The People Behind the Foundation
Board of Directors
The Dougherty Foundation in Phoenix, Arizona is led by a Board of Directors that guides the grantmaking and programs.
Janita Pickett-Gordon
Board Member
Chiacgo native Janita Gordon has more than 39 years of education, public policy, and philanthropy experience in foundations, non-profit, and academic institutions. She currently serves as the Senior Associate for Campaigns and Fund Development at Girl Scouts, where she is leading Arizona’s first Leadership Campaign for Girls.
Janita, and her family relocated to Phoenix over 15 years ago to assist with ASU’s Great Community Campaign. Janita served as the Vice President/Senior Director of Development and Marketing for the Ira Fulton School of Engineering. Her expertise in philanthropy evolved when she was appointed to lead Arizona’s Early Education Fund, a public/private partnership. This was made possible through the collaboration between Arizona Community Foundation and the State School Readiness Board/Office of Governor Janet Napolitano.
Following her passion to increase the college opportunity of first-generation students, Janita also served as the Executive Director of the National Minority Golf Scholarship Association and continues to assist with local efforts to support high school and college students reach their full potential. She serves on the board of Florence Crittenden and is a licensed missionary within the Arizona jurisdiction of the Churches of God in Christ.
Judy Schumacher
Board Member
Judy Schumacher is an award-winning Fortune 500 executive in the fields of communications, public relations, advertising, and board governance. A longtime Arizona resident, she has worked for some of the state’s most prestigious firms.
Recently, she served as the Vice President of Corporate Communications & Governing Board Services for CopperPoint Insurance Companies, Arizona’s largest workers’ compensation insurance carrier. She is responsible for internal and external communications, advertising, and community relations, as well as governing services for the company’s 6-member Board of Directors.
Previously Ms. Schumacher was the Vice President of Marketing for Main Street Restaurant Group, a publicly-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. She was responsible for the marketing, advertising, and communications programs associated with 57 T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants and 3 proprietary brands located across the USA.
Before joining Main Street, Ms. Schumacher owned and operated a full-service communications consulting company. The firm provided services in the fields of marketing and advertising, public relations, financial communications, consumer and issues research, media relations, employee communications, and mock jury focus group analysis.
Prior to Schumacher Communications, Inc., Ms. Schumacher held the position of Director of Corporate Communications for Arizona Public Service Company. As such, she was responsible for company-wide communications, managing a staff of 50 and an annual budget of $13 million.
Her leadership in issues management, consumer brand repositioning, and employee relations garnered such awards as a First Place Telly Award for her deregulation television ad campaign and a Top Ten Award from Andersen Consulting for the best website and intranet site in the utility industry.
Vince Yanez
Board Member
Vince Yanez is the Senior Vice President, Arizona Community Engagement for Helios Education Foundation. In this role, Mr. Yanez works with Helios' staff to engage the community and stakeholders, improve academic preparedness, and foster college-going and completing cultures for Arizona students, especially those in high poverty, Latino communities.
Mr. Yanez used to work as the Executive Director for Education and Public Policy at the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF). He oversaw all strategic education grant-making, as well as public policy initiatives.
Before ACF, Mr. Yanez was the executive director for the Arizona State Board of Education for 9 years. In that role, he was the chief advocate and policy advisor for issues impacting Arizona’s K-12 public education system.
Mr. Yanez holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and Spanish from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Arizona State University.
Mary Eden
Board President 2024
Mary Eden served as the Regional Healthcare Administrator for the Jesuit California Province, in Los Gatos, California. She provided leadership in the development of community efforts directed toward improving the health of the California residents.
Prior to that, she was a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator in Tucson, Arizona and the Founding CEO of The Gathering Place, a drop-in center for persons with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles.
Mary earned a Bachelor of Arts in Gerontology from Mount St. Mary's University in Los Angeles, California and is a licensed practical nurse.
Joyce Medina Harper
Executive Director
Joyce has more than 20 years of experience in the non-profit, education, and philanthropic sectors. She graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Child Development and went on to earn a Master's Degree from Baruch College in Public Administration as a National Urban Fellow. Joyce was previously the Director of Scholarships and Associate Executive Director of Education at the Arizona Community Foundation.
Current Community Investments & Volunteer Roles:
- Estrella Mountain Community College President's Advisory Council
- First Things First, Phoenix South Regional Council
- YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix, Board Co-Chair
- Arizona Grantmakers Forum, Racial Justice, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Affinity Group
- Latina Giving Circle Member