Arizona local media coalition debuts statewide town hall on education solutions

PHOENIX – The Arizona Media Association and Arizona Local News Foundation are excited to announce the debut of a first-of-its-kind statewide town hall focused on education in Arizona.

Inside the Issues: Education Solutions in Arizona gathers preeminent leaders in Arizona education to discuss early childhood education, K-12, post-secondary education, the future of education in Arizona and more.

In partnership with the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission and RIESTER, Inside the Issues: Education Solutions in Arizona is airing across Arizona local media brands in September 2025 across TV, radio, digital and social media platforms. The town hall can be viewed in its entirety here.

Arizona media brands interested in utilizing town hall content in different forms and lengths can access town hall content and assets here.

This event is part our Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative, a broader effort to use the trusted megaphone of local media in Arizona to expand productive conversations about important statewide issues like education. As part of this, media brands across the state are supplementing town hall content with education storytelling of their own in a coordinated content push to amplify meaningful education conversations at a time when the issue is top of mind for many Arizonans.

The event includes four panels and is moderated by long-time Arizona journalists Steve Goldstein and Olivia Fierro.

Building Blocks of Education: Early Childhood

  • Eve DelReal (Head Start)
  • Shantel Meek (The Children’s Equity Project)
  • Barbie Prinster (Arizona Early Childhood Education Association)
  • Angela Rabago (First Things First)

K-12 Education

  • Katherine Haley (Arizona State Board of Education)
  • Steve King (Yavapai County School Superintendent)
  • Jake Logan (Arizona Charter School Association)
  • Karla Phillips-Krivickas (Champions for Kids)

Post-Secondary Education

  • Susan Bitter Smith (Maricopa County Community College District)
  • Jadyn Fisher (Student Regent – Arizona Board of Regents)
  • Merrill Kemp-Wilcox (Pima JTED)
  • Rich Nickel (Education Forward Arizona)

Education in a Changing State

  • Peter Boyle (Center for the Future of Arizona)
  • Jaime Casap (Former Chief Education Evangelist at Google)
  • Jessica Pacheco (Arizona Board of Regents)
  • Katie Ratlief (Common Sense Institute)

For questions or press inquiries about the town hall or the Arizona Community Collaborative, contact Joe Hengemuehler (joe@azmedia.org).