Transformation
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Transformation Journey of the Senior Thesis The Four Cs of Great Hearts Partners in the Mission Seniors culminate Great Hearts Communication, critical thought, Meet the generous supporters careers with an intensive project character and creativity form the and donors who keep the focused on the Great Books tenets of the Great Hearts scholar Great Hearts mission alive VOLUME 8 | 2015 | 2016 ANTHEM 17 teachers PEORIA serving 1,026 PHOENIX SCOTTSDALE students across 51 13,017 GLENDALE academies 29 101 PHOENIX GOODYEAR 17 101 PHOENIX EST. 2010 10 202 AVONDALE TEMPE MESA 60 SAN ANTONIO 10 1604 GILBERT 202 281 Northern Oaks 10 CHANDLER 410 NORTHWEST 410 NORTHEAST 10 IRVING WEST 35 635 90 114 37 410 SOUTH 35 161 Irving 12 REGIONAL OFFICES Great Hearts Academies Great Hearts Arizona Great Hearts Texas Finance and Operations 3102 North 56th St., Suite 300 824 Broadway St., Suite 101 7205 North Pima Rd., Suite C Phoenix, AZ 85018 San Antonio, TX 78215 Scottsdale, AZ 85250 (602) 438-7045 (210) 888-9485 (602) 386-1881 GreatHeartsAZ.org GreatHeartsTX.org VOLUME GREAT HEARTS MAGAZINE 8 2015-2016 The official publication Hugh Hewitt of Great Hearts Academies Nationally Syndicated IN THIS Volume 8 Radio Host ISSUE Great Hearts Interim CEO Christine Jones Christine Jones Founder, Arizona Research Project; Former Executive Vice President, Co-founder & President, GoDaddy 2 MEET THE CEO Great Hearts Texas Christine Jones, Great Hearts Academies Dr. Daniel P. Scoggin Andy Kunasek Supervisor, Maricopa County President, Board of Supervisors 2 WELCOME LETTER Great Hearts Arizona Erik Twist John Lock Jay Heiler, Great Hearts Academies President & CEO, Kaplan Executive Editor Performance Solutions Katie Cobb 4 THE RIGHT FIT Bill Montgomery Managing Editor Maricopa County Attorney 6 MASTERING THE ART OF ART Jessica Taylor Bob Mulhern Editorial Advisors Co-Founder, Great Hearts 8 JOURNEY OF THE SENIOR THESIS Maryrose Hall, Jeff Van Brunt Academies and Managing Project Management Director, Colliers International 10 GREAT HEARTS ALL-STARS Michelle Jacoby Jessica Pacheco PB+J Creative Vice President, State & 12 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Local Affairs, APS Dr. Daniel Scoggin, Great Hearts Texas BOARD OF DIRECTORS Tucker Quayle Entrepreneur 14 DRAWING NARCISSUS GREAT HEARTS AMERICA Dr. Daniel P. Scoggin AWAY FROM THE POOL Nelson Broms Co-founder, Great Hearts Former Chairman, Equitable Life Academies; President & 16 WHY DID YOU CHOOSE GREAT HEARTS? Holding Corp.; Co-Founder, Superintendent, Manhattan Institute Teacher Viewpoints Great Hearts Texas Jay Heiler The Rev. Ann Symington 19 EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS, Co-founder & Board Chair, Deacon, Episcopal Church; Great Hearts Academies, Former First Lady of Arizona SUPERIOR EDUCATION Arizona Board of Regents Philip Tirone Alex Hernandez Founder & CEO, Elovon 20 FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC Partner, Charter School Laura Pyper, Great Hearts Monte Vista Growth Fund Don Ulrich Chairman, Jim Rahn RSI Enterprises Inc. 22 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS President, The Kern Erik Twist, Great Hearts Arizona Family Foundation Steve Zabilski Executive Director, Dr. Daniel P. Scoggin Society of St. Vincent de Paul 24 THE FOUR CS OF GREAT HEARTS Co-founder, Great Hearts A Game Plan for Success: Communication Academies; President & GREAT HEARTS TEXAS Superintendent, Shaped by Centuries: Creativity Great Hearts Texas Michael D. Burke Founder & Chairman, Well Versed in the Why: Critical Thinking San Antonio Clean GREAT HEARTS ARIZONA The Pursuit of Goodness: Character Technology Forum Clint Bolick Vice President for Litigation, Shannon S. Davis 38 FOLLOWING HER PASSION Goldwater Institute CEO & President, Bridgeway Foundation Allison Weidemann, Fulbright Scholar Dan Costello Jay Heiler Senior Vice President, Business 40 ACADEMIC RESULTS Innovation, Phoenix Suns Co-founder & Board Chair, Great Hearts Academies, Kurt Davis Arizona Board of Regents 44 PARTNERS IN THE MISSION Founding Partner, FirstStrategic Ward Huseth Dr. John X. Evans Chief Financial Officer, 47 FINANCIAL REPORT Professor Emeritus, Great Hearts Academies Arizona State University 48 DONOR SPOTLIGHT Mike Gordon Ambassador of Enthusiasm, APS Co-founder & CEO, DLVR Educating for the lifelong pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty Banking on Great Hearts, Jefferson Bank Lisa Handley A Labor of Love, Mike and Louise Burke Senior Vice President & ©2015 Great Hearts Academies Arizona Managing Director, All rights reserved. Great Hearts Magazine A Founding Family, Bob and Tina Mulhern MidFirst Private Bank (ISSN 2375-3080) is published yearly by Derrick Hall Great Hearts Academies for its families, 52 BY THE NUMBERS President & CEO, friends, faculty and alumni. Arizona Diamondbacks Cover photo by Jared Platt 53 OUR GENEROUS DONORS Jay Heiler Join us online Co-founder & Board Chair, Great Hearts Academies, Arizona Board of Regents MEET THE CEO Christine Jones, Interim CEO Great Hearts Academies Newly appointed interim CEO Christine Jones ancy looked with exhausted joy upon her first-born son and handed him to her hus- discusses her transition from board member band. Tom received the child with a deep to CEO, and shares her initial observations and perhaps distinctive paternal love. He had not known his own father’s voice or about her new position. felt his touch for long years; he had witnessed his murder at the tender age of 6. Can you share your experience N Neither father nor infant son could know the further with Great Hearts, and your path grief they would later share. In nine short years, Nancy to serving as interim CEO? would herself die, and 10 years on from there, the other I joined the Great Hearts Arizona child in the family, an older sister, would also pass at 22. Board in 2013 and was invited to be a The young boy who would lose his mother would grow member of the Executive Committee up to face a lifelong struggle with depression. of the Board shortly thereafter. As a He would also grow up to be President of the United group, the Executive Committee de- States. Abraham Lincoln moved forward from that termined it would be helpful for Great sorrowful boyhood day, carried by the twin vessels of Hearts to bring in a business leader labor and learning. The former was provided for him, Christine Jones with extensive experience leading an in greater amounts than he might have wished. The organization through rapid growth. Because of my unique ex- latter he would largely have to provide for himself. perience helping to grow GoDaddy from a few dozen employees The adolescent Lincoln was perhaps one of the great- to thousands, the Committee invited me to serve as CEO on an est autodidacts the world has ever known, and certainly interim basis. Being involved with Great Hearts is a truly incred- among the most consequential. His innate love and re- ible experience, and I’m delighted to have an opportunity to serve lentless pursuit of education, in a time and place where alongside so many incredible Great Hearts employees. little of it was available, is difficult to explain. “There is no frigate like a book,” wrote Emily Dickinson eight What excites you about the next chapter for Great Hearts? years after Lincoln’s death, “to take us Lands away.” I see no reason why the success and growth Great Hearts has Perhaps she knew something of the fallen president’s experienced in Arizona and Texas can’t be repeated to serve more early life. In the books he hunted and consumed, includ- students in more regions. The possibility of helping to shape the ing the Bible whose cadences were prominent in his pub- future of education is not only exciting, it’s why we exist. There lic rhetoric, he found transport from the Kentucky wilds is no higher calling than to help develop young people into pro- of his youth. ductive members of society and leaders of tomorrow. Lincoln’s education was self-determined and self-di- rected, not only in adolescence, but also adulthood. This Why do you feel Great Hearts is uniquely positioned to includes his training as a lawyer, which he first under- transform students’ lives? took by reading Blackstone; and in which profession he There are plenty of educational offerings available today, but became highly regarded and quite successful. His inter- Great Hearts has what we call the “secret sauce” made up of in- action with the knowledge he gleaned—his own distinc- credible educators who are devoted to teaching students virtue tive synthesis of the ideas he absorbed with the and mastery of subjects, along with thoughtful leaders who put experiences he knew, the reason he practiced and the the interests of students above their own. Combine that with scale faith he quietly kept—combined with events to bring and it becomes clear that Great Hearts is uniquely positioned to forth one of history’s towering figures. transform lives and make positive change in the world. Great Hearts opened its 22nd and 23rd schools in Arizona this year: Archway Lincoln and Lincoln Prep in How can Great Hearts remain true to its mission while Gilbert, so named in the 150th year since his assassina- adapting to new demands? tion. Last year, we named a new school for the Roman Putting aside the obvious financial constraints under which most statesman and lawyer Cicero, himself a shifter of histo- nonprofits tend to operate, one of the toughest things for any ry’s arc who greatly influenced the founders of the organization to maintain as it grows is culture. Particularly in American nation (and who was also murdered by his entrepreneurial settings, the founder’s personality often defines enemies, more gruesomely so than Lincoln). We thought the culture. Here, it is imperative that we intentionally and affir- it fitting to name the next academy after the man who matively focus on maintaining discipline around our mission, willed that nation to endure. vision, and core values. Those things that helped us grow thus far Great Hearts names schools for such people as will help us remain true to our ultimate goal.