2012 Trendsetters - Trends Magazine

2012 TRENDSETTERS
Shän Francis
What is your hometown and how long have you lived in the Valley?
Pasadena, Calif., and Scottsdale the last 40 years.
In Phoenix society, what people have inspired you?
Sandra Day O’Connor and Margaret T. Hance stand out.
Rebecca Ailes-Fine
What are three things people may not know about you?
I have a Master’s Degree in Health and Education; my daughter and I visited 25 European
cities in 24 days; my husband and I tandem surfed in Waikiki last year.
What is your favorite guilty food item?
Chocolate chip cookies and strawberry shortcake.
What Valley events have you chaired or worked on in the last decade?
Women’s Board of the Barrow Neurological Foundation, the Barrow Grand Ball,
the Board of Visitors Fashion Show and Luncheon, the Board of Visitors Charity Ball,
Arizona Women’s Board, Author’s Luncheon, Desert Foundation Auxiliary.
Do you have a favorite song and/or film?
”New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra; Film, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
“Extraordinary, Ordinary People,” by Condoleezza Rice.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Falling out of a chairlift in front of a crowd on a snow skiing trip. Thankfully, no injuries …
What seven people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?
Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope, Jackie Kennedy, Gracie Allen, Lucille Ball
and my mother.
What’s your motto?
“Balance.” Keep balance with everything you do in life.
What is your hometown and how long have you lived in the Valley?
Valparaiso, Ind. We’ve lived in the Valley 11 years.
In Phoenix society, what people have inspired you?
Oonagh Boppart is one who continually amazes me with sharing her time and talent.
What are three things people may not know about you?
I grew up on a farm and showed Dairy & Beef in 4-H; I graduated with a Home Ec degree
from Ohio University; I was a nanny in England for a summer.
What is your favorite guilty food item?
Potato chips and cottage cheese – don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!
What Valley events have you chaired or worked on in the last decade?
Chrysalis Comedy Night, Chrysalis Honors the Family, Dinner on the Desert, Fresh Start
Fashion Gala, Teaming Up for Kids, Beatitudes Campus Power of the Purse, Rendez-Zoo,
Kids at Heart Gala and Banner Alzheimer’s Foundation new support group, 100 Women.
Do you have a favorite song and/or film?
Film, “Gone with the Wind”; Song, “Teach Your Children” by Crosby, Stills & Nash.
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
“A Song of Ice and Fire” series by George R.R. Martin.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Who can even remember? There have been so many and I’m sure more to come!
What people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?
My great-grandmother Shellabarger, Grandma Seifert, Grandma Ailes, my mother, my sister
Rilla, my daughter Jillian and my granddaughters Carter and Skylar.
What’s your motto?
To thine own self be true.
Photos by Scott Foust, Image-Industry

Colleen Jennings-Roggensack
Tara Hitchcock
What is your hometown and how long have you lived in the Valley?
Raised in the military, my hometown is where I am. I moved to Phoenix in 1992.
In Phoenix society, what people have inspired you?
Susan and Bill Ahearn, Jerry Appell, Virginia and Jose Cardenas, Laurie and
Chuck Goldstein, Carole and Bob Machiz, Leslie and Jeff Rich, Mary and Bill Way.
What are three things people may not know about you?
I have lived around the world; I am a USA swim official; I was a modern dancer.
What is your favorite guilty food item?
Anything chocolate!
What Valley events have you chaired or worked on in the last decade?
Arizona School for the Arts, Childsplay, Field of Dreams, ASU Men’s Swim Team
and Go GAGA.
Do you have a favorite song and/or film?
Film, “Sandakan 8” by Kei Kumai; song, “I Sing the Body Electric.”
What great books have you read in the last year?
“Game Change” and “Yes, Chef.”
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Missed a costume change when dancing and came out in my slip.
What seven people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?
My mom, Lottie Jennings, Harriet Tubman, Katherine the Great, Golda Meir,
Eleanor Roosevelt, John Irving and Robert Rauschenberg.
What’s your motto?
You will be a success if you broaden your horizons. Give back to the community. And you
stand on the shoulders of those that come before you.
What is your hometown and how long have you lived in the Valley?
Dallas, and I’ve lived in the Valley since 1996.
In Phoenix society, what people have inspired you?
Carole Machiz, Childhelp people like Carol Hebets and Sharon Lechter, and Nancy Spetzler.
What are three things people may not know about you?
That I am the least-fashionable person you’ll meet; that I bite my nails; and I’m starting to
hold my own as a kite-boarder.
What is your favorite guilty food item?
Mark Tarbell’s creamed corn and lemon poppy seed muffins at Paradise Bakery.
What Valley events have you chaired or worked on in the last decade?
Best Buddies Spirit of Friendship, Drive the Dream (upcoming), the Night for Sight for
FBC, Dancing with the Stars, Teaming up for Kids, AWEE’s event, Celebrity Fight Night, the
Women Against MS luncheon, First Things First and TGen events.
Do you have a favorite song and/or film?
Song, “So Good” by B.O.B. Film, “Love Actually.”
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
“Tattoos on the Heart,” by a priest who ministered to gang members in L.A.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
I blanked two minutes into a speech at a high school debate tournament.
What people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?
My grandfather Dziadzie (Polish), my grandmother Babci, my husband, and my three
stepkids and Pope John Paul II.
What’s your motto?
Carpe diem ... seize the day! It implies that you should be proactive in how you live.
Photos by Scott Foust, Image-Industry
TRENDS MAGAZINE 15

2012 TRENDSETTERS
Mimi Shaps
Patricia “Patsy” Livi
What is your hometown and how long have you lived in the Valley?
Born in New York, raised in Birmingham, Ala., and moved here from Spain in 1975.
In Phoenix society, what people have inspired you?
My closest friend, Linda Pope, and the late Arnold Smith.
What are three things people may not know about you?
My love for my husband and family, loyalty to my friends and love for dance.
What is your favorite guilty food item?
Julia Baker’s passion fruit chocolates.
What Valley events have you chaired or worked on in the last decade?
Arizona Foundation for Women, Phoenix Theater’s 85th Anniversary chairman, Phoenix
Theater Board member, Greek Orthodox Church Festival, Phoenix Ballet raffle chairman,
Boys & Girls Clubs Sponsor’s Thank-you dinner, Trends luncheon co-chair, Crisis Nursery,
American Jewish Committee World Care, Dancing With the Stars and Childhelp.
Do you have a favorite song and/or film?
Song, “Al di La,” an Italian song my husband sings to me. Film, “Dangerous Beauty.”
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
“Because They Hate” by Brigitte Gabriel.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
When I was 16 years old I said, “Huh,” instead of “Pardon me” or “Excuse me” when I was
asked a question in a beauty pageant. I was devastated, but I still won.
What people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?
Angiolo Livi (my husband), Nicholas Babakitis (my father), Jesus, Gandhi, Socrates,
Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Margot Fontaine, Fred Astaire and Albert Einstein.
What’s your motto?
Be here now.
What is your hometown and how long have you lived in the Valley?
Rochester, N.Y. Lived in NYC and L.A., moved to Arizona in 1989 “for two years.”
In Phoenix society, what people have inspired you?
Everyone who supports so many Valley causes with time and talent.
What are three things people may not know about you?
I was raised with eight sisters and four brothers; I played college field hockey; I was the
women’s swimwear buyer for large New York retailer.
What is your favorite guilty food item?
Pizza and beer … most Friday nights!
What Valley events have you chaired or worked on in the last decade?
The Honor Ball, Brophy Fashion Show, Tri for the Cure AZ, Desert Foundation Auxiliary,
National Charity League, Xavier Mothers’ Guild and the National Brain Tumor Society Walk.
Do you have a favorite song and/or film?
“Ave Maria.”
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
“The Grace to Race” by Sister Madonna Buder.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
In college I ran the clock for basketball. During a championship game, I didn’t restart the
clock after a timeout. The visitors lost. I’ll never forget the reaction of the coach!
What seven people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?
Jacqueline and Caroline Kennedy, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, my daughter, mother
and grandmother.
What’s your motto?
“It’s never too late to become what you might have been.” George Elliot
Photos by Scott Foust, Image-Industry

Robynn Sussman
Ann Siner
What is your hometown and how long have you lived in the Valley?
My hometown is Colorado Springs. I’ve lived in the Valley since 1983 when I moved here to
go to Thunderbird Graduate School.
In Phoenix society, what people have inspired you?
Ellen Katz, Daryl Weil, Roberta Pederson and all of my Trendsetter classmates.
What are three things people may not know about you?
I can hula hoop like a pro!; I sleep with my dogs. Or is that my dogs let me sleep with them?;
And I can ski double black diamonds.
What is your favorite guilty food item?
Guacamole and freshly made tortilla chips, especially from Barrio Cafe.
What Valley events have you chaired or worked on in the last decade?
Compassion for Fashion, Independent Women Luncheon, an Evening to Paws (AAWL),
Friends of Animal Care & Control’s (FACCs) HERO event, Fresh Start Gala, Boys & Girls Club
Wine Tasting Event, HALO (Helping Animals Live On).
Do you have a favorite song and/or film?
I loved the films “American Beauty,” “Brokeback Mountain” and “The Elephant Man.”
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
“Half Broke Horses.”
What was your most embarrassing moment?
I’m not going to tell!
What is your hometown and how long have you lived in the Valley?
My hometown is Scarsdale, N.Y. We’ve been living here permanently since 2005.
What seven people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?
Steve Jobs, Princess Di, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Ernest Hemingway, Johnny Carson and
Pablo Picasso.
What’s your motto?
Every day do something that scares you (Eleanor Roosevelt).
In Phoenix society, what people have inspired you?
Jacquie Dorrance, Diane Halle, Ina Manaster, Sandy Trznadel, Sue Fletcher, Ellie Shapiro,
Heather Greenbaum and Margot Knight.
What is something people may not know about you?
I collect factices, lunch boxes and miniature furniture; In college, my Chinese roommate told
me that I would be engaged to two men at the same time and have two sons. This came true!
What is your favorite guilty food item?
Tart Tatin.
What Valley events have you chaired or worked on in the last decade?
I’ve chaired The pARTy and worked on the Honor Ball and Science Center Gala committees.
Do you have a favorite song and/or film?
I love the TV series “Downton Abbey.” My favorite movie is “The Concert.”
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
”The Clifton Chronicles” by Jeffrey Archer.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
I arrived at a party in ‘50s cheerleader attire to find I was the only person in costume.
What seven people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?
Steve Jobs, Ben Franklin, King Solomon, Grace Kelly, Coco Chanel, contemporary artist
Joan Mitchell and my husband, Robert.
What’s your motto?
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Photos by Scott Foust, Image-Industry
TRENDS MAGAZINE 17

2012 TRENDSETTERS
Kari Yatkowski
What is your hometown and how long have you lived in the Valley?
Spearfish, S.D. I have lived here nearly 30 years.
In Phoenix society, what people have inspired you?
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Barbara Barrett.
Melani Walton
What are three things people may not know about you?
I grew up in a tiny town in South Dakota; I love college football; I would have 100 dogs
and cats if I could.
What is your favorite guilty food item?
Chips and salsa.
What Valley events have you chaired or worked on in the last decade?
Homeward Bound’s a Derby Affair, Beach Ball, Phoenix Suns Charities O Lounge,
Phoenix Heart Ball vice chairman, O’Connor House Supreme Evening, Banner MD
Anderson Capital Campaign co-chair.
Do you have a favorite song and/or film?
My wedding song, “I Could Not Ask for More,” by Edwin McCain.
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
“The Middle Place” by Kelly Corrigan.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Leaving the Trendsetter kickoff brunch with Sandy Hecomovich’s phone.
What people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?
Ronald Reagan, Peyton Manning, Princess Diana, Kelly Corrigan, Anderson Cooper,
Sean Hannity and my grandmothers.
What’s your motto?
If not you, then WHO?
What is your hometown and how long have you lived in the Valley?
I grew up in Montana and have been an Arizona resident for over a decade.
In Phoenix society, what people have inspired you?
Michael Crow of ASU and Chevy Humphrey of the Arizona Science Center. Rob Walton:
He is brilliant, a compassionate husband and a game-changer in global sustainability.
What are three things people may not know about you?
I am loyal with small-town values, enjoy teamwork and have fond memories of being on
a national championship basketball team. I love adventure from scuba diving.
What is your favorite guilty food item?
Fran’s Chocolates – Gray Salt Caramels
What Valley events have you chaired or worked on in the last decade?
ASU Women in Philanthropy, Phoenix Children’s Hospital Circle. The Nature Conservancy,
Arizona Science Center and 2013 Sandra Day O’Connor Luncheon.
Do you have a favorite song and/or film?
Enya’s “Orinoco Flow,” Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon”; film: “The Red Violin.”
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
“Play of Consciousness: A Spiritual Autobiography,” by Swami Muktananda
What was your most embarrassing moment?
My 4th-grade piano recital when I forgot how to begin a six-page sonata.
What seven people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?
Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus, Siddhartha Gautama, Mirra Alfassa, Aurobindo
Ghose, and my great-grandfather, Albert Knutson.
What’s your motto?
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters
compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within us out into the world,
miracles happen.”
Photos by Scott Foust, Image-Industry