Foundation

Mark, an avid investor, has served the Cochise College Foundation board of directors for some 20 years. A semi-retired attorney, he came to Benson following a stint as national transportation manager, chemicals and plastics, with Union Carbide. He opened a private practice, which he today shares with his daughter, but also has served as city manager, city attorney, and deputy Cochise County attorney. Before enrolling in law school, Mark earned a degree in finance. He is never very far removed from the day’s trading news, and he spent about 20 years as foundation treasurer, in addition to previously serving as board president several times. His other hobbies are fishing and spending time with his grandsons.

Trudy held the position of elected superintendent of Cochise County public schools from 2001 to 2016. Previously, she was the director of Adult Education at Cochise College, as well as a faculty member. “As a former educator, I think it is important to assist students who wish to be a part of a prepared workforce that serves our county, our state and the global community. Education can improve an individual’s quality of life and instill a lifelong love of learning.”

Melany Edwards-Barton (’08), executive director of the Sierra Vista Area Chamber of Commerce, was an adult student when she enrolled at Cochise College and earned a scholarship to complete her bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University. At Cochise, she was an active member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society. She has more than 20 years of business leadership experience in non-profits, for profits and volunteer organizations. In addition, she is a licensed real estate agent and business advisor for Professional Women of Excellence.

Annette Flores is the chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Bisbee. She earned a bachelor of science degree in human services with a family and child services certificate after receiving a full scholarship from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. While completing her master’s in business administration with a concentration in human resource management, she found herself exploring avenues to contribute to the community. “Through my work in the non-profit sector, the importance of taking action and being active in my community has been instilled in me.” Annette is the president-elect of the Bisbee Rotary Club. She has also volunteered with youth groups and sports, Girl Scouts, St. Patrick’s Parish and the local schools. She and her husband have three children, two grandsons, and six furry kids.

Crystal Hadfield (’10) is the finance director and city clerk for the City of Willcox. She earned an associate’s degree in business administration with high honors at Cochise College, where she was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. She also earned a bachelor of science in commerce, summa cum laude, at the University of Arizona. She has been a math and algebra teacher and also worked as finance manager for Northern Cochise Community Hospital, and she has a daughter enrolled in Cochise College classes. She serves on the board of Willcox Against Substance Abuse.

Dr. Joanna Michelich (’68) has had an ongoing relationship with the college since her enrollment as a freshman in 1966. Upon graduating from Cochise, she pursued degrees from Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona and Washington State University. She received the Outstanding Community College Alumni Award for 1964-1978, presented by Cochise College and the State Board for Community Colleges of Arizona in 1978. Over 35 years, Michelich served in a variety of leadership positions in higher education and related professional associations. She retired as executive vice president/provost of her alma mater – Cochise College – in 2009. In addition, Michelich was a trustee of the former Sierra Vista Regional Health Center and a founding member of the board of the Legacy Foundation of Southeast Arizona. She has served as a board member with numerous other community organizations and brings to the foundation a personal passion for Cochise College and its successful future.

Cochise College President Emeritus Dr. Karen Nicodemus, of Palominas, led the college as president from 1997 until she retired in 2009. Her tenure at the college, which dates to the mid-1980s, began with volleyball and women’s basketball coaching roles. She also served as a faculty member in sociology and health and physical education, served as chair of the academic division that included those areas, and moved into administrative leadership roles in planning, assessment and instruction. After retirement, she provided educational consulting services. Nicodemus comes with fresh non-profit experience. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Patches' Happy Pastures, a relatively new equine rescue and sanctuary targeting senior horses whose owners can no longer care for them.

As a second-generation native of Douglas, Arizona, Candyce Beumler Pardee has deep roots in Cochise County. Her father, Henry Weber Beumler, was involved in the creation of Cochise College in the 1960s. Her mother was a teacher in Pirtleville. Together, they instilled in her a deep interest in public service and education. Candy followed her parents into education, then later, her dad into law. She spent 19 years with the Gila County attorney’s office, prosecuting major felonies and representing local school districts. In 2001, she began work as a general crime prosecutor with the Cochise County Attorney’s Office, later transitioning to the civil department and representing school districts once again. She retired from Cochise County in 2009. After a stint with the Mesa law firm Udall Shumway, PLC, she retired from the active practice of law in 2020 and began working part time as judge pro-tem for the Cochise County Superior Court and Justice Courts. Candy is a member of the Sierra Vista Rotary Club, where she raises funds for scholarships and is the District 5500 Youth Protection Officer. She also volunteers with the Salvation Army and the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in Hereford.

John Pintek’s association with Cochise College began in 1964 when he was a member of the first class of students and he was elected the first student body president. After graduating from Cochise College, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in public administration from St. Mary’s College in California.

His varied background includes being an officer with the Department of Public Safety. During that time, he was a highway patrolman, worked in special investigations, and did undercover assignments. Pintek has served as Cochise County sheriff and started a Detention Officer Academy at Cochise College. He owned a handyman service in Phoenix and built three custom homes after he received his Residential Electrician Certificate.

Pintek has been married 51 years to his wife Rosaline. He looks forward to continuing to support Cochise College and believes the benefits and opportunities the college provides are immeasurable.

Alfredo Romero has dedicated 26 years of his career to education. He is the correctional education program supervisor at the Arizona State Prison located north of Douglas. In addition to teaching there since 2006, he has taught social studies, science, U.S. history, philosophy and construction trades at the Center for Academic Success, Douglas middle and high schools, and Cochise College, from which he graduated with an associate of arts degree in 1995. He also holds a bachelor of arts degree in secondary education/social studies from the University of Arizona and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from the American College of Education. Romero was the Arizona State Prison Complex – Douglas Administrator of the Year in 2022 and the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry Southern Region Supervisor of the Year in 2023.

Dr. James Perey became the 12th president of Cochise College in February 2025. Visit the President’s Office website to learn more about him.

 Chuck Chambers operates a small family cattle ranch east of Douglas. He has served on the Whitewater Draw Conservation District Board of Supervisors for 16 years, two of them as chairman. He also serves on and is past president of the Cochise/Graham County Cattle Growers Board of Supervisors. Chuck served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years as a pilot, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He is a life member of the Arizona Rangers and was company commander of the Douglas Company for seven years. He is deacon and financial secretary for his church, and he holds a master’s degree in engineering. He joined the board of the Cochise College Foundation in 1992.

A retired classroom teacher, Shirley worked for many years with the Douglas Unified School District. She and her husband owned a florist shop and were involved in the landscaping of the Douglas Campus. Shirley resigned from the board in 2012 but remains an avid supporter of Cochise College. She is now board member emeritus.

Dan served as Cochise College president from 1985 to 1994 and later joined the board of the Cochise College Foundation. He first came to Cochise County as a teacher at Douglas High School, then a faculty member at the college. As a foundation board member, he held numerous leadership positions and finished his tenure in 2020 after serving a final term as board president. His historical knowledge of the community and the college, as well as his connections with both the college and donors outside the college, are beneficial to advancing the foundation mission.

Linda, a resident of Green Valley and formerly of McNeal, served on the Cochise College Foundation board of directors for 15 years. When she resigned in 2012, the board named her its first board member emeritus. Previously a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Douglas, she helped connect the foundation with local donors and became a real estate agent after leaving Cochise County.

The late George Hooper served as an active board member from 1978 through 2009, often hosting foundation gatherings at his home in Sierra Vista. He spent 30 years in the U.S. Army and later managed Southeast Arizona Medical Center in Douglas. He also volunteered with the Fry Fire Department. Now a resident of Snowflake, he keeps in touch with his Cochise County friends and recently endowed the George and Barbara Hooper Scholarship for nursing students.

Bugen family history in Bisbee dates to 1907, when George’s father Chris arrived from Yugoslavia. A World War I veteran, he married Mamie Milutinovich, ran the Bugen Brothers Grocery, and had three children – Bette, Sam and George. The boys served in the Korean War. Members of the family were active in various professional, civic and social circles. All were members of the St. Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church. In 2012, George, the last remaining member of the family, made a gift valued at some $1.2 million to the Cochise College Foundation in support of capital improvements at the Sierra Vista Campus. At the time, it was the largest recorded gift received in support of Cochise College.

Now retired, Marsha was raised on a farm in Missouri and worked her way through college with scholarships. A resident of Arizona since 1967, she was elected to serve in the State Senate in 2000. Marsha’s background includes service as dean of Draughon’s Business College in Kansas City, Missouri, and professor at the Oklahoma Junior College of Business and Technology. She also served on the Arizona Board of Regents from 1993-2000. She was a member of the Civil Air Patrol for more than 30 years and is a private pilot with an instrument rating and more than 5,000 of flying experience. She is a partner with her husband Gus in the family ranching business. Now retired from politics, she was appointed an honorary member of the Cochise College Foundation board in 1999.

Denise studied journalism and worked as a reporter and editor before taking her first community college position in the district development office at Ivy Tech State College, now Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. After two years handling newsletters, special events and award programs, she joined Cochise College as public information officer in 2001. She became executive director of the Cochise College Foundation in 2007. In 2009, her role expanded to executive director of the Office of External Affairs, which handles fundraising, marketing and communications for Cochise College. Denise has implemented consistent public and donor communications, planned the college’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2014-2015, and serves on the college Grants Committee. She is a member of CASE website (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) and currently serves on the District VII Communications Committee. She also serves on the boards of the Cochise County Fair Association and the Bisbee Council on the Arts & Humanities.

Rose graduated from Douglas High School and studied for a year at Cochise College before pursuing a secretarial certificate at Chaparral Career College in Tucson. After working as a teller for Pima Savings & Loan Association, she joined Cochise College in 1988. She worked first in human resources, then with the vice president for administration, before joining the foundation.