Greg Stanton Biography
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton was raised in West Phoenix, by a family committed to giving back to their community. His dad, Fred, rode the city bus to his job as a shoe salesman and his mom, Mary Ann, was a devoted educator. The Stantons instilled in their children the importance of giving to others, and in that spirit they founded the Christian Needs Network, a group of multi-faith volunteers who collected clothes, food and diapers for members of their community in need.
Following high school, Greg attended Marquette University and earned the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, a national award for students committed to pursuing careers in public service. While at Marquette, he and a classmate founded an after-school program at the Downtown Milwaukee YMCA helping fourth and fifth grade students with homework and basketball. He also was awarded a grant from the Milwaukee Foundation to study inner-city hidden unemployment.
After earning his law degree from the University of Michigan, Greg returned to Phoenix where he practiced education law at Jennings Strouss & Salmon and later practiced law at Quarles & Brady LLP. In 2001, he left private law practice to serve on the Phoenix City Council, where he represented the sixth district for nine years. This district includes the Biltmore, Ahwatukee Foothills, Arcadia and North Central neighborhoods. With a staunch commitment to creating high-wage jobs in Phoenix, Councilman Stanton was the lead councilman bringing the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), the ASU downtown campus and the U of A medical school to the city.
In 2009, Greg joined the state Attorney General’s office as Deputy Attorney General, where he helped lead the effort to stop the funding of cartels who traffic people and drugs across our southern border. He worked to protect consumers and homeowners by fighting the predatory payday lending industry and focused on eliminating mortgage fraud. He also negotiated the settlement between the State of Arizona and Maricopa County to protect the future vitality of Luke Air Force Base, a $2 billion-a-year economic asset.
Greg and his wife Nicole have two young children, Trevor and Violet. Nicole is a prominent local attorney who recently received the YWCA business leadership award. Both Greg and Nicole support a city with strong schools, safe parks and neighborhoods, a vibrant arts community, and an environment that supports locally owned businesses, diverse industries and high-wage jobs. As mayor, Greg is working to make that a reality.
During his first full year in 2012, Mayor Stanton continued his commitment to building a stronger city based on sustainability, a vibrant local economy and a quality education system.
A diverse, vibrant economy
Phoenix small businesses are the foundation of a strong economy. Mayor Stanton appointed a Senior Policy Adviser on Small and Local Business to work collaboratively with city agencies and departments and the local business community to strengthen the city’s support of small business owners.
Building a strong economy means reaching out across our border to Mexico. In August 2012, the mayor led a trade mission to Mexico, meeting with leaders in Hermosillo and Mexico City to strengthen ties and build on the $5.7 billion trade with Mexico each year.
Mayor Stanton also traveled to California and the Silicon Valley to explore partnerships with high-tech companies considering relocation and expansion outside of California. The mayor wants to make sure Phoenix is at the top of their expansion list by offering the best city and the best workforce in the region.
Strong, quality education system
Mayor Stanton is a strong advocate for a quality education system in Arizona and formed the Arizona Mayors Education Roundtable in October 2012. Mayor Stanton believes that the roundtable of eight Arizona mayors is a great opportunity to work closely with superintendents, school board and community members to ensure resources are aligned to help build a quality education system. The roundtable continues to meet to form solutions on how to build a quality education system in Arizona that provides students the skills necessary to perform in a 21st century workforce.
Building a sustainable future
Mayor Stanton believes Phoenix must be a sustainable city to thrive in a desert environment with limited water and resources.
In November 2012, the mayor launched PHX Renews, a signature project that’s transforming 15-acres of vacant land at Central and Indian School roads into a sustainable public space featuring urban community gardens, outdoor classroom space and large public art displays. PHX Renews is a unique partnership between property owners and the community and is a prototype for how other vacant lots will be transformed into temporary community projects to attract redevelopment in across the city.
Bloomberg Philanthropies also recognized Phoenix for its innovative plan to create smart-energy districts in 15 urban neighborhoods to become the “smartest energy city in the world.” Phoenix was one of 20 finalist cities selected in the Mayor’s Challenge for its solution to sustainability issues that face cities across the nation.
Helping our Veterans who proudly served us
Education is a key component of Mayor Stanton’s Phoenix H.E.R.O. Initiative to help unemployed veterans find work, educate city government and companies on hiring unemployed veterans and opening targeted job events to recruit veterans. Ongoing workshops on resume writing, career counseling and targeted job events are also part of this effort.
Awards
Mayor Stanton’s volunteerism and leadership has also been recognized with awards including:
- 2012 Afterschool Champion by the Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence2012 One-n-Ten Leadership Award to fight homelessness
- Arizona Big Brother of the Year
- Children’s Action Alliance Jacque Steiner Public Leadership Award
- Phoenix Business Journal “40 Under 40”
