Philanthropy Pros: Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale Announces New Chair & Board

It had been 14 years since a woman held the position of Board Chair at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale when Janet Caldarelli, event strategist and national account manager, took on the role in 2020.

As July marked the end of Caldarelli’s two-year term, the Club is excited to announce that Marianne Guenther, community leader, 11-year BGCS board member and recently retired VP of marketing at PXG, has taken the baton to lead the youth development organization’s governing board through a strong post-pandemic recovery, ready to serve more young people.

“At a time when women hold less than 6 percent of board chair roles in the U.S., we are proud to have these two powerhouse youth advocates in that role consecutively,” said Ivan Gilreath, BGCS CEO. “It has been important to both Marianne and Janet that our board reflects the diversity of the youth we serve.”

For seven years, Caldarelli and Guenther served as co-chairs of our Celebrate Youth Gala. During that time, the Gala hit its highest revenue of $1 million in 2020. 

“What a beautiful thing when a child has a safe, nurturing environment. And Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale provides just that, whether augmenting their home life or, in some situations, as a youth’s only avenue to feel comfort and have the tools to better themselves, said Guenther. “If I can help take this amazing organization to new heights, I say bring it on.”

With the start of a new fiscal year and board term, a class of 10 new members joined the 33 existing board members, making strides to better reflect Club membership. The new board members include:

Ian Carter, Discount Tire Organizational Change Management Director

Lawyer Davis, Nationwide Insurance Vice President Excess & Surplus – Personal Lines

David Feiler, Westmark Wealth Management Founding Partner

Michael Franks, Centene/Arizona Complete Health Senior Vice President, Plan Product

Michael McCoy, Avnet Chief Legal Officer

Andrea Robertson, Lexie’s Voice Foundation Founder, Board President

Larry Van Quathem, ABLE Financial Group Senior Financial Advisor

Blessing McAnlis-Vasquez, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Assistant Community Manager

Lisa Wescott, The W Group Associate Broker

Brian Wilder, Lovitt & Touché Principal

For more behind this Frontdoor, visit bgcs.org.