Join WTS Metro Phoenix and WTS Tucson for a joint breakfast and panel spotlighting Southern Arizona. Click here to register!
Panelists:
- Irene Higgs, Executive Director, Sun Corridor Metropolitian Planning Organization
- Matt Rencher, Public Works Director, City of Eloy
- Celeste Garza, Public Works Deputy Director, Pinal County
- Ben Navarro, Public Works Director, City of Coolidge
- Duane Eitel, Deputy Public Works Director and City Engineer, City of Casa Grande.
Don't wait - register today! Please note that late registrations/walk in registration will be $55.
Speaker Bios:
Irene Higgs
Irene Higgs is the Executive Director of the Sun Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in Casa Grande, Arizona. She has served as the Executive Director for the MPO for nine years. She began her career with the MPO in 2014 as the Transportation Planning Supervisor. Prior to this, Irene was employed with the Arizona Department of Transportation from 2004 to 2014. Ms. Higgs is also an active member of the Arizona Transit Association Board of Directors, Arizona Rural Transportation Advocacy Council Management Advisory Committee, ADOT Transportation Alternative Advisory Committee, ADOT Executive Leadership Team, and Pinal Partnership Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
In 2021, Irene received the Nation Award for Excellence from the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organization for her regional planning efforts for the Pinal County Safety Study and in 2024, she received the Distinguished Profession Planning Award from the American Planning Association Arizona Chapter.
In her free time, she loves to ride quads with her grandson, play board games, and weight lifting.
Ben Navarro
Ben Navarro is the Public Works Director for the City of Coolidge and has been with them for 5 years. In his role, he oversees street maintenance, repairs, reconstruction, sweeping, and striping; signage; garbage collection and bulk trash pickup; operation of a wastewater treatment and collection system; maintenance/repair of public buildings/facilities; and maintenance of City vehicles/equipment.
Before working for the City of Coolidge, Ben worked for the Pinal County Public Works Department for 20 years and also served on the City of Coolidge Council for 3.5 years.
Ben is a native of Coolidge and attended Central Arizona College where he studied Manufacturing Engineering Technology & Mechanical Engineering. Beyond his professional commitments, Ben enjoys spending time with his family and the outdoors.
Celeste Garza
Celeste Garza serves as the Deputy Director of Public Works for Pinal County, where she has dedicated 18 years of service. In her role, she oversees the County’s Capital Improvement Program, Road Maintenance and Construction Branch, Quality Assurance, Airports, and GIS/Asset Management Divisions.
A proud Casa Grande native, Celeste earned her Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Arizona State University. She is also a graduate of ASU’s Certified Public Manager Program and a Certified Floodplain Manager. Beyond her professional commitments, Celeste is an active member of her local community. Appointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2022, she currently serves as Vice Chair, contributing to the development and growth of her hometown.
Celeste is married and the mother of two children, ages 16 and 10, who keep her busy and inspired in her personal time.
Duane Eitel
Throughout Duane's professional career, he has served in various engineering roles with ever-increasing levels of responsibility. Duane has excelled in public and private sector positions across multiple states, geographic regions, and technical disciplines.
Duane's skill set bridges both transportation planning and transportation design and places him in a unique position to develop project teams that best meet the needs of his public sector clients and provide the technical requirements of each assignment. His long list of project achievements ranges from area transportation planning studies to complete street projects for local communities to freeway/highway location studies in support of multiple state departments of transportation.
Over the past decade, Duane's career has shifted to an exclusive focus on improving the Casa Grande community. Duane has led initiatives to improve multimodal mobility and circulation, focusing on intelligent transportation solutions and safety enhancement. During his tenure at the City of Casa Grande, he has served in various positions within the Public Works Department and is currently the Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer. Duane has led the Public Works Department's effort to meet the needs of anticipated employment growth across a broad spectrum of infrastructure investments, including Water, Wastewater, and Transportation systems. He has taken the lead in implementing a proactive approach to ensure a level of response that exceeds the expectations of the new industries and jobs that continue to be located within the City.
Duane also led the effort to form a new metropolitan planning organization for the Sun Corridor region and has many years of service as the Chairman of multiple local and subregional Transportation Advisory Committees within Pinal County.
Matt Rencher
Matt Rencher, PE, CFM, is the Public Works Director and City Engineer for the City of Eloy, and has been there since May 2022. Prior to working for the City of Eloy, Mr. Rencher worked for the City of Coolidge from May 2014 to May 2022, and for the City of Globe in Gila County from October 2010 through May 2014, in each city serving as Public Works Director and City Engineer. Prior to entering the public sector, Mr. Rencher worked as a consultant in private engineering and construction firms.
Mr. Rencher graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University in May 2005 and was licensed as a Professional Civil Engineer by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration in April 2009. He also was accredited as a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) in 2013. Mr. Rencher is a member of the Arizona Floodplain Managers Association, and the Association of State Floodplain Managers. Mr. Rencher has served as Chair and Vice-Chair of Numerous Transportation Technical Advisory Committees for the Sun Corridor MPO, Central Arizona Association of Governments, and the Pinal Regional Transportation Authority in Pinal County.