UP FRONT The firm's first lady Stanton breaks ground as female leader of Quarles’ Phoenix office By ALISON BAILIN BATZ
O A woman Of power
Shirley Mays, dean of Arizona Summit Law School, has been named to the Lawyers Of Color’s Third Annual Power List, a comprehensive listing of the nation’s most influential minority attorneys. Since joining the school in August 2010, Mays’ priorities have been focused on the school’s mission of promoting diversity in the legal profession, serving underserved communities, developing innovative curriculum to meet student needs and preparing students for success in their legal career. Her accomplishments as dean earned her recognition from Lawyers Of Color, which is focused on promoting accomplishments of minority professionals.
n January 1, Nicole Stanton – Phoenix’s First Lady and mother of two young children – was named managing partner of Quarles & Brady's Phoenix office. The move, which made Stanton the Phoenix office’s first female to hold the role, came on the heels of the national office announcing that Kimberly Leach Johnson was selected as the firm’s next chairperson in late 2013, the first woman to serve as the firm’s national chair. “Nicole has consistently demonstrated outstanding leadership over the years, and I have no doubt she will now maintain the standard of excellence that Jon Pettibone demonstrated during his term of service in the office managing partner role,” says Leach Johnson. Pettibone will resume his labor and employment practice at the firm full time. While Stanton and Leach Johnson are ‘firsts,’ their appointments are two in a long line of Quarles’ long history of female leaders. “This is something we are are both extremely proud of,” says Stanton, noting that her appointment made her one of four female office managing partners among the firm’s eight offices nationwide. Being a leader is nothing new to Stanton. Already in a leadership role within Quarles as both a partner and as firm’s associate general counsel, Stanton relishes the chance to continue to raise Quarles’ profile within the community, while her husband – Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton – works to raise our Valley’s profile nationwide. In her community, Stanton is a member of Charter 100 Women, where she is in such company as honorary fellow members Sandra Day O’Connor, Janet Napolitano, and Barbara Barrett; a graduate of Valley Leadership Class XXIX, the largest and most established leadership
LILLIAN REID/AZ BIG MEDIA
LEADING THE WAY: Nicole Stanton is managing partner of Quarles & Brady's Phoenix office. Read more about the First Lady of Phoenix at azBIGmedia.com.
development organization in the greaterPhoenix metropolitan area; a founding board member and past president of the Women’s Metropolitan Arts Council of the Phoenix Art Museum, a diverse group of business women dedicated to the arts; and founder of StopBullyingAZ. “The StopBullyingAZ initiative is directly focused on ending bullying in all its forms by increasing awareness and promoting the tools needed by educators, care givers and students throughout Arizona,” says Stanton. “If you can’t tell, I am not much into downtime. My husband and I both just like to be where the action is – and it’s here in the Valley.”
YWCA PUTS THE SPOTLIGHT ON VALLEY LEADERSHIP The YWCA of Maricopa County recognizes several outstanding individuals who have given selflessly of their time and talent to make our communities better places. Those earning Tribute to Leadership honors were: Cindy McCain, The McCain Institute; Alejandra Amarilla Nash, Landfill Harmonic Project; MaryLynn Mack,
Desert Botanical Garden; Chevy Humphrey, Arizona Science Center; Martha Kuhns, Women’s Overseas Service League; Karen Johnson, Midwestern University; Pam Conboy, Wells Fargo; Leon Silver, Polsinelli; Judge Roxanne Song Ong, Phoenix Municipal Court; Dr. Joel Martin, Positively Powerful | Triad West Inc.
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