Chair
 

Christy Smith is General Counsel at the Arizona Department of Administration, the state agency that oversees the corporate governance and operations for Arizona government and its employees. She most recently served as Deputy General Counsel to Governor Jan Brewer. Ms. Smith’s legal practice over the last 11 years has focused primarily on corporate transactional law, with an emphasis in real estate and government affairs. Prior to joining the Brewer administration in 2009, Ms. Smith served as Assistant General Counsel at SunCor Development Company and also practiced at the law firms Gallagher & Kennedy and Squire Sanders & Dempsey. She received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Arizona State University and her juris doctorate from Brigham Young University. Ms. Smith currently serves as Chair of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society – Phoenix Chapter, and is a volunteer for various organizations serving at-risk youth in Arizona.

Business Community Member  - Serving At-Will (Term expired January 21, 2011)

Public Interest Member- Serving At-Will (Term expired January 21, 2011)

Cheryl Lombard is the Government Relations Director for The Nature Conservancy in Arizona. Immediately prior to joining the Conservancy, Cheryl was a senior associate attorney with the political and election law firm of Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk, LLP in California. There she ensured that clients were in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local election laws, rules, and regulations.

Prior to practicing law, Cheryl was as the Director of Public Affairs with Davies Communications in Santa Barbara, California where she headed the Land Use/Real Estate Group where she led several commercial and residential development clients successfully through the California land entitlement process. She was also the Executive Director of KIDS SAFE, a national child safety advocacy organization, and helped draft California’s version of Megan’s Law and laws pertaining to luring children over the internet.

In addition to her public affairs and nonprofit management experience, Cheryl also served on the staff of two Members of Congress, Congressman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon of California and Congressman Cliff Stearns of Florida.

She holds a Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law, a master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, and a bachelor’s degree from the American University in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the State Bar of California.

Senate list appointment -Serving At-Will (Term expired January 20, 2006)

Stan Barnes, a 4th-generation Arizonan, received his B.S. degree from Arizona State University in 1983. He is founder and President of Copper State Consulting Group. Before establishing the firm, Mr. Barnes served six years in the Arizona Legislature. When elected to the House of Representatives in 1988, he was the youngest member of the 39th Legislature. He was elected to the Senate in 1994 and served as Chairman of the Government Reform Committee. Mr. Barnes regularly appears as a political commentator on Arizona television and radio news programs.

Mr. Osborn, an Arizona resident since 1988, holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from the University of Arizona and a Ph. D. (Public Administration) from Arizona State University. He is also a graduate of the Senior Public Executive School on Regulatory Reform from Harvard University.

Mr. Osborn was previously with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. While at the Chamber, he lobbied the legislature, administrative agencies, and other governmental bodies on numerous and diverse issues important to the business community. Mr. Osborn also has held legislative and public affairs director positions with the Arizona Department of Commerce and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Chris Thomas is a partner in the law firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, where he represents industrial and municipal clients in the areas of environmental counseling and litigation and administrative law. He received his J.D. in 1985 from the University of Iowa College of Law and a B.A. in political science in 1982 from Drake University. Mr. Thomas serves as a Disciplinary Hearing Officer for the Arizona Supreme Court and is a former member of the boards of directors of The Nature Conservancy, Arizona Chapter, the Arizona Center for Disability Law, and the Upward Foundation school for special needs children.

John A. LaSota, Jr. practices in the following areas of law: Administrative Law; Gaming Law; Government Law; Health Care; Legislative Practice; School Law

Jack LaSota is a former Attorney General and Governor’s Chief of Staff. He has drafted innumerable statutes, including telephonic search warrant and electronic eavesdropping laws, many of which are still on the books. He also spent three years at the Arizona State University College of Law as a faculty member and assistant dean, during which tenure his principal role was to draft and circulate nationwide to over 500 agencies pioneering Model Rules for Law Enforcement.

In his nearly four years with the Office of Attorney General, he edited and authored hundreds of attorney general opinions. More recently, he was a charter member of the Lottery Commission, and previously had over ten year’s service as a charter member of the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council. In the latter role, he reviewed thousands of draft rules for clarity, conciseness, economic impact, and legal authority. He spent six years in the 1980s as an adjunct professor of law at ASU College of Law, teaching State and Local Government.