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NALANorthern Arizona Leadership Alliance
Who we are

A working alliance, not a networking club.

NALA was formed in 2004 by a small group of committed Flagstaff-area business leaders, the Flagstaff Forty, as a mechanism for discussing, studying, and, where appropriate, addressing critical needs of our community and state. In 2015 the organization broadened its outreach and took its current name.

Our members are the CEOs, presidents, and directors of major Flagstaff companies, educational institutions, and not-for-profit organizations, along with individuals with a demonstrated ability to make significant contributions to Flagstaff, Northern Arizona, Coconino County, and the state.

Each year, members identify a short list of critical issues and work with other organizations to achieve those goals. On issues of statewide importance, NALA works closely with its sister organizations, Greater Phoenix Leadership and the Southern Arizona Leadership Council.

See what we work on →

How we choose our issues

  • Strategic: the issue must matter to the region's economic health and quality of life.
  • Future-focused: our work should complement, not duplicate, other community initiatives.
  • Achievable: there must be a realistic path for NALA's engagement to improve the outcome.
  • Fact-based: we hear both sides, ground positions in data, and lend our name carefully.

Member organizations

Our members lead the institutions that anchor Northern Arizona's economy, from higher education and healthcare to science, manufacturing, construction, and hospitality, along with the nonprofits and cultural organizations that shape the region's quality of life.

See who's in the room: Members directory →

NALA members have…

  • Generated over $1 billion in annual gross revenue in the region
  • Created over 7,000 jobs in the greater Flagstaff area
  • Donated tens of thousands of community service hours
  • Served this community for as long as 50 years
  • Delivered goods and services locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally
  • Northern Arizona University
  • W. L. Gore & Associates
  • Northern Arizona Healthcare
  • Lowell Observatory
  • TGen North
  • Arizona Public Service
  • Coconino Community College
  • Arizona Snowbowl
  • Little America Flagstaff
  • Museum of Northern Arizona
  • Nestlé Purina
  • Deckers Brands
  • Arizona Daily Sun
  • Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra
  • Meteor Crater
  • Loven Contracting
  • Kinney Construction Services
  • Alliance Bank of Arizona
  • Babbitt Ford
  • United Way of Northern Arizona
  • Grand Canyon Conservancy
  • Old Town Shops / Sagebrush Trading
  • Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce
  • Wiseman Aviation

Representative member organizations. Logos are the property of their owners.

How we work

Rotating rooms, rotating agendas, one region.

Committee-hosted meetings

Roughly ten members meetings a year, each planned and hosted by one of the standing committees, so the agenda goes deep on a single issue with the people closest to it presenting.

Held where the work is

Meetings rotate through member institutions and landmark venues across the region, a working tour of Northern Arizona's assets, not a conference room habit.

Statewide alignment

NALA meets annually with Greater Phoenix Leadership and the Southern Arizona Leadership Council at the Arizona CEO Summit, aligning the state's three regional CEO councils on shared priorities.

Staff

The people running the alliance day to day.

CEOT Paul Thomas

Joined NALA in December 2015. Executive in Residence at Northern Arizona University's W.A. Franke College of Business and Director of the Northern Arizona Nonprofit Center for Entrepreneurship. A serial entrepreneur with nearly three decades leading technology companies globally, he has raised over $130 million in venture capital and managed multiple business acquisitions and IPOs. NAU 1983 graduate; assistant professor teaching international business, nonprofit entrepreneurship, and management. Board chair of Komaza, Inc. in Kenya.

Meetings

Where the alliance has been.

NALA meets across Northern Arizona, hosted by the members and institutions that make up the alliance.

  • · Arizona

    10th annual Arizona CEO Summit

    Two hundred members of GPL, NALA, and SALC came together for the tenth annual CEO Summit, with twelve NALA members attending, the most ever. The program featured Taiwan's ambassador to the United States on the impact of the partnership for Arizona and the country, the Arizona Board of Regents on the challenges facing higher education and the changes needed, and a forum with both candidates for Arizona Governor. NALA's own Bill Morrison introduced Governor Katie Hobbs with flair and humor.

    See all 4 photos →

  • · Grand Canyon National Park

    Grand Canyon members meeting

    Twenty-eight members gathered at the South Rim for a dinner with Mayor Vail and Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Keable, followed the next morning by a tour of the newly renovated Lookout Studio hosted by Jon Hansen. Organized with Bonnie Baker of the Grand Canyon Conservancy.

    See all 5 photos →