Sheri Palmer, Elections Manager for the PMI Phoenix Chapter, has been a dedicated PMI member since 2005 and stepped into her volunteer role in 2025. Inspired by a desire to give back and connect with others, Sheri took on the challenge of managing the 2025 elections for the newly formed Arizona Chapter. Her passion for project management and its transformative impact on both personal and professional outcomes shines through in her work. Sheri finds the most rewarding part of volunteering to be the new connections she’s made and the opportunity to collaborate with others who share her enthusiasm for the field. Her advice to new members? “It’s never too late. Even a little bit can help. Working with others allows you to do great things when you come together.”
Outside of her volunteer work, Sheri is an adventurer at heart—often found on mountain runs or traveling in her sprinter van with her dogs, friends, or family. Her favorite destination is Colorado, where she enjoys challenging hikes and peaceful walks along rivers and waterfalls. Sheri’s personal motto, “Be a courageous and caring leader. Lead by example,” is reflected in her approach to both life and work. She’s passionate about health, kindness, and continuous growth, and she’s driven by a desire to be the best human she can be. Whether she’s reading mystery novels, volunteering with at-risk children, or planning her next national park visit, Sheri brings energy, compassion, and a goal-driven mindset to everything she does. Her colleagues describe her as “nice, but also goal driven”—a perfect blend of heart and hustle.
Sheri Palmer, Elections Manager for the PMI Phoenix Chapter, has been a dedicated PMI member since 2005 and stepped into her volunteer role in 2025. Inspired by a desire to give back and connect with others, Sheri took on the challenge of managing the 2025 elections for the newly formed Arizona Chapter. Her passion for project management and its transformative impact on both personal and professional outcomes shines through in her work. Sheri finds the most rewarding part of volunteering to be the new connections she’s made and the opportunity to collaborate with others who share her enthusiasm for the field. Her advice to new members? “It’s never too late. Even a little bit can help. Working with others allows you to do great things when you come together.”
Outside of her volunteer work, Sheri is an adventurer at heart—often found on mountain runs or traveling in her sprinter van with her dogs, friends, or family. Her favorite destination is Colorado, where she enjoys challenging hikes and peaceful walks along rivers and waterfalls. Sheri’s personal motto, “Be a courageous and caring leader. Lead by example,” is reflected in her approach to both life and work. She’s passionate about health, kindness, and continuous growth, and she’s driven by a desire to be the best human she can be. Whether she’s reading mystery novels, volunteering with at-risk children, or planning her next national park visit, Sheri brings energy, compassion, and a goal-driven mindset to everything she does. Her colleagues describe her as “nice, but also goal driven”—a perfect blend of heart and hustle.
Thomas Gunther has been a PMI Phoenix Chapter member for just one year, but his impact has already been felt across the Academic Outreach landscape. As Director of University Outreach, Thomas has led and organized PMI events at Arizona State University, mentored emerging project managers, and worked diligently to strengthen relationships with universities throughout Arizona. His commitment to inspiring future Arizonans and serving the community is at the heart of his volunteerism. Thomas brings a strong leadership mindset to his work, focusing on building connections and empowering others to take initiative and grow.
He encourages new members to be strategic in their volunteer efforts and not to be intimidated by experience or age. Thomas is passionate about mentoring others and believes in creating a supportive environment where volunteers can learn, challenge one another, and eventually take on leadership roles themselves. Outside of PMI, Thomas tutors individuals with Down Syndrome, helping them build independence through reading, math, and life skills. With over 20 years in the airline industry and more than 50 countries visited, he enjoys travel, especially to his favorite destinations, Singapore and Rio de Janeiro. Passionate about environmentalism, immigration, and equal rights, Thomas believes in living sustainably and supporting the communities we serve. His colleagues describe him as a good listener, fair, and detail-oriented—someone who may seem intimidating at first but quickly reveals a fun and approachable nature. And yes, he still plans to skydive one day!
Thomas Gunther has been a PMI Phoenix Chapter member for just one year, but his impact has already been felt across the Academic Outreach landscape. As Director of University Outreach, Thomas has led and organized PMI events at Arizona State University, mentored emerging project managers, and worked diligently to strengthen relationships with universities throughout Arizona. His commitment to inspiring future Arizonans and serving the community is at the heart of his volunteerism. Thomas brings a strong leadership mindset to his work, focusing on building connections and empowering others to take initiative and grow.
He encourages new members to be strategic in their volunteer efforts and not to be intimidated by experience or age. Thomas is passionate about mentoring others and believes in creating a supportive environment where volunteers can learn, challenge one another, and eventually take on leadership roles themselves. Outside of PMI, Thomas tutors individuals with Down Syndrome, helping them build independence through reading, math, and life skills. With over 20 years in the airline industry and more than 50 countries visited, he enjoys travel, especially to his favorite destinations, Singapore and Rio de Janeiro. Passionate about environmentalism, immigration, and equal rights, Thomas believes in living sustainably and supporting the communities we serve. His colleagues describe him as a good listener, fair, and detail-oriented—someone who may seem intimidating at first but quickly reveals a fun and approachable nature. And yes, he still plans to skydive one day!
Since joining PMI in May 2024, Elsa (Yunkai) Hsu has made an immediate and inspiring impact on the Pro-fessional Development team. Stepping into her volunteer role as Project Manager for the Project Man-agement Tool Academy, Elsa quickly became a driving force behind innovative programming. Her journey began at the AZ PM Summit 2024, where after learning more about Project Management, she realized there was an opportunity to get involved and signed up for the speaker team to learn more about project management and to connect with experts in the field. Elsa participated on a panel as part of the day’s Key-note to bring in her project management perspectives as an early career professional. Her team has also partnered with leading project management tool vendors to host sessions that empower members to ex-plore new tools. Now, they’re working to launch a dynamic tool library, giving members on-demand access to learn project management tools anytime.
Elsa’s passion for learning and connecting with others shines through in everything she does. She shares, “The most rewarding part has been meeting and learning from the incredible talents in the field.” A multi-lingual globetrotter who speaks five languages and has visited over 20 countries, Elsa brings a global per-spective and a human-centered approach to her work. Whether she’s playing badminton, diving into sci-fi novels like Percy Jackson, or dreaming of watching the Aurora Borealis, Elsa lives by the motto: “Choose fear over regret” and “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great!” Her advice to new volunteers? Volunteering does take extra time and effort, but the learning and networking are in-valuable. There are so many hidden opportunities within PMI—from experiencing different industries through events to gaining skills outside of your day-to-day work. We’re proud to have Elsa as part of our Chapter and can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next!