Arizona School Choice Trust
Board of Directors

Clint Bolick is the Director of the Goldwater Institute Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation.  Bolick is the former president and general counsel of the Alliance for School Choice, a national nonprofit educational policy group advocating school choice programs across the United States. For 15 years, Bolick has led the nationwide effort to defend school choice programs, with victories in the Wisconsin, Ohio, and Arizona Supreme Courts, culminating in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris in the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2006, Bolick was the recipient of a Bradley Prize, the freedom movement’s highest honor. He is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books including "Voucher Wars: Waging the Legal Battle Over School Choice". Book available at: Amazon.com   Website: www.goldwaterinstitute.org

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Since coming to Arizona in 1992, Isabelle McVaugh has been a leading force for the Arizona School Choice Trust (ACST).  She is a school choice advocate, fundraiser and policy maker.  Isabelle represents that critical link between deserving students having greater access to a quality education and to become a part of a new generation of leaders.

Since 1993, with her guidance and management, the ASCT has raised millions of dollars and provided more than 4,500 students with scholarships. Today, our organization is supported by more than 115 private schools throughout the state of Arizona.  The result of Isabelle’s efforts has not only benefited youth and their families, but our nation in ways that will reward each of us for many years to come.

ASCT Co-founding Board Member Isabelle McVaugh is proof that one person can make a difference and those who take personal responsibility over their lives can excel.

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Mr. Kelly is the President and Executive Director of the Arizona School Choice Trust. From January 1995 to January 2004, Kelly, was the Senior Policy Advisor to Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza in the economic development arena. Mr. Kelly staffed subcommittees, commissions and boards pertinent to economic development and public safety, in the City of Phoenix.  Kelly is also a behavioral health services expert with more than 20 years experience in training, education, public relations, community organization and development.

Mr. Kelly spent 14 years in administrative positions with the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS).  During his tenure at ADHS he revamped funding of the most comprehensive behavioral health service delivery system for children in Arizona; wrote and implemented Arizona’s initial comprehensive service delivery system for seriously mentally ill adults; and coordinated development, implementation and evaluation of the first state and federal contracts /grants for women, the elderly, physically and emotionally disabled, children and people of color. Kelly is also a proud board member of the Arizona Community Foundation and chairs the Program & Distribution Committee.

He also has extensive private sector experience is in Television Production & Broadcast Administration; and raised millions of dollars, collectively, for a variety of community service organizations.

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Tom Jenney is Arizona director for Americans for Prosperity, formerly the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers (www.aztaxpayers.org). Jenney is a Tucson native and a 1988 graduate of University High School. He earned an associate's degree from the New Mexico Military Institute and a bachelor's degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Georgetown University. Jenney has worked for the Institute for Justice and the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., and for the International Center for Pension Reform in Santiago, Chile. From 2002 to 2004, he was communications director of the Goldwater Institute. Jenney has taught government and economics at St. Paul's Preparatory Academy in Phoenix, and serves as an elder at the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Phoenix. He can be reached via email at tjenney@afphq.org. AFP Arizona's website is www.aztaxpayers.org.

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Dan Edwards is a retired Professor of Accounting having taught at Governors State University, DePaul University, University of Chicago, Oklahoma State University, Indiana/Purdue University and Seattle University. This financial expert has consulted with many major corporations including: The US Army, General Electric, Texaco, Checker Oil and British Petroleum Corporation, just to name a few.

Dr. Edwards has published in many journals including An Analysis of Alternative Cash Flow Liquidity Ratios. As a resident of Surprise Arizona, he also is the Chairman of the Surprise Transportation Commission and is an active member of his church.

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Dr. Matthew Ladner is vice president of research for the Goldwater Institute. Prior to joining Goldwater, Ladner was director of state projects at the Alliance for School Choice, where he provided support and resources for state-based school choice efforts. Ladner has written numerous studies on school choice, charter schools and special education reform.

Ladner previously served as director of the Center for Economic Prosperity at the Goldwater Institute and as vice president of policy and communications at Children First America. Ladner is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and received both a Masters and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Houston.
Website: www.goldwaterinstitute.org

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Jaime A. Molera is a founding partner of the Molera Alvarez Group.  The Molera Alvarez Group is a government relations firm which also specializes in affordable housing development.

Mr. Molera held a variety of high-level state positions.  Among these were Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction (2001-2003) and top advisor on policy and legislative affairs to Governor Jane Dee Hull (1997-2001).

Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Molera led the charge for Proposition 301, as Campaign Director, to bring Arizona out of the national basement in education funding through new-dedicated resources (nearly a half billion dollars per year) for K-12, Community College, and University education.  He also was a major force to reform the way development occurred in Arizona through the “Growing Smarter” legislation.  Recently, Mr. Molera led the legislative effort to help secure the funding necessary to expand the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine in Phoenix.  Mr. Molera also proudly serves as Chairman of the Arizona Prevention Resource Center.
Website: moleraalvarezgroup.com

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Patricia Neff is the Director of Education for the Education Enrichment Program at the Pilgrim Rest Foundation. She is a retired professor of African American Studies at Arizona State University. For more than a decade, she coordinated the Teacher Education Program in the Department of Family Resources and Human Development at ASU.

Dr. Neff received a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University and M.Ed. and a BS from Iowa State University. Her resume contains about two pages of publications and research articles and she is an expert in conflict management and resolution.

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Neland Nobel, one of eight children, came to Arizona with his family in 1961 from rural Western Pennsylvania.  He attended Cave Creek Elementary, Paradise Valley High School, and went on to obtain both a Bachelor's and Master's Degree from Arizona State University.  His degrees were in American History.  During this time he was awarded the Richard M. Weaver Fellowship from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and served as a teaching assistant in the Department of History. 

After graduation, Neland who originally wanted to teach economic history at the college level , decided to go into the investment business.  In the 1970s, he entered the precious metals business and as both sales manager and market manager grew the firm to the third largest of its kind.  In 1982, he left the precious metals business and became a stock broker and Certified Financial Planner. 

Nobel has served with major brokerage houses including; Merrill Lynch, RBC Dain Raucher, and for the past 14 years, UBS. Neland has always been interested in liberty and has been active in organizations promoting limited government, personal responsibility, and free markets. Neland has been married for 27 years, has two daughters in college and a son with special needs. Email: neland.nobel@ubs.com.

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Darcy Olsen serves as president and CEO of the Goldwater Institute, a groundbreaking state think tank for conservative policy in the United States. Under Olsen’s leadership, the Goldwater Institute has acted as a policy architect for many successful reforms, including several school choice laws, initiatives to protect private property, and broad, across-the-board tax cuts.

Olsen’s opinions have been widely published in such outlets as USA Today and the National Review, and she has provided testimony before Congress. In 2006, Olsen received the national Roe Award for noteworthy achievement in state public policy. Darcy previously served as the director of education policy at the Washington D.C.-based Cato Institute, and as a transitional house manager for the D.C. Coalition for the Homeless.  Olsen earned a B.A. at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and an M.A. in International Education at New York University. She is a native of the southwest from St. George, Utah.
Website: www.goldwaterinstitute.org

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Bertrand "Bert" Russell is the Pastor of Fountain of Life House of Worship, located in South Phoenix. He taught himself to play the piano at an early age and spent more than two decades as the Minister of Music at First New Life Missionary Baptist Church before start his church, Fountain of Life, in 2005.

When he is not preaching and teaching, Bert is practicing law at his law firm, The Law Offices of Bertrand Russell, Jr. Russell holds a Juris Doctor Degree and a BA in Communication from Arizona State University.

He and his wife, Jeannette, a retired school teach, hope to build a school on the land that their church owns.

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