About Us

Our Chapter Board of Directors

Jamila Brown
President
[email protected]
(602) 712-6255
Arizona Department of Transportation 

Jennifer Garcia
First Vice President
[email protected]
(520) 444-8153
The University of Arizona, College of Science 

Kim Phillips
Treasurer
[email protected]
(602) 712-4346
Arizona Department of Transportation 

Loretta Crimi
Secretary
[email protected]
(480) 436-4785
Arizona Department of Economic Security

2025 Chapter Elections

We are delighted to present the following slate of candidates for election in the 2025 Arizona Chapter election. Voting will open on March 25 and will close on March 31. All eligible chapter members will receive a ballot by email on March 25.

President
Jamila Brown, Arizona Department of Transportation - Planner

An Executive Staff Assistant with the Arizona Department of Transportation. I have helped the organization with planning and helping with events for the past 12 years. In the past I joined Toastmasters to become a better leader. Within Toastmaster I was the club President and an Area Director. The two goals I have for the Arizona chapter are to bring more members to SGMP and provide more content related to Government meeting planners.

First Vice-President
Jennifer Garcia, University of Arizona - Planner 

Jennifer "Jen" Garcia is a Research Program Officer III at the University of Arizona for The Center for Soft PhotoElectroChemical Systems (SPECS) and the Institute for Energy Solutions (IES). She has 25+ years of event and project management experience, specializing in higher education events with the goal of networking students, faculty, researchers, industry, community, and government stakeholders. Jen received her Master of Public Administration from the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona in 2022 and has a certification in Digital Event Strategy through the Professional Convention Management Association. She currently serves as 1st Vice President of the Arizona Chapter of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals and is seeking re-election for 1st Vice President 25-27.

In her downtime, her passion for civic engagement keeps her busy. She is the board Secretary for the Tucson Pops Orchestra and serves on the City of Tucson Citizen's Commission on Public Service and Compensation. When she is not organizing "all the things", she enjoys spending time with her family and trail running with friends.

Degree(s) MPA, School of Government and Public Policy, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Arizona. CGMP - Certified Government Meeting Professional, Society of Government Meeting Professionals

Secretary
Loretta Crimi, Arizona Department of Economic Security - Planner

Treasurer
Kim Phillips, Arizona Department of Transportation – Planner 

Director - Membership
Ariel Fisher, The University of Arizona - Planner 

Ariel Fisher is an Events Planner with the Institute for Computation & Data-Enabled Insight at the University of Arizona’s Research, Innovation, and Impact division. With over a decade of experience curating dynamic events for the Wildcat community, she specializes in event strategy, marketing, logistics, and project management. Excited about bringing people together through shared experiences, Ariel has played a key role in launching ceremonies, conferences, orientations, retreats, panels, festivals, and more—often stepping into inaugural roles to shape impactful programs from the ground up.

Beyond her work at the university, Ariel is an active freelance event professional, contributing to the success of local gatherings such as the Downtown Parade of Lights, Arizona Bowl’s Taco Bell New Year’s Eve Downtown Bowl Bash, VIVA PHX music and arts festival, and TENWEST.

When she’s not managing events, she spends her time catching up on her favorite shows with her dog or bartending—because hospitality isn’t just part of her work, it’s a skill she brings to everything she does.