Lattie F. Coor, Ph.D
Chairman and CEO

Dr. Lattie Coor founded the Center for the Future of Arizona in 2002 with the goal of creating an Arizona in which there are opportunities and quality of life for all citizens, now and in the future. Under his direction, the center has focused upon collaborative initiatives such as creating a unified state vision and action plan, and implementing the Beat the Odds research findings in Arizona K-12 schools. He also is the Ernest W. McFarland Arizona Heritage Chair in Leadership and Public Policy and a professor of public affairs at Arizona State University.

Dr. Coor is a highly regarded Arizona statesman and esteemed president emeritus of Arizona State University (1990-2002) and the University of Vermont (1976-1989). As president of ASU, Dr. Coor elevated the university’s status as a major research institution with high-quality academics and a diverse student body.

Sybil Francis, Ph.D
Executive Director

Dr. Sybil Francis joined the Center for the Future of Arizona in 2002 as a member of its founding team. She plays a key role in all center initiatives, from conception through implementation, and leads the Pathways to Postsecondary initiative. She also oversees the center’s research projects and public policy initiatives, and is a member of the P-20 Coordinating Council’s Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Task Force. Dr. Francis comes to the center from positions at leading national public policy and research agencies and institutions. She has an extensive background in the areas of energy, the environment and national security.

Marjorie Kaplan, Ph.D
Director, Beat the Odds Institute

Dr. Marjorie Kaplan joined the Center for the Future of Arizona in 2008, following an exemplary career in K-12 public education. Her responsibilities include developing and managing the Beat the Odds Institute programs, operations and community relationships. Previously, she was superintendent of Shawnee Mission School District in metropolitan Kansas City and superintendent of the Paradise Valley School District.

Dr. Kaplan was named one of the top 100 educators in the United States by Executive Educator magazine and is a recipient of the Arizona Superintendent of the Year award and the Outstanding Arizona Superintendent Award. Throughout her 16-year tenure as its superintendent, Kansas’s Shawnee Mission School District was ranked among the top four percent of school districts nationally by Expansion Management magazine.

Benah J. Parker, Ph.D.
Director of Education Policy and Research
Staff Director of Pathways to Postsecondary Initiative

Dr. Benah Parker is responsible for developing and guiding the center’s research agenda concerning education policy issues. In addition, she serves as a liaison with the community, providing information of interest to individuals and organizations involved in Arizona’s key education issues.

Dr. Parker co-authored the center’s research reports "Bridging the Grad Gap: The Economic Consequences of Arizona's High School Dropout Population" and "Everybody’s Problem: A Closer Look at Arizona's High School Graduation Rate."

Amanda Burke
Director of Education Innovation
Director of the Arizona “Tough Choices or Tough Times” Initiative

Amanda Burke joined the Center for the Future of Arizona in June, 2009 and is the Director of Education Innovation and the Director of Arizona’s “Tough Choices or Tough Times” Initiative. In her role as the Tough Choices director, Burke is responsible developing and managing the Tough Choices initiative and collaborating with local and national Tough Choices partners to advance the effort.

Previously, Burke was Director of Education Innovation and Policy with the Arizona State University Office of University Initiatives in the Office of the President. Since 2004, Burke has been involved in the conceptualization and start-up of a number of education innovation initiatives including the ASU pathways to postsecondary education projects and the University Public Schools Initiative, an effort to open PreK-12 charter schools for the purpose of scaling education innovation. She began her career in education as a high school teacher and was a Teach For America corps member.

Robert Luster
Director, Web Communications

Robert Luster brings more than 17 years of professional technical development experience to his duties. As director of Web communications, he is responsible for the intranets and public websites for the Center for the Future of Arizona and Beat the Odds Institute.

Prior to joining the Center for the Future of Arizona, he worked as manager of electronic communications at Arizona State University Foundation and consulted extensively on enterprise application projects with Fortune 500 companies and a number of small businesses.

Lin Phillips
Executive Assistant

Lin Phillips is the assistant to Dr. Coor. She has been a staff member since the center’s inception in 2002. Previously, she was on the staff of the Arizona State University President’s Office where she served continuously through the terms of four university presidents.

LeArta Vance
Executive Assistant

LeArta Vance is the assistant to Dr. Francis. Previously, she was the special assistant to Arizona Governor Jane Hull; vice president of administration for the Arizona State Chamber of Commerce; a partner in D.V. Tours; and a unit manager for the Arizona Department of Revenue.

Anna C. Chaplin
Administrative Secretary

Anna Chaplin is the center’s receptionist and assistant to Dr. Kaplan. Previously, she held several positions with Indiana University Kokomo and served as an administrative secretary to various elementary and middle school principals in Indiana and Florida. She taught private preschool prior to working in public school administration.

Tara Martineau
Administrative Secretary

Tara Martineau is the assistant to Ms. Burke and Dr. Parker. She has held several volunteer and professional positions in the Mesa Unified School district. Most recently, she served as support staff for the director of the Basic Skills department.