Valley Leadership has presented its 61^st Annual Man and Woman of the Year Awards.

Christine Wilkinson, Ph.D., senior vice president and secretary of ASU, and Frank Fairbanks, who was city manager for the City of Phoenix for nearly 20 years, were honored at high-powered luncheon.

Wilkinson currently serves as chair of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation Board and is president of the ASU Alumni Association. Her accomplishments are impressive, but many none more so than her role in developing students into community leaders.

Fairbanks, who retired last year, guided Phoenix through unprecedented growth and helped Phoenix gain an international reputation as one of the nation’s best-run cities. Like Wilkinson, Fairbanks’ resume is incredible, but what I found most interesting was that he served two years in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica before joining the city of Phoenix in 1972.

Congrats to these two outstanding leaders.