Board of Directors
AB-CDE’s Governing Board consist a diverse group of individuals from various backgrounds who share similar philosophies and beliefs, one of the those being that quality education for today’s youth and affordable housing are an essential necessity for the community and economic development of low income and economically distressed communities.
GOVERNING BOARD
Dr. Moschonas, MD, FAAN
President, Chairman and Founder
Dr. Moschonas is a board certified neurologist practicing in Arizona since 1990. He joined Four Peaks Neurology in 1993 and as the CEO and Medical Director, where he facilitated the growth of the practice into the largest private neurology practice in Scottsdale. He has also has served as a Chairman and Board Member of other non-profit organizations over the years, including the Phoenix Boys Choir and the Neurology section of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at HonorHealth. In Phoenix, Dr. Moschonas started an after-school program to teach children and young adults modern Greek. He structured the school, brought together highly qualified teachers, and quickly expanded enrollment to hundreds of children and adults. After creating the foundation for this school, he turned it to others to run as he set his sights on other projects.
Dr. Moschonas, being recognized as a leader in management, was asked to join the American Academy of Neurology committee on Medical Economics and Practice Management. He served on this committee as the Payment Policy subcommittee for 10 years. During this time, he was awarded by the Academy the Palatucci Patient Advocacy Award in 2013. Currently along with his practice obligations, Dr. Moschonas continues his passion for education by being the Chairman of the neurology section of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at HonorHealth. As President and Chairman of AB-CDE, he wants to once again harness his passion for education and having rallied around him a team of likeminded and passionate individuals, he is setting his sights on helping establish highest quality educational programs and institutions in Pinal County that will be a beacon to all children and families.
Dr. Moschonas completed his undergraduate training in Genetics and Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and also attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, where he completed his residency. He completed his Neurology fellowship at the University of Arizona.
Brad Miller
Secretary and Co-Founder
Brad Miller is a Partner at the law firm of Fowler St. Clair. As an accomplished attorney, negotiator, and litigator, Brad Miller has tried cases before judges and juries in Arizona, Virginia, California, and in Military Courts. In addition to serving clients in private practice, Mr. Miller is also a Major in the United States Marine Corps Reserve where he represents military commands in administrative hearings, consults on criminal trials and teaches trial practice.
Mr. Miller has expertise and has represented clients in the areas of Property Tax Law, Family Law, Criminal Law, Administrative Law, and Civil Law. He was recently featured in the Arizona Bar Magazine as the only litigator in 2018 who won a case at jury trial that included a successful counter-claim and punitive damages. His military credentials include graduating from Marine Corps: Officer Candidate School, The Basic School, Naval Justice School, and Command and Staff College. Mr. Miller co-founded AB-CDE along with Dr. Moschonas and serves as Secretary and General Counsel. His wife is a private school teacher and their four children attended private schools in Arizona.
Jennifer Alai
Governing Board Member
Jennifer Alai has been in the Commercial Lending industry for 20 years. Her current role is Senior Business Relationship Manager at Desert Financial Credit Union where she currently manages client relationships and focuses on business loan and deposit portfolio growth and quality. Prior to this role, she served as Market President for Great Western Bank. In that capacity, she managed the bank’s seven Southern AZ bank location as and three lines of business: commercial lending, cash management and retail.
Ms. Alai has served in leadership positions in the financial services industry in Arizona and California for more than 15 years. For over 4 years she served as Executive Board Member of Access Arizona, Central AZ’s Economic Development Corporation, Maricopa Economic Development Alliance, and on the Executive Board of the Boys and Girls Club. It is her passion to support the education needs for children in impoverished communities as well as advocate for children with special needs in multiple capacities. Ms. Alai has financed and overseen a large portfolio for community projects in financing Charter schools throughout Arizona. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Communications from Arizona State University and has completed formal credit training courses through Omega coursework. Ms. Ali’s two daughters also attend private schools in Arizona.
Eleni Passias
Governing Board Member
Eleni Passias currently serves as a Senior Vice President in Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group. In this role, she liaises with top law firms, assisting them with their credit, treasury management and investment needs. Her daily functions include cash flow analysis, taxable and non-taxable investment recommendations and advisory services to the firms at large.
Ms. Passias also served over seven years as a Senior Private Banker in Wells Fargo’s Legal Specialty Group. Prior to that role, Ms. Passias was employed at Goldman Sachs as an Associate on the Equities Trading desk where she worked with senior market makers in analyzing stock trends to execute institutional order flow. This allowed her to hone her technical analysis and decision making skills. She currently holds FINRA Series 7, 63 and 65 licenses. Ms. Passias received her Bachelor of Arts from New York University with a double major in Political Science & French. She graduated summa cum laude and as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Christopher Pajak
LIC Representative, Governing Board Member
Christopher Pajak has lived with his wife in Pinal County for 18 years, and in Florence, AZ for 14 of those years. He has worked full time as a Phlebotomist and Patient Care Technician in the Laboratory and Emergency Department at St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center in Phoenix for more than 18 years. Mr. Pajak has been an active volunteer in the Florence community over the years. His charitable works include: collecting and processing blood samples in home health settings from a broad
spectrum of people, including the elderly, those with dementia, children and pre-teens with autism; working with physicians making house calls to members of the community by collecting and processing samples; assisting in therapeutic procedures and treatments; transporting and accompanying members of the community to medical appointments, surgeries, and to or from the airport; and giving guitar lessons.
In 2008 Mr. Pajak ran as a Green Party State Senate candidate. In 2012, he became a Precinct Committeeman in Pinal County and was a Delegate at the Republican AZ State Convention in Phoenix. In his spare time, Mr. Pajak works as a photography assistant in his wife’s freelance photography business, with her work regularly published in books, magazines, news outlets, including Arizona Highways Magazine and The Guardian. Mr. Pajak serves as a LIC Resident member and representative of AB’s Governing Board and looks forward to bringing the benefits of a high-quality, private education to his local community.
ADVISORY BOARD
C.J. Karamargin
LIC Representative, Advisory Board Member
C.J. Karamargin currently serves as part of the senior leadership team for U.S. Sen. Martha McSally. As Deputy State Director, he oversees the Senator’s Southern AZ operations, which include Pinal, Pima, Cochise, Yuma, Graham, Greenlee and Santa Cruz counties. Among his primary responsibilities is leading a team of experienced caseworkers who assist Arizonans in their interactions with the federal government. Many of these cases involve low-income families, people with disabilities, seniors, refugees and veterans. Prior to assuming his present position, in Jan. 2019, Mr. Karamargin had similar responsibilities as the District Director for Sen. McSally when she served in the U.S. House of Representatives. He held that post from 2015 to 2018. His government experience also includes serving for 4 years as Communications Director for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. From 2011 to 2014, Mr. Karamargin oversaw government and media relations at Pima Community College in Tucson.
Mr. Karamargin studied Journalism and History at Mitchell College and the University of Connecticut. He worked for nearly 15 years as a journalist at news outlets in CT, MA, PA, Washington D.C. and ID. In AZ, Mr. Karamargin worked as a special projects reporter and Assistant City Editor for the Tucson Citizen and covered local, state and national politics for the Arizona Daily Star. Mr. Karamargin’s family has called AZ home since the early 1970s. He has lived and worked in Tucson since 2000, and also serves as a member of AB-CDE’s Advisory Board and as an LIC representative.
Tim Kanavel
LIC Representative, Advisory Board Member
Tim Kanavel is the current Economic Development Director for Pinal County having been hired in November 2009 to coordinate and stimulate economic activities within the fast growing county. Reporting directly to the County Manager and working closely with the County Board of Supervisors, Mr. Kanavel’s current focus, besides business recruitment, marketing, retention and assisting the various towns, cities and other economic development entities in the county, is the planning, development and implementation of economic policies, programs and relationships that will establish all of Pinal County as a major economic player in the Sun Corridor.
His career track has taken him from working as a driller in the oilfields of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and upon graduating from the U of A to the old Greater Tucson Economic Council (now Sun Corridor Inc.) as a research analyst, to the Arizona Department of Commerce (now the Arizona Commerce Authority) as a project manager, to private enterprise in aerospace at the Tucson Airport as the HR Director, to the Wickenburg Regional Economic Development Partnership as president, and lastly to his present position. In April 2004, he was presented with the prestigious Arizona Association for Economic Development’s “Economic Developer of the Year Award – Large Community” while working for the Arizona Department of Commerce. In April 2017, Mr. Kanavel was presented the “Economic Developer of the Year Award – Medium Community” – this time as an employee of Pinal County – the first person in the State to have ever received the award twice. Mr. Kanavel graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. Degree in Regional Development.