Denis Danicic is an industry leader in the Food and Beverage Manufacturing industry. He has over 5 years experience in Food Safety and Operations. In addition to this Denis has served as the Chief of Staff for the former Vice President of the Croatian Parliament.

This combination of manufactory, political and international experience has made Denis a passionate activist against regulatory intrusion in all industries.

Aaron Heimke served in the U.S. Army for over 31 years, much of that as a Foreign Area Officer in Western Europe, including assignments at US European Command, US Army Europe, and on deployments in Afghanistan. His final assignment was as the Army Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. As a Foreign Area Officer, Aaron helped develop and implement U.S. Foreign planning a policy in a number of countries, including Italy, France, and the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Since he retired from the Army in 2020, Aaron has worked for Michelin Group as a Global Account Manager for Michelin Defense in North America.

Dr. Padilla is an Arizona Consultant with Interim Public Management and Teacher for Mesa Public Schools, having worked in 5 countries including 6 years teaching university business in Wuxi, China, 2 years of quarterly training MBAs in Hanoi, Vietnam, 2 months teaching youth English in Jinju, South Korea, 6 months teaching English in Saudi Arabia and 1 month assessing primary grade school reading and teacher needs in 3 Cambodia rural villages outside of Phnom Penh, the capital of the Kingdom.

Her 20 years of public service includes local, state, and federal government, as well as consulting with counties state-wide in California. She is affiliated with 13 US Federal Departments (Justice, Education, Substance and Mental Health Services Administration, Indian Health Service, Administration for Native Americans, etc.) where she serves as a panel facilitator, grant reviewer, and consultant in strategic planning. With a PhD in Public Policy and Administration, focused on Leadership and Management from Walden University, Annette’s research furthered California County Strategic Planning for Substance Abuse Departments. By training MBAs in Vietnam, undergraduates in Ho Chi Minh and teaching business at Jiangnan University in China she advanced learning globally and assisted the City of Wuxi’s Police Transportation Dept. with technical English language.

Annette also worked at a judge for 15 Provincial (State) English Speech Competitions for Jiangsu, China and holds a Master Degree in Public Health and a Bachelor Degree in Community Health Education from San Diego State University. Her work in Arizona includes serving as a Department Head in the Town of Guadalupe where she strengthened relations with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and Maricopa County Human Services, serving low income and homeless families.

Annette is a member of the International City/County Management Association, Arizona City/County Management Association, Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations, Arizona Municipal Clerks Association, Government Finance Officers Association of Arizona, National Forum for Black Public Administrators-Central Arizona Chapter, Phoenix Area ASU Alumnae Chapter, Delta Xi of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority.

She enjoys networking to support her career growth and other colleagues advancing as leaders. Her free time is spent hiking on Arizona trails and lap swimming.

Khamsone Sirimanivong is an artist, designer, researcher and humanitarian, currently serving on the board of directors at Legacies of War, D.C., the only U.S. based educational and advocacy organization dedicated to increasing awareness about the American Secret War in Laos and U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia, whose primary objective is to secure funding for the removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, while also advocating for survivor assistance and mine risk education.

Khamsone is also a Fulbright Specialist currently pursuing arts and textiles projects in Laos, particularly within artisanal communities impacted by UXO. Formerly, she served as President of Arizona Costume Institute at Phoenix Art Museum, which strives to preserve cultural and social history through clothing and design. She also serves on the board of ACEL - Asian Corporate and Entrepreneur Leaders, supporting Asian American community leadership and youth mentorship and is a freelance writer and designer. She has been both a member and officer of many civic, community and leadership organizations and programs.

She studied architecture at Arizona State University and product marketing at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco, CA.

Khamsone is deeply connected to her humanitarian work in Southeast Asia; her family left Laos in 1979, emigrating to the U.S. after the fall of Saigon and the end of the American Secret War in Laos. Although her long journey has brought her back to Laos, she has called Phoenix, Arizona her home since 1981.