Board of Directors
Rebecca Wininger President
Rebecca Wininger is the President and CEO of Malachi Ventures, a private educational software firm. She is a graduate of the University of Denver and holds a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems from the University of Phoenix. Her diverse experience in such Fortune 500 Companies as Safeway, PetSmart, and Amazon.com allows for a depth of knowledge and leadership to help Equality Arizona accomplish its ever important goals and mission. Rebecca is also an avid supporter and member of the Arizona Golden Retriever Connection and a member of Team Nicaragua for the Church of the Beatitudes.
Lawrence Robinson Advocacy Fund
Co-Chair
Lawrence Robinson is currently a Democratic staff attorney with the Arizona House of Representatives. A founding member of a non-profit law office serving working families in New York City, he returned home to Arizona in 2009 after several years of practice. Since returning, Lawrence has managed the coordinated electoral efforts for the Democratic Party in Congressional District Four, actively engaged in local community efforts, and was recently awarded a 2011 State of Black Arizona Luminary Award. He graduated with his Juris Doctor from New York University, which he attended after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and another in Government from Claremont McKenna College. For his undergraduate and law school education, Lawrence was the recipient of a scholarship from the Point Foundation, a prestigious program that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
Bill MacDonald
Political Committee
Bill MacDonald, Treasurer and Chair of the Public Policy Committee, is a graduate of Marquette University and the Harvard Business School. His career in the direct marketing industry included catalog operations at Montgomery Ward, marketing and finance at General Mill’s Leeward division, general management at Jewelart, and as CEO of the Ambassador Mail Order Company in Phoenix. He purchased the latter and became principal of The MacDonald Companies, a $100 million direct marketing company operating in the USA, Canada, Germany and Hong Kong. After selling the company in 1984, he went on to found MacDonald Direct Marketing, which he operated until 1999.
Bill began his involvement in the Phoenix LGBT community in 1986 as the founding chair of the Arizona AIDS Project. He also served as vice-chair of the Grand Canyon Men’s Chorale in 1992 before becoming the founding chair of the Arizona Human Rights Fund (now Equality Arizona). As chair of that organization, he was responsible for moving its political agenda through the Arizona legislature and the Phoenix City Council. He was recognized as Echo magazine’s first Man of the Year in 1994 and was awarded the City of Phoenix’s Martin Luther King “Living the Dream” award in 2000.
Bill joined the board of Phoenix Pride in 2008 and is currently treasurer of that organization. He returned to the board of Equality Arizona in 2010.
Deanna Jordan Secretary
Deanna Jordan, Secretary, is an IT professional, with her MBA from Chadwick University, Birmingham, AL. She has been an international consultant for a major telecommunications consulting company and was Director of IT for a large Call Center here in Phoenix. She is CEO of Nulogic Communications, which specializes in technology and non-profit conferencing.
Deanna has been on the Board since 2004, and has been a dinner chair for the 2005, 2006 Award Dinners. She was asked to be on the Phoenix Bond Committees in allocating funds to city projects. Her passion is bringing people together, to create understanding and awareness and she brings this to the organization.
Deborah Green Treasurer
Deborah Green has been in Arizona since 1993 and until 2008 was President of Gordon Green Associates, Inc. which was a real estate finance company.
Prior to moving to Arizona, she lived in the San Francisco Bay area and upon moving here, became very active in the LGBT community in Phoenix. She has been a Board member of Equality Arizona since 2004 and continues to promote equality for all. She has been an active participant in industry related organizations, is a member of the Greater Phoenix Gay and Lesbian Chanmber of Commerce and is currently a Senior Loan Officer for Citywide Home Loans in Arizona.
Catherine Alonzo Board Member
Catherine Alonzo is a founding partner of Javelina, a full service public affairs firm that specializes in strategic consulting, direct mail, government relations, grassroots mobilization and policy analysis. In this role, she works with a range of clients including companies, organizations, ballot measures and candidates looking to affect elections and public policy.
Catherine was a part of the winning team who elected Greg Stanton as Mayor of Phoenix, consulting on both general strategy and direct mail. Previously, she worked as the Arizona state director for the national organization AmericaVotes in 2008, and as the Deputy Campaign manager for Jon Hulburd, who ran for the U.S. House of Representatives against Republican Ben Quayle in Arizona’s Third District in 2010.
Originally from Birmingham in the UK, Catherine came to Arizona in 2005 to complete her MPA at ASU. An active volunteer for Big Brothers, Big Sisters AZ and the Arizona Democratic Party, Catherine is building a home in Phoenix with her new husband Ruben, and their bunny rabbit Bruce.
Kirk Baxter
Board Member
Kirk Baxter is a long-term survivor of AIDS with three decades of volunteer and professional HIV service delivery and activism around lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. He is currently serving as a co-chair for Phoenix mayoral candidate Greg Stanton’s campaign. His extensive background as a leader in the community started when he founded and became the first executive director of Phoenix Body Positive, now known as Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS. Kirk has represented Arizona on two national boards – National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National AIDS Network – and was one of two Arizona delegates to the Clinton Administration Federal AIDS Agenda Projects. Baxter played a pivotal role in bringing the AIDS Walk back to Phoenix and is served as Co-chair of AIDS Walk 2009.
Nathaniel Rhoton Board Member
Nathaniel Rhoton is currently the treasurer and operations director of SKY Engineering/SKY Renewable Energy, his family owned company, specializing in solar energy and maintenance & repair work for government entities. During his involvement with SKY, Nathan has created a GLBT friendly work environment, including offering benefits to same sex couples and incorporating sexual orientation in the non-discrimination policy.
Nathaniel was born and raised in Arizona, graduating from Arizona State University’s WP Carey School of Business in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Following school he leveraged his financial skills working with General Mills, Inc. managing a trade marketing fund for Safeway. In 2004, Nathaniel changed courses and went to work for the family business enabling him to spend more time on causes such as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) where he served as co-chair for the Arizona Federal Club from March 2010-February 2012, as well as a team captain for the Barbra Seville Wonderful 100 team in the Phoenix AIDS Walk in 2010 and 2011.