PHOENIX – Capping off the week when he hit 100 days in office, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes today announced his senior leadership team. This bipartisan group of professionals brings decades of experience in the fields of election administration, business services, information technology, public policy, and communications to the task of serving all Arizonans.

Many of the members of the Fontes Administration have been in place since its earliest days, and have been joined by professionals from across the political spectrum, including registered Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

Secretary Fontes' senior leadership team includes:

Keely Varvel, Assistant Secretary of State, has a long and distinguished career in state and local government. Keely previously served as staff at the State Legislature, Governor's office, and the City of Tempe, and was Chief Deputy Recorder at the Maricopa County Recorder's Office. She is a graduate of Northern Arizona University and is a Certified Election Registration Administrator.

Colleen Connor, Elections Director, has over 25 years of election law experience. Starting in 1998 as an Arizona Assistant Attorney General, Colleen advised the Secretary of State's office on election-related matters. Since then, she served as the first executive director of the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, as Deputy County Attorney in Maricopa County, and most recently, as Deputy County Attorney in Yavapai County. Colleen was admitted to the Arizona State Bar in 1994 and is a Certified Election Officer.

Lisa Marra, Deputy Elections Director, is an experienced professional specializing in elections administration, public relations, and program development. As a longtime employee of Cochise County, Lisa served in various roles, including Communications and Community Relations Administrator, Grants Administrator, and most recently, as Director of Elections from 2017 to 2023. She holds a Bachelors' degree in Business, a Certified Public Manager (CPM) certification from Arizona State University and is a Certified Election Registration Administrator.

Aaron Aylsworth, Business Services Director, is a veteran management consultant, with a background working for Fortune 500 and international companies. Aaron has more than 20 years of experience in project and program management of large-scale, cross-functional and cross-cultural strategic initiatives. He has an MBA from the American School International Management and received his Bachelor's in Economics from the University of Montana.

Holly Henley*, State Librarian; Director of Library, Archives and Public Records, joined the staff in 2004 as the Youth Services Consultant and served as the Library Development Administrator and LAPR Deputy Director of Library Services before becoming State Librarian and Director of Library Services in 2016. Now overseeing all of LAPR's branches, Holly serves Arizonans statewide though Archives and Records Management, Arizona Talking Book Library, E-rate and Grants Administration, Library Development, and the State of Arizona Research Library. A native of Virginia, Holly received her B.A. from the University of Richmond and her M.L.S. from the University of Maryland.

Scott Cancelosi*, Administrative Rules Director, has been with the office since 1996 and is also the Administrative Code Editor. Cancelosi was a member and webmaster for the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission, helping to champion Arizona Centennial memory projects, plan the Centennial, and design the Official Centennial Medallion. He is past-president and current webmaster for the Administrative Codes and Registers Section of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

Greg Ensell, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Policy Advisor, is an award-winning public affairs leader with experience in government service, the private sector, and nonprofits. Previously, he has worked at the Arizona Hospital & Healthcare Association, Cox Communications, and the Arizona State Senate among others. He received his MBA and undergraduate degrees from Arizona State University.

Amy Chan*, General Counsel, has served as General Counsel for the Secretary of State's Office since March 2022. In over two decades as a lawyer, she has served as a legislative staffer, Director of Administrative Actions for Department of Real Estate, General Counsel for Department of Corrections, Administrative Law Judge for the Corporation Commission, and State Election Director under former Secretary of State Ken Bennett. In 2017, she was appointed to a five-year term on the Clean Elections Commission where she continues to serve.

George Diaz, Government Relations Director, is a professional advocate with 26 consecutive years of comprehensive experience as a government relations, public affairs, and media relations professional. George has successfully represented clients before the Arizona State Legislature, the U.S. Congress, municipalities, councils of government, as well as state, federal and regional planning agencies.

Tonia Tunnell, Special Projects and Innovation Director, has been certified in the area of voter registration and elections for over 23 years, including being nationally certified as a Certified Election Registration Administrator since 2011. Previously, she worked at the Arizona Association of Counties, the Maricopa County Recorder's Office and Election Department, and most recently, Runbeck Election Services, where she monitored election policy nation-wide, and worked with the State Legislature on issues related to ballot paper and early ballot drop box security.

Paul Smith-Leonard, Communications Director, is a former reporter and editor with experience working in communications and public affairs in city and county government. Previously, he worked for the Tempe City Council, the New York City Council and the Nassau County (N.Y.) District Attorney's office. He is an alum of New York University and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

Angelek Larkins, Human Resources Director, is a Michigan transplant with more than 25 years of Human Resources experience. She specializes in Recruitment, Employee Relations and Benefits, as well as Classification & Compensation. She is a graduate of Wayne State University and holds an MBA and bachelor's degree in Human Resources. An active member of the Society for Human Resources Management, Angelek most recently worked at the Arizona Department of Health Services, where she managed their recruitment team and helped create standard work for their recruitment process.

*Staff member retained from previous administration.