South County Fire & Medical District Governing Board

Term Expires: December 2026

Biography:
Karen served as a Board Member for the Tonopah Valley Fire District prior to merging with the Sun Lakes Fire District to create the South County Fire & Medical District, a member of the Arizona Fire & Medical Authority. Karen is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and in her early California career served as a Flight Nurse in the U.S. Military, Public Health nurse for San Bernardino County, nurse practitioner at Patton State Hospital and in Sacramento as a personnel analyst.  In 1975 she was on the Inland Counties Comprehensive Health Planning Council. Karen moved to Arizona in 1991 and worked as a Health & Safety Director at Arizona State Hospital, retiring from the Maricopa County Integrated Health System in 2009. Karen and her husband Robert have two children and two grandchildren.

Term Expires: December 2028

Biography:
Gary has resided in Sun Lakes since 2018 with his wife (30 years in a row) Charlene “Charlie” since relocating from the Pacific Northwest. Gary proudly served in public safety for over 32 years – starting as a volunteer firefighter and retiring as an Assistant Fire Chief serving a community today of over 300,000, a workforce of over 355 members and over 57 square miles. Gary has been engaged in multiple regional mergers of organizations into effective fire authorities. Gary has a deep history of working with elected boards throughout his professional career. Additionally, he remains active in multiple boards for a property association (Plaza Resort) and civic group (Lions Club). Gary has also volunteered on a national board (Internation Association of Fire Chiefs, Western Division) and charitable organizations (Lakewood Area Shelter Association) – both of which he was selected as the Board Chairman. As a newly elected Director for the South County Fire & Medical District & AFMA, Gary hopes to offer insight and contribution towards the continued growth and development of the Authority. Gary and his wife enjoy socializing and golfing with the many new friends across the Sun Lakes area. When time allows, they enjoy traveling abroad and learning from the cultures and individuals across the world.

Term Expires: December 2026

Biography:
Diane was born and raised in Southern California. Her schooling and professional background are in marketing and sales. After raising their family, Diane's husband, Bob, retired from Ventura County Fire Department in 1989 and they moved to Ahwatukee. In 1996, they built their forever home in Sun Lakes. In 2000, Diane was one of the six founding members of the Community Assistance Program (CAP) with the Sun Lakes Fire Department. Diane was elected to serve on the Sun Lakes Fire District Governing Board in 2006. She and the other elected board members worked with the North County Fire & Medical District Governing Board to form the Arizona Fire & Medical Authority. In her leisure time, Diane serves as President of the Sun Lakes Arts & Crafts Association and is a Board Member of the Arizona Chapter of the ALS Association, and is a registered advocate for ALS.  Diane enjoys painting ceramics with her friends and her passions are reading, discussing current events, and traveling with family & friends. Spending time with her daughter, granddaughter, and 2 fur babies, are what keeps that smile on her face that she is known for.