Greater Phoenix Leadership celebrates 52nd anniversary

Greater Phoenix Leadership is an organization of leading CEOs aligning leadership and resources at the intersection of the business, education, philanthropy, and public policy sectors to improve economic vitality and quality of life.

The mission of Greater Phoenix Leadership, or GPL, is to improve the greater Phoenix area and the state of Arizona by bringing together talent, resources, and leadership to create action on priority issues.

Over 50 years ago, three Phoenix businessmen, Gene Pulliam, Frank Snell, and Tom Chauncey, convened the State’s top business and civic leaders to address major issues facing the community. Along withGovernor Raúl Castro, the group met on February 4, 1975, and prioritized transportation, crime, and education as the most pressing issues. The group called themselves the Phoenix 40 and soon emerged as the most influential group of community leaders, helping shape the future of the state.

Some of GPL’s most noteworthy accomplishments are the establishment of the Silent Witness Program, the creation of Phoenix Civic Plaza, founding Valley Leadership, assisting in bringing the NFL Arizona Cardinals from St. Louis in 1988, leading the effort to fund freeway and regional transportation, and helping to establish the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday in 1992.

Ken Van Winkle, the Vice Chair, and Pam Kehaly, the Immediate Past Board Chair of the Greater Phoenix Leadership, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the organization’s impact on the Valley.

“Greater Phoenix Leadership is a collection of the CEOs around the valley that come together to help…moving Phoenix from a town to a city,” Van Winkle said, “…helps guide the community, helps support issues that are important to the community, and helps the community move forward for everybody.”

According to Kehaly, 124 different CEOs are members of the Greater Phoenix leadership program, all with different opinions.

“They represent different businesses, but they all are here to make sure that the Arizona economy and business environment is strong,” Kehaly explained.

The organization is divided into a number of different committees and groups that take a look at the priorities in the community. Some of these include infrastructure, arts & culture, education, and public policy.

“Each member to get involved where they feel like they’re most interested,” Van Winkle said, “…where they think they can add the most value, where they think they can have the most impact.”