Dr. Finch began serving the Deer Valley Unified School District community as Superintendent in 2017; DVUSD has 41 schools, 32,600 students, and 3,500 employees. His quest for educational excellence began at an early age in Alaska with his mother as a school bus driver and father as the school district’s maintenance director; the school system was the center of the small rural community. Dr. Finch received a BA in Secondary Mathematics and a minor in Language Arts, a MA in Administration, and a PhD in Education. After starting as a secondary math and English teacher, Dr. Finch spent the next 25+ years in educational administration at the Middle School, High School, Superintendent, and ISD levels. The 20+ years as a Superintendent has afforded him opportunities to shape educational issues at the state and national levels, testifying before legislatures, and serving on local, state, and national educational committees to influence improvement in K-12 public education.

Simon serves the City of Phoenix as their Field Services Superintendent.  He brings about 20 years of traffic engineering and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) experience.  He has spent the last 5 years with the City of Phoenix as our Traffic Management & Operations Engineer over the Phoenix Traffic Management Center and the Signals & Street Lighting Design Team.  He also represents City of Phoenix within the AZTech organization as he chairs both the AZTech Operations Committee and AZTech ITS and Signal Technician Committee. 

Simon began his traffic engineering career with at the City of Tucson’s Signal Shop as a Traffic Signal Technician, ITS Specialist, and Engineering Associate.  He then moved onto Arizona Department of Transportation as their Transportation Engineering Specialist, Traffic Engineering Supervisor, and ITS Engineer.  

Simon is a graduate from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering and an Associate’s Degree in Electronics Engineering.  He is also a registered engineer in Arizona.

Bill Gates is Associate General Counsel & Director of Distribution for PING, a Phoenix-based golf equipment manufacturer. Prior to working for PING in 2001, Supervisor Gates was an associate at the firm of Fennemore Craig, practicing commercial litigation with an emphasis in property tax litigation. He was appointed by Governor Brewer to the Municipal Tax Code Commission and the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council. He also served as a member of Governor Ducey’s Transition Team. 

Bill Gates served on the Phoenix City Council representing District 3 from June, 2009 through May, 2016. Gates also served as Vice Mayor of Phoenix from January 2013 to February 2014.  Supervisor Gates has represented District 3 on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors since 2017 and was elected Chairman of the Board by his colleagues in 2019. 

Gates has served in a variety of capacities with nonprofit and community organizations such as Valley Leadership, the Phoenix Symphony, INROADS, American Legion Boys State, the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar, Disabled Sports USA and the Federal Communications Commission’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee. He is currently a Board Member for the Foundation for Blind Children, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, the Arizona Workforce Council and Vitalant, the second largest blood bank in the United States. 

The Phoenix Business Journal honored him in 2010 with a Forty under 40 Award, which recognizes prominent young leaders in various industries in metropolitan Phoenix. In 2012, the Arizona School of Public Relations Association presented him with the Award of Excellence for his contributions to public education and he received the Sentinel Award from the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce in recognition for his work to improve Arizona’s business climate.

 Gates is a graduate of Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Arizona. He attended Drake University where he received his bachelor’s degree in political science and economics in 1993 and he graduated from Harvard Law School in 1996. Supervisor Gates is married and has three teenage daughters.  Bill Gates is a Republican. 

Jacqueline Edwards is Director with the Maricopa County Human Services Department (HSD). She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and History from John Carroll University and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration from The Ohio State University. Prior to working in HSD, Jacqueline worked at The Ohio State University and also in the County’s Office of Management and Budget where she was responsible for budgets totaling $350M and public policy analysis, including the Affordable Care Act’s impact on substance abuse and mental health treatments. As Director, Jacqueline leads cross-divisional program initiatives to align programs and services for the benefit of the clients, which includes HSD’s 2Gen approaches and family-centered coaching initiative. This cross-divisional work has been recognized nationally as an emerging best practice. In addition, she also oversees the Department’s Administration, Policy, and Planning Division. Her passion for public service and helping those in need achieve their dreams drives her work in human services.