Q: What changes have you made in office space usage in the past few years?
Veronique James
Founder & CEO
The James Agency
Sector: Public Relations
Over the past few years, we’ve seen firsthand how intentional office design directly impacts team connection, collaboration and productivity. In response, we expanded The James Agency’s office footprint to create a more dynamic, people-first environment. Our new space includes open collaboration areas, wellness-forward amenities and quiet zones designed for deep focus — balancing the need for flexibility with functional spaces that inspire creativity.
One of the most significant changes was designing for why employees come into the office, not just when. For us, that meant rethinking traditional desk arrangements and investing in shared spaces that foster team energy — stand-up desks, soft seating and natural light throughout. We also added a client-focused photo studio to support content creation and efficiency, as well as an in-office coffee shop called The James Bean to fuel daily connection and convenience.
This shift has made a noticeable difference in engagement and culture. Our team chooses to be here — not out of obligation but because the environment fuels connection, idea-sharing and a sense of belonging.
Veronique James is founder and CEO of The James Agency, Scottsdale’s woman-led, insights first agency celebrating 20 years in 2025. James founded TJA with the goal of creating an agency focused on open communication and transparency with clients and employees. Today, the award-winning, integrated agency specializes in research, strategy development, consumer advertising, public relations and digital media, and continues to exemplify James’s original vision.
Beth Maloney, Ed.D.
Executive Director
Act One
Sector: Nonprofit
Our new office is in the BHHS Legacy Foundation’s Legacy Place III campus in Phoenix. Since our Virtual Reality Field Trip program started in 2021, we have grown significantly in both equipment and staff. Currently, we have 150 VR headsets, and they must be stored in a climate-controlled secured room that also has enough power to charge all headsets at once. This, as well as the office’s central location and covered parking for our two VR vans, were needed when looking for a new office space, and we found the ideal location.
Also, with a team now of nine people, we needed a larger space that our team can utilize to be more efficient, collaborative and comfortable. We are grateful to be in this space with other incredible nonprofits. Some of the organizations we share the building with include the Arizona Education Foundation, Aunt Rita’s Foundation and Autism Life and Living. It is a benefit because it lets us collaborate and interact day to day with other people in our sector who are doing incredible work.
Beth Maloney, Ed.D., is a National Board-Certified teacher and the 2014 Arizona Teacher of the Year, with two decades of classroom experience. A passionate advocate for students, teachers and quality public education, Dr. Maloney is the executive director of Act One, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing meaningful arts experiences to students in Arizona.
Kathy Mills
President & CEO
Donor Network of Arizona
Sector: Biomedical
Yes, even our building is aligned with our mission to save and heal lives through organ and tissue donation! As the only organization of its kind in Arizona, we had the chance to create an optimized space for the unique work we do when we moved locations in 2020.
We co-created this clinical and office space in Tempe with professional architects to make it efficient around our lifesaving processes and inviting to employees and visitors alike. We have ORs, a laboratory, a gym with locker rooms, spaces to focus on work or collaborate with others, and artwork honoring donors. The building is designed to embrace continual improvements, such as our upcoming project to install a simulation lab for onsite donor care training. That’s just one example of how we stay focused on advancing donation.
For visitors, we welcome anyone to come share our space for offsite events, such as luncheons or strategic planning meetings, which gives us another chance to educate people about how we operate as a vital link in donation for transplantation.
Kathy Mills, president and CEO, brings 33 years of leadership to Donor Network of Arizona. She has a bachelor’s degree in business and two master’s degrees — one in Healthcare Management and another in Business Administration. Mills provides strategic leadership to advance organ and tissue donation and to ensure continual improvement. Her journey from CFO to CEO reflects her dedication to the mission of saving lives through organ and tissue donation.
