Board of Directors

Jeni O’Callaghan is a third generation artist: “for me, art has always been just there, like breathing.” Her art reflects much of the southwest desert she grew up in and still lives in today. Jeni has been coming to the Verde Valley since her grandfather bought Rancho Tres Brisas on the Verde River in 1963. Read more.

Chip Norton, a third-generation Arizonan, lives next to the Verde River in Camp Verde. He retired from his project management career in 2008 and currently serves on several nonprofit, municipal and regional boards and commissions. Read more.

Tony Gioia, a retired U. S. Postal Service worker and business owner, has also served on the Town Council and as Mayor for the Town of Camp Verde. Read more.

Brent Bitz is a retired businessman whose career involved him in large scale commercial real estate projects throughout North America. Since moving to Sedona with his wife Dion in 2006, he has been an active member of the community. Read more.

Peggy Chaikin has been involved with Friends since its inception. She has lived and worked in the Verde Valley and Flagstaff area since the 70’s. Read more.

Jennifer Diffley is a junior partner in Culp & Kelly, LLP, where she practices in the areas of water and natural resources law, providing support to a variety of non-profit, government, and investment clients on environmental issues and water policy. Read more.

Harry Sweet is the Board Director of Friends of the Verde River, and he is part of the advisory committee for the Business Conservation Partners program. Harry works in the wine industry and is also a river boating enthusiast.

Founding Board Member Marsha Foutz is the volunteer coordinator and a founding member of Friends of the Verde River. Read more.

Thomasene (Jackson) Cardona is born for the Bear Clan and a gift to her father’s clan, the Des che’ ish kidn, (The Rocky Ridge Clan). She is of Acoma, Yavapai and Apache descent, was raised in the Clarkdale community, and currently resides on the Yavapai-Apache reservation. Read more.

Kim Knotter has worked for more than 30 years in the nonprofit sector in fundraising, operational management and capital fundraising in the Phoenix metro area. Kim currently is under contract with Rio Salado Foundation and Arizona State Park Foundation and has worked for the following organizations, Hospice of the Valley, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, American Cancer Society, Planned Parenthood of Arizona, Phoenix Art Museum and Ballet Arizona. Read more.

Linda Stitzer is a long-time Arizonan and retired water resource planner who authored several studies assessing water demand and opportunities for water conservation and reuse in the Verde Valley to reduce groundwater pumping impacts to the Verde River. She is especially interested in the potential to “build-in” water use efficiency through land use planning. Read more.

As a young man growing up on a family farm and ranch in my native Arizona, I unknowingly became an advocate for the protection of our global resources and our shared humanity. Our Family share many memories experienced during our time on the Land, eight generations. Shared experiences of our Grandfather and Father building and rebuilding diversion dams on the Gila River and maintaining water wells for irrigation of crops which provided sustenance for the family and domestic animals. Read more.