women to oversee a Cactus League stadium and her newly hired assistant, Erin Barry, shares her gender.</p>
<p>“I remember going to Cactus League meetings and being one of the few females in the audience,” said Tippett. “Things are changing in that respect and that’s another exciting part of this job.”</p>
<h2>San Francisco Giants make history with woman coach</h2>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Stephanie_Tippett_and_SF_Giants_coach_Erin_Barry.jpg" alt="Stephanie Tippett and SF Giants coach Erin Barry" /></p>
<p>Indeed. The Giants made history this winter by hiring Alyssa Nakken, the first female coach in Major League Baseball. Last year, the Cactus League hired its first paid employee, executive director Bridgette Binsbacher.</p>
<p>For Tippett, the Scottsdale native who fulfilled her hometown dreams, the story has come full circle.</p>
<p>She and her husband of six years, Dave, have a home in Scottsdale and are raising two kids, son Austin, age 4 ½ ,and daughter April, just 18 months.</p>
<p>Now it’s their turn to go to the ballpark.</p>
<p>“Oh, my son just loves it here,” said a grinning Tippett, who can relate to the magic of baseball and the possibilities it brings each spring.</p><p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Stephanie_Tippett_at_Scottsdale_Stadium.jpg" alt="Stephanie Tippett at Scottsdale Stadium" />The energy is crackling at Scottsdale Stadium as Stephanie Tippett begins her day in a new office and a new era at one of the city’s most revered landmarks.</p>
<p>Construction workers hustle to finish last-minute projects; vendors deploy food, souvenirs and mounds of bottled water in advance of a new Cactus League season. Players in crisp uniforms gather for official photo day amid a gaggle of media and an aromatic breakfast buffet.</p>
<p>In the center of the vortex is Tippett, a Scottsdale native, graduate of Saguaro High School and host to what is arguably Scottsdale’s most important winter visitor – the San Francisco Giants.</p>
<h2>Scottsdale Stadium coordinator makes it all run smoothly</h2>
<p>As stadium coordinator, it is Tippett’s job to ensure this annual awakening unfolds without a flaw. From the playing fields and locker rooms to the beer tents and grandstands, it is her job to make the ballet known as Scottsdale spring training run safely, smoothly, and on time.</p>
<p>In February and March that means overseeing two dozen fulltime staff and contract workers, seven-day work weeks, long hours, and the stress of keeping thousands of game-day guests happy.</p>
<p>Tippett is right where she wants to be.</p>
<p>“I used to go to spring training games as a child,” she said. “I used to say to myself, ‘When I grow up, I’m going to work here.’ It was always on my radar.”</p>
<p>It didn’t take Tippett long to realize that dream. After earning a degree in parks and recreation management from Northern Arizona University, she applied to just one employer – the city of Scottsdale.</p>
<p>“I bleed Scottsdale,” she explained.</p>
<h2>She worked her way up the baseball stadium ladder</h2>
<p>It took her several months to snag a part-time job with the city and then almost a year to turn that into a fulltime gig. As fate would have it, it was at Scottsdale Stadium as an assistant. Now more than a decade later Tippett is entering her third year overseeing stadium operations. And it’s a year unlike any other, not just at Scottsdale Stadium but the entire Cactus League.</p>
<p>The construction wrapping up this warm February day caps a roughly $51 million expansion and renovation project to Scottsdale Stadium. A new entry plaza, press area and locker rooms are part of the changes but the looming two-story addition to the southern flank of the stadium is the headline attraction.</p>
<h2>Scottsdale adds convention space to stadium</h2>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Tippett_in_new_convention_space.jpg" alt="Tippett in new convention space" /></p>
<p>The city of Scottsdale has added 14,000 square feet of convention and special event space to the stadium – a first in the Cactus League and an effort to turn the Old Town Scottsdale ballpark into more than just a sports attraction.</p>
<p>Tippett has had the privilege of helping to shape the expansion from its start on a white board to its christening this spring.</p>
<p>“This is one of a kind,” she said, motioning to the addition just outside her office, still stacked with moving boxes. “It’s something the community identified as a need, and it’s really shifting the role of the stadium from a seasonal venue to a year-round destination.”</p>
<p>Local hoteliers, conference planners, and tourism officials all played a role in the design of the expansion. And the city didn’t have to look too far for a role model.</p>
<p>The Giants have worked the same magic with Oracle Park, its home field in San Francisco. More than 250 non-baseball events now take place annually at Oracle, said Tippett. The amenities have expanded to include a nearby pier, three yachts, and a parking lot besides the bay-front stadium.</p>
<p>The Scottsdale Stadium version is anchored to dry land, but expectations are also full sail.</p>
<h2>Record events booked at Scottdale Stadium</h2>
<p>Tippett said the stadium has booked more than 20 events this April, a record for the facility. And that’s before the launch of a new marketing plan designed to add more sizzle to the facility’s red-hot potential.</p>
<p>“We’re excited,” she said. “There is a buzz in the community. This is all new. There is nothing else like it in the Cactus League.”</p>
<p>Tippett is no stranger to trailblazing. She’s among the first women to oversee a Cactus League stadium and her newly hired assistant, Erin Barry, shares her gender.</p>
<p>“I remember going to Cactus League meetings and being one of the few females in the audience,” said Tippett. “Things are changing in that respect and that’s another exciting part of this job.”</p>
<h2>San Francisco Giants make history with woman coach</h2>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Stephanie_Tippett_and_SF_Giants_coach_Erin_Barry.jpg" alt="Stephanie Tippett and SF Giants coach Erin Barry" /></p>
<p>Indeed. The Giants made history this winter by hiring Alyssa Nakken, the first female coach in Major League Baseball. Last year, the Cactus League hired its first paid employee, executive director Bridgette Binsbacher.</p>
<p>For Tippett, the Scottsdale native who fulfilled her hometown dreams, the story has come full circle.</p>
<p>She and her husband of six years, Dave, have a home in Scottsdale and are raising two kids, son Austin, age 4 ½ ,and daughter April, just 18 months.</p>
<p>Now it’s their turn to go to the ballpark.</p>
<p>“Oh, my son just loves it here,” said a grinning Tippett, who can relate to the magic of baseball and the possibilities it brings each spring.</p>Meet Scottsdale Library's Director – Kira Peters2018-04-13T00:28:18-07:002018-04-13T00:28:18-07:00https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/notable-women/meet-scottsdale-library-s-new-director-kira-peters<p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Meet-Scottsdale-Librarys-new-Director-01.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Say hello to Kira Peters, Scottsdale's Library Services director. Peters’ professional experience includes 27 years of leading teams in a variety of Scottsdale Community Services program areas.</p>
<p>She has worked in Aquatics, Senior Services, Leisure Education, Special Events, Youth Development, and she managed operations at the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.</p>
<p>Peters says she is inspired by Scottsdale's Library System and by the library staff and volunteers who provide services to library guests.</p>
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<p> </p><p><img src="https://www.scottsdalewomen.com/images/articles/notable/Meet-Scottsdale-Librarys-new-Director-01.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Say hello to Kira Peters, Scottsdale's Library Services director. Peters’ professional experience includes 27 years of leading teams in a variety of Scottsdale Community Services program areas.</p>
<p>She has worked in Aquatics, Senior Services, Leisure Education, Special Events, Youth Development, and she managed operations at the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.</p>
<p>Peters says she is inspired by Scottsdale's Library System and by the library staff and volunteers who provide services to library guests.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>