OUR TEAM
Dr. Lily McElwee
PRESIDENT & CEO
BioDr. Lily McElwee serves as President and CEO of the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations. With historic family ties to Arizona, she is passionate about subnational diplomacy and elevating the state’s role on the global stage. Lily was previously deputy director and fellow in the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, and is a recognized expert in China’s foreign policy and relations with the United States, European Union, and the Global South. She has completed fellowships with the American Council on Germany, the CSIS-USC U.S.-Korea NextGen scholar program, the QUAD Task Force on China’s Strategic Futures organized by ORF America and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Lily has spent significant time living in the United Kingdom, China, and Germany. Lily concurrently serves as an Adjunct Fellow at CSIS, and is publishing a book on the history of U.S. investment gatekeeping amid the rise of China as a Strategy and Policy Fellow with the Smith Richardson Foundation. She holds a DPhil in China studies and an MSc from the University of Oxford, and a BA with honors in political science from Stanford University. |
Monse Apud
OPERATIONS MANAGER
BioMaria Monserrat Apud de la Fuente began her career as a photojournalist Intern at the Arizona Republic in Phoenix, where she got to know the Phoenix community at large and developed visual stories for readers all across the valley, ranging from politics to arts. She then worked as a Global Programs Coordinator at Thunderbird for Good, managing initiatives to support women entrepreneurs worldwide, with a focus on Latin America. Most recently, Monserrat served as a Brand Consultant at manaomea GmbH in Höllswang, Germany, where she helped develop market entry and brand strategies and optimize digital assets. Monse is originally from Mexico City but now calls Arizona home. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from Arizona State University and a Master’s degree in Global Management, specializing in Digital Transformations and Global Business Marketing, from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU. Recently, she expanded her professional repertoire by assisting in researching and drafting a family business case study, a collaborative effort between the Thunderbird Masrin Center and the University of Dublin. Besides connecting with people from diverse backgrounds, Monse loves exploring new places, ice skating, and storytelling through all mediums, especially photography. |
PCFR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2024-2025
Executive Committee
Caroline Lynch
VICE CHAIR
BioCaroline Lynch is the founder and owner of Copper Hill Strategies, LLC, providing client-focused government relations, strategic planning, legislative, and business development services. Caroline launched Copper Hill Strategies in 2017 following an extensive career on Capitol Hill, including a decade with the House Judiciary Committee, where she served for eight years as the Chief Counsel of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Caroline was at the forefront of developing some of the most high-profile privacy, cybersecurity, national security, and criminal laws of the 21st Century. Prior to joining the Judiciary Committee, Caroline served as Chief Counsel of the House Republican Policy Committee, Deputy County Attorney for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and Clerk for the Arizona Court of Appeals. She previously served in the personal office of former Congressman John Shadegg from 1996 to 2000. Caroline is Vice Chair of the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation board, Vice Chair of the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations board, and a member of the Arizona Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, the Arizona Technology Council, and the Phoenix Sister Cities program. She has guest-lectured at the ASU, Texas A & M, and George Mason law schools, and is a Visiting Fellow at the George Mason Law National Security Institute. Caroline is also a Distinguished Fellow at the ASU Masters in International Affairs and Leadership program and a 2003 graduate of the ASU Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. |
Claire Sechler Merkel
CHAIR EMERITUS
BioClaire Sechler Merkel serves as Chair Emeritus of the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations. During her 23 years in Washington, DC, she worked in government, with NGO’s, and on four Presidential campaigns including as Chief of Staff and Director of Friends and Family to Mrs. Cindy McCain during Senator McCain’s 2008 Presidential election campaign. Previously, she served as legislative assistant for foreign affairs and special assistant to U.S. Senator John McCain and campaign coordinator for John McCain’s first U.S. Senate campaign. Sechler Merkel served as Associate Director in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs for President George H.W. Bush, and Regional Director for Eastern and Central Europe at the International Republican Institute, where she was responsible for democratic development programming in Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania and Slovakia. She also worked with Congressman Jim Kolbe, and on the Bush/Quayle ’92 campaign, the 1988 Republican National Convention and 1989 Presidential Inaugural Committee. She founded Sechler Merkel International to provide strategic advice to companies and foundations focusing on projects in the United States, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Russia. She served as a consultant to the Millennium Challenge Account at its inception. She lived for two years in Malmo, Sweden and traveled extensively throughout Europe with her husband and children. Claire holds a degree in Public Policy, with distinction, from Stanford University and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Melikian Center Advisory Board. Claire served as PCFR Vice-President from 2019-2021, President from 2021 to 2023, and currently serves as Chair Emeritus. |
Sandy Pho Casement
SECRETARY
MEMBER, PROGRAM COMMITTEE
BioSandy Pho Casement is a Government Relations Advisor at Freeport-McMoRan where she manages Freeport’s international engagement and geopolitical risk management strategies. She also monitors federal and international legislation and initiatives impacting the mining industry. Prior to joining Freeport, Sandy spent 8 years at a government think tank working as a senior policy analyst focused on China and US policy in Asia. Her research and analysis has been featured in NPR, CNN, The National Interest, and Real Clear World. Following her time in DC, Sandy rode out the pandemic at the Salt Lake City Mayor’s office as a Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff. She ended her time in SLC as a Senior Innovation Consultant responsible for developing and executing strategies that foster innovation and service process improvements. Sandy is a proud product of Arizona’s public school system and currently lives in Phoenix. |
Directors
Fareed Bailey
DIRECTOR
MEMBER, FINANCE COMMITTEE
BioFareed Bailey is a Senior State Government Affairs Representative at Salt River Project (SRP), a community-based, not-for-profit organization providing affordable water and power to more than 2 million people in central Arizona. In this role, he is responsible for advancing SRP’s public policy priorities at the Legislature and Executive branch agencies through advocacy and relationship building with elected officials, staff and relevant stakeholders. Fareed was most recently Deputy Assistant Director, Director of Legislative Affairs and AZ529 Education Savings Plan Administrator at the Office of Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee. His prior experience includes many years helping legislators develop public policy as a Research Analyst and staffing Committees at the Arizona Senate, including Commerce & Energy, Natural Resources & Transportation, Finance, Federalism, and Financial Institutions. Fareed also has experience working in Washington, DC, having served as an Energy Program Research Associate at Taxpayers for Common Sense, and as a Senior Legislative Associate for the government affairs consulting firm Stateside Associates. Fareed earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA, and a Bachelor’s Degree, summa cum laude, in Political Science from Arizona State University. Born in Azerbaijan, he immigrated to the United States as a child, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006. He grew up in Arizona and enjoys reading, hiking, music and travel. |
David Farca
DIRECTOR
BioBorn and raised in Mexico City, David Farca started his first business in the retail industry, selling accessories and gifts during his high school years. He later sold the business as a three store chain while still in college. David graduated from UI (Universidad Iberoamericana) with a degree in Biomedical Engineering, which created the opportunity for his second venture in the medical field, manufacturing antiseptics, plaster of paris and distributing surgical lasers. David’s real interest remained in medical imaging and after the sale of the manufacturing side of the business, he restructured the distribution side to accommodate medical imaging equipment. With his experience in the field and a degree in Medical Imaging Infrastructure from MIT, David’s opinion in designing and specifying digital imaging departments became very well respected throughout Mexico becoming a business column writer for “Diagnostic Imaging America Latina” a Miller Freeman Publication and a Board Member of the Mexican Society and the Mexican Federation of Radiology (SMRI and FMRI). Trying to balance his college technical background with his self-taught business experience, David pursued an MBA degree from ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México). His medical imaging venture added manufacturing facilities for x-ray film while transitioning hospitals from analogical to digital imaging equipment. After the sale of the business, David and his wife Mavi, moved to Scottsdale with the purpose of turning their passion for cross border business, into their third business endeavor. Their efforts created a holding group of international companies in several industries including defense, manufacturing, real estate and healthcare. David now heads International Business Group, which assists companies expand internationally. Not all of David’s achievements have been in the business world. In the sports world, he attained a third degree black belt in Karate and the highest degree in oriental weapons. David also is a former member of the Mexican Alpine Olympic Ski Team and a former Member of the Mexican Olympic Committee and the International Federation of Ski (FIS). David is also a firm believer in giving back to the communities where he has lived and done business in. Some of his accomplishments are:
David enjoys life in the Arizona desert, while maintaining close personal relationships in Latin America, SE Asia and Europe. He enjoys traveling, cycling, golfing, and fine arts. |
Dr. Glen Goodman
DIRECTOR
CHAIR, MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
BioGlen Goodman is Senior Director for Latin America with Arizona State University’s International Development Initiative where he and his team work to harness ASU’s considerable expertise and capabilities to pursue and implement development projects in the region, principally funded by USAID and the Department of State. In this capacity he engages with universities, development agencies, foundations, NGOs, local governments, and the private sector to build strategic consortia for implementation of US Government priorities across the region. He is also Clinical Assistant Professor of Brazilian Studies in ASU’s School for International Letters and Cultures. A proud 5th generation Phoenician, Glen is passionate about helping Arizona and Arizonans engage globally, particularly with its most proximate neighbors in the Hemisphere. He holds degrees from Georgetown, Oxford, and Emory Universities, two certificates in cuisine from Cordon Bleu Paris, and has received support from the Fulbright, Fulbright-Hays, and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) programs. |
Austin Kennedy
DIRECTOR
BioAustin Kennedy is Executive Director of Arizona Business Roundtable. |  Rana Lashgari
DIRECTOR
CHAIR, DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
BioRana Lashgari is the founder and principal of Arizona Municipal Strategies, a leading lobbying firm in Arizona. She has an extensive background in government, having worked at local, state, and federal levels, including as an executive staff member for Senator John McCain, Chief of Staff to a City of Phoenix Councilmember, a municipal prosecutor for the City of Phoenix, and outside counsel for the Arizona Corporation Commission. Rana's comprehensive government experience has allowed her to build a vast network across Arizona. She is known for her innovative approach to lobbying, making it accessible to a diverse range of clients, from community groups to Fortune 500 companies. Her firm has quickly grown to become one of the largest in the state, recognized for its ability to create impactful coalitions and navigate complex governmental processes. Rana holds a J.D. from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law and is actively involved in her community, serving on the Arizona-Mexico Commission, the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council and Fulfillment in Training (F.I.T.)’s Advisory Board. Her work has earned her accolades, including being named a 2021 Woman Achievers of Arizona by the Arizona Capitol Times and one of the Great 48 by Phoenix Magazine. |
David A. Merkel
CHAIR, PROGRAM COMMITTEE
BioDavid A. Merkel is the managing director of Summit International Advisors, LLC. His expertise includes United States foreign policy, the geopolitics of energy, the Belt and Road Initiative, Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. David A. Merkel has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Director for South and Central Asian Affairs at the National Security Council in the White House, Director for European and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department. He also served as international counsellor to the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), senior professional staff on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and senior foreign and defense policy adviser to the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations. |
Ben Stewart
DIRECTOR
BioBen Stewart is Senior Advisor, Strategic Engagement at Arizona Public Service (APS). In his role, Ben focuses on government and community relations for APS’s long-term strategic infrastructure projects. Prior to APS, Ben served as State Director for the Office of U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema. Ben engaged with elected officials, community leaders, and various stakeholders throughout Arizona. Before working for the Senator, Ben held other state and federal positions including serving as Director of Government and Community Affairs for the Arizona Office of Tourism. Ben is personally involved in local government, serving on his neighborhood’s planning commission and was appointed by the governor in 2019 to serve on the state’s Tourism Advisory Council. Ben is a 5th generation Arizonan and lives in Phoenix with his wife Anna, son Asher, and two dogs Jagger and Pepper. |
Carlos Velasco
CHAIR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
BioCarlos Velasco’s passion is to help organizations succeed by providing business owners, corporate executives, and nonprofit organizations with the necessary tools to develop long-lasting relationships within multicultural communities. With over 17 years of experience, Carlos has worked with major brands to create multi- faceted strategies that provide growth, sustainability, and return on investment. From his early professional beginnings in working with organizations such as the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Local First Arizona, Carlos played an instrumental role in the development of small business and workforce capacity-building programs that led to over 50 million dollars of economic impact in the State of Arizona. Through his current role as Founder/CEO of Novle, he maintains his focus on creating economic vitality by bridging gaps to execute and help communicate the cross-cultural benefit of his client’ s vision, mission, products, and services. Through the Novle organization, Carlos has served over 100 renowned organizations such as the National Bank of Arizona, City of Phoenix, Mass Mutual, ASU Entrepreneurship & Innovation, NOVA Home Loans, Local First Arizona, the American Cancer Society, and others. Carlos has been recognized for his extraordinary contributions to the State of Arizona by the House of Representatives and is a proud recipient of several awards, including the 40 under 40 Hispanic Leaders Award, the Chicanos Por La Causa Volunteer of the Year Award, the Business Journal Diversity Champion Award, and the Hispanic Leadership Institute Alumni Excellence Award. To reward his passion for the local economy, Carlos was a participant of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies Fellowship. He was one of 17 fellows chosen, who were each recognized as the top pioneers of the Local Economy Movement. Carlos is above all, a dedicated family man, with a wife of fifteen years, three children and two dogs. Carlos moved to the US when he was just 12 years old from Ecuador. He is a big fan of all local sports teams and has been an Arizona local for the past 17 years. |
Garrett Workman
DIRECTOR
MEMBER, PROGRAM COMMITTEE
BioGarrett Workman leads government engagement at the local, state, and federal level for South32’s Hermosa Project in Southern Arizona. The Hermosa Project is the only advanced mine development project in the United States that could produce two federally designated critical minerals—manganese and zinc—both of which are essential minerals for powering the nation’s clean energy future. Previously, Garrett served as Executive Director for Europe at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC where he was responsible for engagement with the U.S. and foreign government officials advocating to expand international trade and investment and addressing technology and healthcare regulatory issues. He also led the Chamber’s U.S.-UK Business Council. Prior to that, he worked on economic policy at the Atlantic Council and assisted constituents in the office of former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl. Originally from Phoenix, Garrett holds degrees in Political Science from the University of Arizona, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Sciences Po in Paris. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, biking, and traveling with his wife and Australian Cattle Dog. |
Emeritus Board Members
Keith Galbut | Brett Johnson | Paul Johnson |
Stephen MacKinnon | JP Millon | Susan Shultz |
Shoshana Tancer |