Dennis Kavanaugh
Jill Benza
When members of the Mesa Citizen of the Year Association met this past November to choose Mesa’s 2015 Citizens of the Year, Jill Benza had been chosen as Woman of the Year, and Dennis Kavanaugh had been chosen Man of the Year.
Jill Benza is a longtime resident of Mesa who has been active in numerous community non-profit organizations for many years. These include multiple leadership roles, such as chairman of the board of the United Food Bank, the Mesa United Way Hunger Task Force, East Valley Women in Politics and the Boulder Mountain Homeowners Association.
She was involved in leadership roles in citizen committees serving to educate and advocate for successful Mesa Public Schools (MPS) Bond and Override elections in 2009, 2012 and 2014. She retired from MPS in 2007 after a 26-year career.
Her nominator stated Jill “… is a person you want on your team, being it solving complex community issues, or just rolling up your sleeves and making needed phone calls. Jill is always well prepared and organized, and usually has a written plan to help guide the actions of the many groups she works with.”
Another individual stated Jill has been a force for good in her church community, leading efforts to find and purchase a permanent facility for her congregation, The
St. Ignatius Orthodox Christian Church.
Dennis Kavanaugh is a prominent, well-known civic leader, community volunteer and attorney. Elected to the Mesa City Council four times, he currently serves as vice mayor. During his time on the City Council, Dennis has been active on regional, statewide and national groups, representing and advocating for municipal issues.
Dennis also has served on a wide array of community non-profit boards. A partial listing of the boards on which he has served includes Child Crisis Center Foundation, Mesa Sister City, Mesa Preservation Foundation, A New Leaf, Southwest Shakespeare, Mesa Community College Commission on Excellence, West Mesa Community Development Corporation and Visit Mesa.
As one of his nominators said, “Dennis Kavanaugh has dedicated his personal and professional career to the betterment of people’s lives. He has been an attorney in Mesa since 1978, and has advocated for injured and disabled individuals for more than 31 years… His decades of selfless community service to Mesa’s residents and commitment to our city make him an exceptional choice for the 2015 Mesa Man of the Year award.”
The Mesa Citizen of the Year Association is one of the oldest groups of its kind in the state. Founded in 1935, the organization annually selects two individuals in the community who have dedicated a significant amount of time to volunteer activities and leadership.
This year’s award recipients will be honored at the association’s annual banquet on Feb. 23, at the Hilton Phoenix/Mesa. This community celebration of volunteerism will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner.
To purchase banquet tickets, please visit www.mesacitizenoftheyear.org, or call Susan Carland at (602) 390-6164.