By Liz Massey, January 2018 Issue
As each year comes to a close, the Echo Magazine team takes pause to reflect on the events that defined the past 12 months and the exceptional individuals who led the way. To these individuals, Echo bestows its Leaders of the Year recognition.
We’re proud to announce Bob and Renee Parsons of The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation as the leaders who have earned this recognition for 2017.
If you know their names, then you know that their support has made possible, and sustained, such community pillars as the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS and the new one•n•ten Youth Center.
Throughout the past few months Team Echo has had the pleasure of getting to know these philanthropic trailblazers a little better, and we’ve also learned that there are many aspects of the LGBTQ community that fall under their foundation’s three primary areas of concentration – veterans, youth and medical causes.
And, in the pages ahead, we invite you to get to know a little more about the faces behind this foundation and find out how their work in the community has earned them Echo’s highest honor.
But first, let’s take a look back at the past 23 years of honorees who paved the way!
Meet Echo Magazine's past Leaders of the Year honorees:
1994:Bill MacDonald & Dianne Post
1995: Barb Jones & Mark Colledge
1996:Beth Verity & Ken Cheuvront
1997:Linda Hoffman & Neil Giuliano
1998: Kim Charrier & Steve May
1999:Amy Ettinger & Steve May
2000: Richard Stevens & Marti McElroy
2001: Kathie Gummere & Doug Klinge
2002: Don Hamill & Jeannie Metzler
2003: Kirk Baxter & Madeline Adelman
2004:Brad Wishon & Cathy Busha
2005:David Fiss & Kyrsten Sinema
2006: Bill Lewis & Brandi Sokolosky
2007:Tom Simplot & Regina Gazelle
2008: Gary Guerin & Annie Loyd
2009: Micheal Weakley & Tambra Williams
2010:Meg Sneed & Jimmy Gruender
2011:Caleb Laieski & Kado Stewart
2012:Greg Stanton & Nicole Stanton
2013:Trudie Jackson & Julian Melson
2014:Angela Hughey & Kit Kloeckl
2015:Katy June & Stacy Louis
2016:Sen. Katie Hobbs & Nate Rhoton
