Tempe Chamber Welcomes New Board Members

The Tempe Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome five professionals representing diverse organizations to its board of directors. The Nominating Committee believes that the following individuals will be instrumental in shaping the future of the Tempe Chamber.

 Kjell Andreassen, Managing Partner, Acceler8 LLC

Kjell Andreassen is managing partner of Acceler8 LLC, a Tempe-based business advisory and CPA practice, and a partner of Arizona Business Advisors LLC, operating the JumpStartBiz business incubator in Tempe and Fountain Hills. He is an experienced entrepreneur and business advisor and has held senior executive positions with a number of public and private companies. Andreassen is a certified exit planner and an accredited executive associate of the Institute for Independent Business. He has an MBA from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in business and marketing from Oslo Business School. He has served on a number of corporate boards and is a mentor for NAWBO and JumpStartBiz. He is an active member of the Tempe Chamber and serves as facilitator of one of the Chamber’s leads groups. He is also past chair of the Ambassadors Committee. 

Dawn Hocking, Director of Development, TCH

Dawn Hocking is an Arizona native who grew up in Tempe. She is a graduate of Northern Arizona University and has been working at The Centers for Habilitation (TCH) for more than 23 years. Hocking has held a variety of positions at TCH, ranging from direct services to her current position as director of development. She is the immediate past chair of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business Council, is a board member for AZ Assist, participates in other volunteer activities in the community and was recently named the recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Tempe Chamber.

Misty Howell, Vice President, Community Banking District Manager Greater Southern Arizona – East Valley Central, Wells Fargo

Misty Howell is an Arizona native with 25 years in the financial services industry. She holds her FINRA series 7 and 66 licenses and is a graduate of the GSRBM (Graduate School for Retail Bank Managers) held at the Furman University in Greenville, S.C. Howell believes that time given back to the community, both through service and volunteerism, is a personal as well as a business responsibility.

Paul Mittman, N.D., Ed.D.,President/CEO, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences, Inc.

Paul Mittman’s presidency at SCNM began in 1999. Throughout his tenure, the college has consistently improved the quality of its education and patient care, contributed new knowledge on naturopathic medicine through research, and expanded its outreach to medically underserved communities. Dr. Mittman sits on the boards of the Tempe Community Action Agency, the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges and the New York Association of Naturopathic Physicians. He earned his Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from National College of Naturopathic Medicine and a Doctor of Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Over the years, numerous organizations have recognized his contributions, awarding him the American Association of Naturopathic Physician’s President’s Award in 1990 and the Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association’s Physician of the Year Award in 1999, just to name a couple. He is a competitive cyclist and a member of Team Vitesse.

Steven R. Skirvin, Attorney of Counsel, Davis Miles McGuire Gardner

Steven Skirvin, attorney of counsel at Davis Miles McGuire Gardner, has served as officer and director in various businesses and is well acquainted with the challenges facing businesses today. He is a strong believer that preparation is an important key to success and counsels businesses on how proper preparation can avoid or minimize time, money and stress when problems do arise. He has helped businesses solve problems, restructure and grow to profitability. Skirvin has experience in mergers and acquisitions, including distressed sales, and business financing. While he believes in avoiding litigation where possible, Skirvin is a capable litigator when necessary. Outside the courtroom, he has served as a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and was active in ABI’s Bankruptcy Litigation Committee, speaking and writing on bankruptcy litigation matters.