68th Valley Leadership Man & Woman of the Year
Valley Leadership honored David Tierney and Dr. Maria Harper-Marinick at the organization’s 68th annual Man & Woman of the Year luncheon March 30 at the Arizona Biltmore. They were honored for their long-term contributions and commitment to the community. Tierney and Harper join a prestigious list of past Man & Woman of the Year recipients including U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, who was the inaugural honoree, and Dr. Michael Crow and Elva Coor who were last year’s honorees.
Tierney has been a partner in the Phoenix firm of Sacks Tierney P.A. since 1974, practicing primarily in commercial construction law. Before moving to Arizona in 1969, he was active in civil-rights issues. In 1962, he made trips to Mississippi in the height of civil-rights violence to help with voter registration, visiting churches that distributed information about related issues. After completing Harvard Law School in 1965, he joined the Peace Corps, where he served as assistant to the city manager in Barguisimeto, Venezuela. He later became regional director for the Peace Corps in Venezuela before moving to Phoenix.
Tierney serves on more than two dozen community boards and organizations, and has created committees, coalitions and nonprofits that serve the disenfranchised and less fortunate, including the Restorative Justice Resources Council and Friends of the Court, Inc. He was a member of the inaugural Valley Leadership Institute, Class 1, and continues to actively support the organization’s mission.
Harper-Marinick is the chancellor of the Maricopa Community College District. She is the first woman and the first Hispanic to be appointed chancellor. In this capacity, she oversees operations for the MCCD system, which serves 200,000 students and nearly 10,000 faculty and staff members across 10 colleges, two skills centers and several satellite campuses.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona was the presenting sponsor.
PHOTOS COURTESY VALLEY LEADERSHIP
Past Women of the Year Martha Hunter Henderson, 1998; and Elva Coor, 2015; Past Man of the Year Bill Shover, 1973; Kay Shover; and past Woman of the Year Marlene Klotz-Collins, 1993
Jennifer Holsman Tetreault, Valley Leaderhips board chair and member of Class 31
Dancers from the Irish Cultural Center perform in honor of David Tierney’s Irish heritage.
