Board & Leadership
BOARD of DIRECTORS
CASS’ Board of Directors is committed to helping end homelessness. Each member strongly believes in CASS’ mission and oversees all activities to promote its vision. Our Board are active community leaders with unique experiences and expertise and are dedicated to the health and growth of our organization.
Bill Morlan
CHAIRMAN
President
Electric Supply, Inc.
Guy Mikkelsen
TREASURER
Retired
David Bixby
Corporate Partner
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie
Flavio Bravo
State Senator &
Homes for Our Own, Program Director, Cavco Industries, Inc.
Lia Christiansen
Chief Administrative Officer
Valleywise Health
Anthony Eulano
Snell and Wilmer
Steve Kaiser
Founder
Arizona Prosperity Project
Cleo Lewis
Assistant Pastor
City Church/Urban Outreach
Bryan Murphy, Esq.
Attorney at Law
Burch & Cracchiolo, P.A.
Karl Obergh
Regional Director
RPA an Ardurra Company
MiAsia Pasha
President
House of MiAsia
Patricia Schoenhardt
Consultant
Office of Corporate Citizenship
at Nationwide
LEADERSHIP
CASS’ Leadership is dedicated to finding solutions to homelessness. They are innovators with a deep commitment to do what needs to be done to find a way to have a community where everyone has a home.
Phillip Scharf
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Phillip Scharf is the Interim Chief Executive Officer for Central Arizona Shelter Service, Arizona’s largest and longest serving emergency shelter organization. For the first 20 years of his professional career, Phillip balanced various areas of universities and guided a multitude of initiatives, while also focusing deeply on individual student success. He led the COVID testing, housing and support services for students, in addition to his work increasing academic success outcomes at Arizona State University.
Since coming to CASS in the COO role in February 2023, Phillip has spearheaded multiple partnerships with community entities to drive the CASS mission forward. Notably, Phillip was asked to sit on multiple panels on the impact of heat on homelessness led by NOAA and was recently published, with other staff members of CASS, for the work he initiated on dementia and cognitive decline in shelters in partnership with ASU.
The son of clergy and an educator, Phillip brings a lifelong commitment to the service of others and a wealth of knowledge to CASS. He enjoys karaoke day in the women’s dorm at CASS, all things data and strategy and spending time with his partner Amanda, and their two children.
Whitney Thistle, BS
Chief Development Officer
Whitney has served in nonprofit philanthropy, marketing, public relations and grant portfolio management for more than 15. With a background in strategic fundraising for nonprofit, education, real estate and healthcare clients, she is passionate about donor stewardship, storytelling and leveraging all avenues of fundraising to increase the sustainability and success of CASS. Whitney holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Family Studies and Human Development and is a graduate of the University of Arizona. Whitney is an Arizona native, mother of three and is a member of the Maricopa County Community Partners (MCDPH), Junior League of Phoenix (JLP), AZ Nonprofit + Grantmakers Policy Council and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AZ).
Craig Hollinger
Finance Director
Craig joined CASS with experience as Director of Finance with another valley non-profit. His career over the past decade has been focused on work with non-profit organizations; to include 5-years as staff accountant doing both financial and compliance audits with a valley CPA firm (whose clients include non-profits, Title IV proprietary schools with Financial Student Aid programs, and AZ charter schools). He has a strong understanding of both non-profit financial presentation, and grant and governmental funding, documentation, and compliance and is proficient in healthcare billing, and excel analytics. Craig is passionate about making a difference in his local community.
Brittnie Stanton, BS
Director of Programs
Brittnie has spent the last decade providing social services in a variety of settings including outpatient behavioral health, transitional housing for women and children, and permanent supportive housing for survivors of sex trafficking and those with a Serious Mental Illness determination. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Criminology from Arizona State University. She is passionate about finding sustainable solutions to the housing crisis in her native Arizona through the principles of Housing First, harm reduction, and trauma informed care.
Bruce Hall, Sr.
Director of Facilities
Bruce joined CASS in 2000 with decades of experience in building maintenance and real estate. Bruce is certified in Home Repair/ Building Technologies, is a licensed contractor in commercial and residential installation, and completed programs at Westford College of Real Estate and Phoenix College’s Supervisor Academy. He has been promoted multiple times during his CASS tenure and has been instrumental in architectural decisions for CASS facilities in order to ensure a safe working and living environment.
Janet Diodato
Director of Human Resources
Janet comes to CASS with over 10+ years of experience, having held a number of progressively responsible positions within the Human Resources arena. She possesses expertise with companies that lead in hospitality and healthcare.