Cheryl Langer, Co-Chair, Ajo

Cheryl resides in Ajo, AZ with her husband Bob Olsen.  They have lived there for the past seven years, first as winter residents and becoming full-time Arizona residents in 2003.

She was born and raised in Spring Valley, Wisconsin.  She graduated from the University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire with a B.S. in Education.

 As an Information Technology professional, Cheryl worked for various companies in the Twin Cities, MN area.  She retired as an Information Technology Project Manager in 2000.  She currently runs a computer consulting, training, and website development business she started after moving to Ajo. 

Cheryl is very active in the Ajo Community.  She is a board member of WALD, Inc, a non-profit corporation promoting economic development in Ajo; scholarship chair for the American Citizens Social Club, a social organization started by local Mexican Americans over 60 years ago; treasurer of Ajo Community Action Committee, an organization that supports various arts and neighborhood groups in Ajo; and, an active member of the Ajo District Chamber of Commerce (Board Member 2003-08, President 2004-05).

She also is a member a Mexican folklorico dance group and active in the local quilting guild

Fern Lawson, Co-Chair, Elfrida

Fern is one of the original incorporators of Elfrida Citizens' Alliance & has served as both Executive Director and President with nearly thirty years of experience in management.

She has served on several boards: SEABS, Elfrida Fire Dept., Valley Recreation Council as vice-president, Sulphur Springs Valley Chamber of Commerce, Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce and Eloy Chamber of Commerce.

She is currently President of the Elfrida Citizens' Alliance and President of the Elfrida Fire Department. Fern has brought almost $1.4 million into Elfrida by helping establish a Community center, library and sidewalk for the Elfrida citizens.

Fern is also very much involved in the political parties of Cochise County, Az. and has worked feverishly to register every citizen possible to vote.

Stephen M. Weeks, Co-Chair, Marana 

Stephen resides in Marana, AZ with his wife Lori and their three children, Sagan, Carter and Katrin.  They have lived in Marana for the past 8 years, and in the greater Tucson Area for the past 18 years.  

He was born in Richmond, California, but migrated to Arizona at the age of five.  Seventeen days out of high school he joined the Army, and was stationed in Herborn-Seelbach, Germany.  After his first tour of duty, he attended the University of Arizona.  His studies were temporarily interrupted by Desert Storm, but he returned and graduated in 1995 with a B.A. in Social and Behavioral Science.  In 1997 he returned to the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona, graduating in 2000. 

Stephen is a founding partner of Weeks & Laird PLLC, a Tucson law firm.  As a real estate and contract litigation attorney, Stephen has spent years helping individuals who have been harmed by predatory lending tactics.  He also recently received patent approval of a new home ownership financing tool which he developed in response to the predatory lending tactics he had seen in his years of practice.  The system, Term Ownership, has the potential to help out many distressed homeowners as well as help first time buyers enter the market.  (See www.TermOwnership.com for additional information). 

Kord Klinefelter, Co-Chair, Ajo

Kord owns and operates the Ajo NAPA Store, Belle Acres RV Park, Royal Flush Septic Service and Portalets, NAPA Collision, and Kord’s Autocare Center.

Kord was born in San Luis, Mexico on August 29, 1962.  He spent his youth in Pontiac and later Detroit, MI.  He moved with his family to Tulancinco Hidalgo, Mexico in March 1973 and returned to Ajo, AZ in January 1974.

Kord graduated from Ajo High School in 1981 and worked for Phelps Dodge at the Copper Mine for 20 months from 1983-1984.  He moved from Ajo to Phoenix, AZ in December 1986 where he lived until August 1987.  He then returned to Ajo with his first wife, and stepdaughter.  He had his first son Austin in September 1991 and his second son Joel in June 1996.

 Kord met his current wife Melissa in March 2001.  They were married in June 2004 and been living good ever since.

Margaret “Maggs” Burkert-Smith, Co-Chair, Hereford

Maggs moved to Cochise County in January of 2006 from Phoenix where she had previously worked as an Information Technology Professional for Danka, American Express and IBM.  In 2003 she ended her IT career and entered the world of politics by first working for the Arizona Democratic Party for the 2004 presidential election, and then for Governor Napolitano.  After her move to Southeastern Arizona she volunteered to work with local and statewide candidates during the 2006 election cycle, and took over administering the County’s Democratic Party website. 

When Maggs isn’t working on a campaign or on the computer she is making paintings or practicing her Spanish, which she is determined to become fluent in with the help of her Spanish teachers.  She is a second term president of the Greater Huachuca Area Democratic Club, past secretary of the Cochise College Spanish Club, and member of the steering committee for the local chapter of APPLE (Arizona Parents for PubLic Education). 

Maggs lives in Hereford with her wonderful husband and local Cochise College Librarian, Trevor, and her delightful son, Aram, who is attending Cochise College.  Her lovely daughter, Ellissa, lives in Chandler where she works for the Scottsdale Resort and is registered to start attending classes at Scottsdale Community College this fall.

Virginia Pesqueira resides with husband, Ed Delci in Nogales, AZ (Kino Springs) and two female cats who run the household. Virginia and Ed have two sons and two daughters who all are professionally engaged in their careers in Phoenix, Chandler and Chicago.

Virginia earned a B.A. in Education from the University of Arizona and a M.A. and Ph. D. in Education from AZ State University in Tempe, AZ. She was an Associate Professor at ASU in the College of Education and also the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, before retiring from there in 2003. She taught in the Phoenix and Tempe Elementary School Districts after starting her teaching profession in Las Vegas, NV. During her tenure as teacher and professor, Virginia was involved in several professional associations, such as The World Congress of Reading; International Reading Association (in which she was an officer and blind reviewer of its publications); National Association of Bilingual Education and secretary of the Arizona Bilingual Education. Virginia was appointed to the Tempe Human Relations Commission in 2001 by then Mayor Neil Giuliano in which she served for two terms; once elected to Vice Chair. Governor Janet Napolitano appointed Virginia to the Arizona Humanities Council in 2003 and she served one term (3 yrs.)

Even though retired now, Virginia continues to teach as a substitute teacher and tutors primary grade students.  She loves being among young people because it is a glimpse of the future.

Her hobbies are reading; listening to and playing classical music; watching baseball (favorite team is the Chicago Cubs after the U of A teams) basketball (San Antonio Spurs) and football (no favorite). She used to play basketball, volleyball and softball when in high school in Tucson. Her father taught her how to bat. She loves to swim but has not found a nice, heated pool in Nogales.  Both Virginia and Ed love to travel domestically and abroad. They are also involved with politics and have made it a priority to get good people elected.