United Way of Northern Arizona — Meet the Community Leaders Joining the UWNA Board of Directors

At the Annual Campaign and Community Impact Celebration on March 27 (register here), we will install four new members to the UWNA Board of Directors. These remarkable people bring a wealth of experience and diverse perspectives that will augment an already exceptional board.

Please join us in welcoming:

Andy Bertelsen joined Coconino County as a Deputy County Manager in 2022. Previously, he served as the County’s Public Works Director and was instrumental in the County’s response to several challenging events, including the 2010 Shultz Fire and subsequent flooding. He’s also served in other public sector management roles for the City of Sedona and the City of Flagstaff.

In addition to a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration & Political Science from Augustana College and a master’s in Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Iowa, Andy graduated from the Harvard Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program while attending the John F Kennedy School of Government, and has earned a Graduate Certificate in Public Management from Northern Arizona University.

Andy also is a member of the UWNA Summit Society (a group of donors who contribute $500 or more annually to UWNA) and a past Chair of the UWNA Board of Directors.

Sandra “Sandi” Ernst, Ph.D. is an Arizona licensed psychologist working with health, education, and nonprofit organizations through her company, SandRose, LLC. She earned a bachelor’s degree in social work, and later a master’s and doctorate in clinical psychology. In the thirty years she has lived in Arizona, she spent seven years delivering mental health services to children and families for the White Mountain Apache Tribe. That was followed by twenty years in various Phoenix-based philanthropic foundations including the Arizona Community Foundation and the Delta Dental of AZ Foundation.

Quality early childhood health, safety, and services for children has been a lifelong passion as evidenced by her founding the Kinishba Council to Prevent Child Abuse in the 90s in Whiteriver, AZ. She, her husband Dr. Jon Perez, and their dogs moved to Flagstaff from Phoenix in 2019. Since then, she has volunteered in the community at the Flagstaff Family Food Center, North Country HealthCare, Cancer Support Community AZ, and the Northern AZ Oral Health Coalition.

Dr. Eric Heiser is the sixth President & CEO of Coconino Community College, guiding a college of passionate faculty and staff who are dedicated to changing the lives of their students.

He has worked in higher education nearly two decades starting as a full-time faculty member and progressing to senior leadership. He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Colorado State University Prior to assuming the presidency at CCC, Eric was the inaugural Provost of Central Ohio Technical College (COTC), where he served as the Chief Academic, Student Support, and Workforce Officer.

Eric was appointed as a content expert to the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse to advise the department on best practices in career and technical education and guided pathways. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), an international network of institutions and organizations dedicated to improving graduation rates and eliminating equity gaps through quality competency-based education programs.

Eric is the past President of the Board for the National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA), an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

Ramon Martinez, Factory Manager of the Nestle Purina PetCare plant, is a native of Flagstaff and graducated from Coconino High School. After graduating, Ramon joined the United States Marine Corps, serving four years as a mechanic.

Immediately after his honorable discharge, Ramon began working at Purina as a Packaging Line Operator. He credits great mentorship, drive and countless opportunities to grow within the Purina Family over the past 25 years. He has served as a Quality Technician, Team Leader and in management roles.

In 2015, Ramon and his family moved to St Louis, where he was the Director of Quality for Purina North America. He recently returned to Flagstaff, and says that the opportunity to come back and be part of a team where he started his career is a dream come true.

Ramon says he is looking forward to contributing both to increased growth at Purina and to bettering his community.

We are immensely grateful for the willingness of our new board members to lend their time and expertise to our cause, and we look forward to the positive impact we will create together.

Please plan on joining us on March 27 for our Annual Campaign and Community Impact Celebration and thanking each of our new board members in person!