As Chief Operating Officer, Maureen (Mo) Howell oversees strategic planning and operations across all of GPEC’s departments to enhance compliance and financial reporting, and manage organizational systems and processes. Her role is integral in creating the organization’s strategic and annual plans aligned with the input of GPEC’s board and strategic councils.
Maureen previously served as GPEC’s Chief of Staff for nearly three years after spending more than two years as Vice President of Operations and four years as Vice President of Research and Analytics, providing data and policy analysis to drive the region’s economic development strategy. She also spent time in the private sector with Economic Incentives Advisory Group.
Maureen is an Arizona native, born and raised in Tempe. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and History from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Arizona State University.
Maureen currently serves as a Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Affirm (formerly Arizona Family Health Partnership), which is committed to increasing access to sexual and reproductive healthcare with a focus on youth, underinsured and uninsured, low-wage earners, indigenous communities and other groups who have been excluded from receiving care. Mo is also a Leading for Change Fellow and an alumnus of Tempe Leadership, and personally supports the work of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.