Our Board of Directors

Mary Rose Wilcox joined the Maricopa County Special Health Care District Board of Directors in 2016. She has served on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Maricopa County Hospital Health System Board. She received the Guadalupe Family Health Center Award of Appreciation and was honored with the MIHS Dedication Award. She was the first Latina elected to the Phoenix City Council and Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and helped create the Hispanic Women’s Corporation. She also served on the National Council of La Raza and NALEO. She and her husband run a local Mexican food restaurant and have a daughter and five grandsons.

Thomas is the only West Valley resident to serve on the five-member elected body that oversees Valleywise Health, representing District 4, which includes many West Valley communities, including Litchfield Park, Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, Glendale, Goodyear, Peoria, Sun City, and Sun City West.

Thomas is a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser. He served as Mayor of Litchfield Park from 2000 to 2006, and as a member of the city’s planning and zoning commission from 2006 to 2012.

Born and raised in Towson, Maryland, Thomas received his bachelor’s degree in dairy science from University of Maryland College Park in 1975. He worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1977 to 2016.

His other accomplishments include service as:

• President, Colorado Association of County Supervisors (a federally recognized employee association of professional employees)
• Chair, Management Committee, National Association of County Supervisors
• President, Arizona Association of Credit Specialist (formerly County Supervisors)
• Chair, Arizona Appraisers Coalition (representing 6 professional appraisal societies to the state Legislature)
• Litchfield Park Recreation, Arts, and Parks Commissioner
• Vice-Chair, Maricopa Association of Governments
• Chair, Maricopa Combined Federal Campaign

Thomas, who is widowed, has two daughters and one grandson.

Mary also serves on the boards of the MariSol Federal Credit Union and the Valleywise Health Foundation, and she is a volunteer with the Special Olympics of Arizona as a Health Promotion Clinical Director for athletes and Scottsdale Parks and Recreation Department as a swim mentor.

 She is a member of the Association of Operating Room Nurses (Perioperative); Arizona Nurses Association; American Nurses Association; American Burn Association; and the Arizona Organization of Nurse Executives.

Mary sees Valleywise Health as being an integral part of the overall health of our community. Today that is being accomplished by expanding behavioral health and outpatient/ambulatory services with the construction of the new Valleywise Comprehensive Health Center – Peoria and the acquisition and renovation of the Valleywise Behavioral Health Center – Maryvale and Valleywise Emergency – Maryvale. Mary believes the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance will enhance Valleywise Health’s educational programs, including medical, nursing, and various allied health programs.

Mary enjoys spending quality time with her husband, Jon, friends and her two dogs, and volunteering with organizations that give back to the community and supporting animal welfare groups.

Mark is a financial advisor by profession and serves as Senior Vice President of RBC Wealth Management in Phoenix.  He has 34 years of experience in the finance field guiding clients through retirement planning, estate creation, wealth accumulation and insurance matters.

Mark is also very involved in volunteer activities with a number of community-based organizations.  His involvement includes: The Phoenix Police Reserve Foundation, The Maricopa Health Foundation, Kitchen on the Street, The Foundation for Blind Children, The FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association, ASU Alumni Association, The Scottsdale Business Development Forum, and several other advisory and planning roles.  Over the past 20 years Mark has helped raise millions of dollars for the non-profit community.

Mark brings his passion for positive change to Valleywise Health with a sweeping vision to revitalize the state’s only public health care system. His goals include supporting management to build a bigger and better health care system; creating a better patient environment; enhancing the Valleywise Health brand; upgrading and enhancing outdated facilities.

Mark has lived in the Phoenix area since 1970 and received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Arizona State University in 1985. He also has taken graduate coursework through the Hanover Forum at The Wharton School.

Mark and his wife of 26 years have two adult children.

Previously, Susan served as Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services from April 2005 to July 2008. She oversaw one of the largest departments in Arizona State Government, with a budget of more than $1 billion.

From 2002 to 2005, Susan was a member of Governor Janet Napolitano’s administration as a policy adviser for health care issues, assisting with crucial decisions involving state and federal budgets of nearly $8.1 billion directly linked to services for more than 1.2 million residents.

As a member of the Arizona Legislature from 1988 to 2002, Susan served as Chair of the House and Senate Health Committees for 10 years. She championed most of the major healthcare legislation in Arizona during that time. As a lawmaker, she also led efforts to fund and create intervention and prevention programs such as Healthy Families, Healthy Start and Head Start.

Susan received a Bachelor of Arts from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and a Masters in Business Administration from Arizona State University.

Susan and her husband, Phil, have two children and four grandchildren.