Regional Council Executive Committee

Kenneth N. Weise was appointed Mayor in June 2014 and subsequently won a full-term in 2016. He won re-election in 2020. Prior to his mayoral service, he served as an Avondale City Council Member beginning in January 2006 when he was initially appointed to a vacant council seat. He was subsequently elected to the City Council in September 2007 and, during his tenure, served as Avondale’s Vice Mayor from 2008 to 2010.

Mayor Weise currently serves on the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Regional Council, Executive Committee and Transportation Policy Committee. He is also a member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s Board of Directors. A true public servant, he has also served on several other committees including the National League of Cities Community and Economic Development Committee, the Southwest Valley Chamber’s Board of Directors, Avondale Charter Review Committee, the Contributions Assistance Council Subcommittee and as Chair of the Western Maricopa Enterprise Zone (WMEZ). As a strong supporter of education and youth, Mayor Weise is currently a member of the Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable. Mayor Weise is a current member of the National League of Cities (NLC) and the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.

Mayor Weise is Director of Sales at The Benefit Guard and previously served on the Board of Elders at Trinity Lutheran Church. He volunteers for various organizations and feels strongly about giving back to his community. He currently studies Government at Grand Canyon University. He and his wife, Shari, have two daughters and have called Avondale home since 1995.

Since being elected to the Phoenix City Council in 2013, Kate Gallego's entrepreneurial spirit and extensive economic development knowledge have helped transform Phoenix's economy and revitalize the city's transportation system. Kate's proven track record includes leading the campaign to pass Phoenix's citywide transportation plan and spearheading the successful Phoenix Equal Pay Ordinance.

Kate is passionate about building a Phoenix that works for everybody. She led the effort for the city to partner with AARP to better serve older adults. She has worked with Councilwoman Debra Stark to support more young people entering the construction workforce, and Kate has championed innovative partnerships with ASU and the University of Arizona. Kate Gallego believes that everyone should have access to cutting edge medical care, and she has been the city council lead on expanding Phoenix's biomedical campus.

A strong proponent of investing in the infrastructure that Phoenix needs to grow, Kate is a member of the bi-partisan coalition Building America's Future. Her work on infrastructure has earned recognition from Women in Transportation and Friends of Transit. Her work on equity issues has earned her the recognition of the "Courage" Award from the Girl Scouts Cactus-Pine Council, Elected Official of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers Arizona Chapter, and the Rising Leader Award from the Anti-Defamation League. AZ Business Magazine named her as one of the most influential women in business.

Prior to being elected, Kate worked on Strategic Planning and Economic Development for Salt River Project. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University and earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2015 the Wharton School of Business named her in its "40 Under 40" list. She is the proud mom of Michael Gallego.

Les is currently starting his third term as the Mayor of Carefree. This followed serving as the Vice Mayor. Prior to being elected to the Town Council, Les served on the Carefree Planning and Zoning Commission.

During Les’s prior working career, he worked for both Procter & Gamble and the Pillsbury Company in marketing and promotion. Following this experience, Les worked in marketing and long range planning assignments at Glendinning Companies, the largest promotional services firm in the United States.

Les was one of the founders of and Managing Partner of a marketing and promotion services firm, the Connecticut Consulting Group, that within ten years grew to be the 5th largest in the United States. This firm was acquired by a leading New York based advertising agency in 1989, Darcy Masius Benton & Bowles. During his marketing and long-range planning career, Les worked with for 160 companies in an agency/consulting role, either developing assignments directly or supervising others. Long term clients Les worked with included NFL Properties, Marriott, IBM, Coca Cola, Shell Oil, Kodak, Ralston Purina, Frito Lay, Kimberly Clark and Quaker State.

Les is a Director Emeritus of New Pathways for Youth (formerly Greater

Phoenix Youth at Risk), having served as Chairman of the Program Content & Structure and Strategic Planning Committees

Les is a member of the Paradise Valley Community College Advisory Council

Les was President of the Boulders Homeowners Association

Les was very active with Cornell University for fourteen years (1996-2010) interfacing with and evaluating over 4,000 MBA students serving as one of two outside “judges” for their MBA entrepreneurial studies program

Les has also worked with several local charities in the marketing and planning areas. These have included St. Vincent de, Paul, Banner Hospice and the Scottsdale Cultural Council.

Les earned both a BA (1965) and a MA (1967) from Arizona State University, and he and his wife, Mary, have resided at the Boulders in Carefree, Arizona, since 1996.

John Giles was elected the 40th mayor of Mesa, Arizona, in August 2014. He earned degrees from Brigham Young University in Political Science and Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. He has managed his own law firm in downtown Mesa for more than 20 years.

In 1996, Giles was elected to the Mesa City Council and from 1998 to 2000, he served as vice mayor. After his service on the City Council, he remained active in the community and served on 25 boards and committees. He has been very involved in interfaith relations throughout the Phoenix-metro area, including serving on the Board of the Arizona Interfaith Movement. As mayor, he serves on numerous local and regional boards and committees.

Born and raised in Mesa, he graduated from Westwood High School in 1978. Mayor Giles is an active marathoner and triathlete who has completed two full Ironman competitions, 20 marathons and four Boston Marathons. In 2013, he was named “Mesa Man of the Year.” Mayor Giles and his wife, Dawn, have been married for more than 30 years. They have five children and five grandchildren.

Eric Orsborn was elected Mayor in 2020, after serving on the Buckeye City Council as the District 6 representative from 2010 to 2020.

Mayor Orsborn holds a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management from Arizona State University.

Mayor Orsborn is the owner of OCM, a Construction and Maintenance company based in Buckeye, Arizona. He has previously been employed in construction and land development and project management.

A graduate of the first Buckeye Leadership Academy, Mayor Orsborn is also a Blue Blazer and member of Fighter Country Partnership, a group that supports the men, women and the mission of Luke Air Force Base. He also serves on the MAG Regional Council and Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) boards.

Mayor Orsborn is a native of Arizona. He and his wife, Tina, have a daughter and son, Emma and Jack. Mayor Orsborn and his family have resided in the community of Verrado for 16 years.

Mayor Kevin Hartke has lived in Chandler since 1985. Although he began his tenure on City Council in January of 2011, he also served for a year as an interim Councilmember in 2008. He continues to serve as Lead Pastor at Trinity Christian Fellowship in Chandler where he has worked since 1985. Kevin has a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from University of Missouri, Columbia; and a Master's degree in Theology with Fuller Theological Seminary.

Kevin is involved extensively in the state and Chandler community. He currently serves regionally as the Co-chair of the Continuum of Care Regional Committee to End Homelessness for the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG). Kevin serves as a board member on three other regional boards as well: MAG’s Economic Development Committee, the Valley’s Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) and the Valley Metro Light rail. Kevin is also the statewide director of a nonprofit organization, For Our City. For Our City is a collaborative effort of government, business, nonprofit and faith leaders gathered to find solutions for needs in a community.

In Chandler, Kevin volunteers with several organizations. He serves on the board of the Desert Cancer Foundation of Arizona (DCFA), helps with American Cancer Society, serves as a member of the Public Policy Committee with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce and with the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership (DCCP). He is a literacy advocate that reads weekly to 6th graders at Galveston Elementary School with BookPALS. Kevin has volunteered at Galveston for the past 11 years.

In the City of Chandler, his past service had included being a commissioner on the Planning and Zoning Commission, chairman of Human Relations Commission, chairman of the 2010 Complete Count Committee, member of a previous Charter Revision Committee and an ex official member of Chandler Airport Commission. He is currently active with Chandler's two Sister Cities, Tullamore, Ireland; and Tainan, Taiwan.

He also has served on the executive board of the Chandler Coalition On Youth Substance Abuse (CCYSA), coached soccer for the YMCA, organized citywide community volunteer efforts and helped organize and lead Chandler’s first traditional neighborhood association, Arrowhead Meadows. Regionally, Kevin’s past service has included a Governor’s commission on Faith and Communities and a Congressional Committee on Faith and Neighborhoods.

Kevin has been married to Lynne for more than 35 years. They have four children: Nathan, Aleah, Katelyn and Zachary and three grandchildren, Micah, Madelynn and Benjamin.

Alexis Hermosillo is a proud fourth-generation resident of the City of El Mirage. Alexis currently works for a public transportation company in the Maricopa county area, and previously worked for the U.S. House of Representatives as a district representative for Congressman Raúl Grijalva.

Alexis is a firm believer that knowledge is power. She holds an M.A. in journalism and a B.A. in interdisciplinary arts, and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership. In her spare time she puts her knowledge and skills to work supporting opportunity youth in El Mirage.

Alexis is committed to the empowerment of women. She serves on the Board of the YWCA of Metropolitan Phoenix, and has worked with the Hispanic Women’s Corporation, supporting their national youth initiatives. Alexis believes that investing in today’s youth is an investment in our future, and has dedicated herself to engaging and motivating Latino youth through leadership development programs, including with the National Council of La Raza (UnidosUS).