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BOARD OF DIRECTORS



Tina Norton, MEd, Board President
As the Chief Financial Officer for the Pima County School Superintendent, Tina was instrumental in the formation of the Pima County JTED. She became the District's CFO in 2007, and was recently promoted to Assistant Superintendent/Chief Operations Officer. Tina has worked in school finance for more than 20 years. She earned her Bachelors in Accounting from National University and her Masters in Education from Northern Arizona University.


Dale Ponder, CPPB
Dale Ponder has served as the Chief of Finance & Operations at Crane Elementary School District No. 13 since May 2017. Since joining the district in 2006, he has served as the Executive Director of Management Services, Director of Finance, Director of Procurement and Procurement Manager. He also serves as a board member for the Arizona Association of School Business Officials, Yuma Area Benefit Consortium, the Education Technology Consortium, and the School Construction Insurance Pool. Dale earned his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Berea College (KY) in 2002.


Nora Gutierrez
Nora Gutierrez is superintendent for Tolleson Union High School District No. 214. She has worked in education for over 35 years, serving as a teacher, assistant principal, assistant superintendent for HR, and assistant superintendent for operations (among other positions) before becoming superintendent. She received her bachelor’s degree from New Mexico State University and her master’s degree from Arizona State University. She is president of the Arizona Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents.


Mum Martens, MS
Mum Martens has been the executive director of human resources for Higley Unified School District since 2017, and has been in educational Human Resources for over sixteen years. She currently serves on the executive board of the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association and is an active member of the American Association of School Personnel Administrators group, serving on the Legislative Committee.  Additionally, Mum is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management and Arizona School Administrators.  She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from Western Illinois University. 


Michael Penca
Michael Penca serves as the Superintendent of Schools for the Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD) and is responsible for leadership of its educational programs serving approximately 9,100 students.  FUSD implements best practices and innovative programs at fifteen comprehensive school sites to meet the diverse needs of students in Northern Arizona.  Prior to his appointment in July 2017, Mr. Penca previously served as superintendent, administrator, and teacher over the course of 21 years in Iowa.  He currently serves on the boards of the United Way of Northern Arizona, the Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona (ECoNA), and Creative Flagstaff in addition to his active participation in community and school events.  


Karla Walter
Karla Walter is the chief financial officer for the Sunnyside Unified School District. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has been involved in school finance for over 35 years. She has served Nogales USD, Tucson USD, and Roosevelt ESD.  Karla has served on several boards and committees including the Arizona Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, the Arizona School Boards Association Insurance Trust, and the Arizona Auditor General School Finance Advisory Committee.  She currently serves as President of the Arizona Association of School Business Officials. 

The Alliance board will hold board meetings at 333 East Osborn Road, Suite 100, Phoenix, Arizona 85012 on the following dates and times:

  • June 22, 2023 at 9 a.m.
  • August 18, 2023 at 9 a.m.
Pursuant to A.R.S. 38-431.02(A)(1) through (4), the board meeting agenda will be accessible to the public as outlined below:

  1. Electronically, click here.
  2. Physically, on the board room wall at 333 East Osborn Road, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85012. This location is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except legal holidays.
Pursuant to A.R.S. 38-431.02(C) and (G), the electronic and physical agendas mentioned above will be accessible 24 hours prior to the board meeting.

If you are interested in attending, please contact us at (602) 200-2411 or azschoolalliance@azschoolalliance.org.

Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes