Christopher Downey has been a PMI member since 2017, but in the past year, has become a member and volunteer of PMI Phoenix as well.  He jumped in with both feet and volunteered as Future City Project Manager for the whole competition.  The opportunity caught his eye during the Pheonix Chapter new member orientation.

Chris’ volunteer efforts have involved multiple months of work.  From August through January, he supported the Future City Competition Executive Committee with project management resources and planning; provided a brief presentation on project planning; and culminated on January 21st assisting in competition setup, orienting students and teachers to the site, guiding other volunteers on event activities, and coordinating with the awards & stage crews.  During that process, the most rewarding part was seeing so many of a younger generation applying STEM and Project Management. “Observing the time and effort these students put in to prepare for this extra-curricular competition exceeded my expectations.”

When asked about what made the difference, Chris stated, “Volunteering for the local Chapter really expanded my networking with other professionals since I am relatively new to the Phoenix area. There are different kinds of volunteer opportunities within PMI-PHX that are not what you’d expect and putting yourself out there to support programs like these makes the experience fun to be part of.”

Chris’ hard work is also evident in his work life. He is an Army veteran and now works for a high-quality, high-output wallboard and building products manufacturer.  His team is geographically dispersed and it is his intent to be always “adding value” everyday.

Outside of work and volunteering, Chris has an adventurous side.  He states “My wife and I typically plan our personal travels based on the best food recommendations. Favorite foodie destinations for us thus far include Las Vegas, Austin, and Du-bai. We have had some great food so far in Phoenix and glad to accept recommendations from other Chapter-members.”  Chris resides in Casa Grande with his wife and two kids (ages 7 & 2).

“Volunteering is a selfless act, and seeking recognition should never be your goal. While I am humbled by this recognition, I did not expect it. Volunteering is truly an opportunity to give back for no other reason than to give.” These are the wise words of Dennis Kinton, volunteer of the month.  Dennis has volunteered for PMI’s involvement with Future Cities Arizona and most recently was the Director of Future Cities Competition.  His role involved directing the Future Cities PMI portion competition and acting as a Judge for the competition. Work networking opportunities led Dennis to his volunteering: “Riley Sedam, the previous director of the future cities, asked if I wanted to volunteer, and I said yes :).”  Since then, he states that the rewarding part of the role is “being able to see the end results from the [student] teams and seeing how they put their project plans into action.”

Outside of PMI, Dennis in a multi-faceted individual.  From a continual improvement perspective, he is passionate about continuous learning in whatever form.  It can through official education or certification or even courses on linked in or YouTube. It becomes obvious that this comes from his heroes: his parents and his wife. “Through all my certifications and my education, I will never learn more than my parents taught me about life. And my wife has been the pillar that has held our home together as I have gone through school and sought certifications.” Dennis is currently celebrating his proudest moment of opening his own business. “Seeing my name as owner of Chuck’s Wagon Crafts was a moment I had always dreamed of but never thought that I could achieve.”

Dennis also has some fun sides, too.  His hidden talent is knowing how to juggle and make balloon animals, a talent he has yet to find a use.  However, he states, “but if my career as a project manager ever ends, I know I can always transition to the circus!”  And he ‘fessed up to being a huge Taylor Swift fan!

In conclusion we can learn much from Dennis’ philosophy: “Never accept mediocracy or allow others to limit your ambition. Your path is what you make it, and there are countless ways to achieve your goals.”

Grand Canyon University is hosting the annual International Christian School STEM Competition on Saturday, April 22^nd at GCU.  The competition provides STEM competitions for students in grades 7-12 at Christian schools across the United States and internationally.  Judges from industry are needed to evaluate team deliverables based on established judging criteria.

2022-23 STEM Challenges include:

• Aerospace Glider
• Rehabilitation Challenge: Biomedical Engineering
• Capture the Flag (Honeypot)
• Deep Racer Challenge
• Innovation in Service
• Onsite Design Challenge
• Robotics Thunder Lunch
• Software Development: Side Scrolling Game

Judges should expect to be at GCU on Saturday, April 22^nd from 7:30 AM – Noon.  Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

• Judges should sign up by completing the form: https://canyonpd.org/icsc23judges 
• Please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to let him know that you are participating in this endeavor.
• Track the hours that you spend performing your feedback responsibilities.

If you have any questions, please contact the competition coordinator:

Cece Bosma M.Ed.

K12 Professional Development Manager | K12 Educational Development

Grand Canyon Education

602-639-8073 Office | 480-415-5843 Cell | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Be a Donor, Be a Hero.

My family and I will always celebrate August 24th as the day I was given a second chance at life. With the help of Blood and Plasma Donors like you, along with the EMTs, Emergency Response Team, ER Nurses, Doctors and Surgeons, and my loving family, I am here writing this message and heartfelt request to you.

You never know whose life you could be saving. There are total strangers, many heroes out there who provided me with the 9 units of blood and doses of human plasma derived albumin that I needed to stay alive after a traumatic cycling accident.

While competing in the Bicycle Leg of the Chicago Triathlon in 2014, I was struck, head-on, by another cyclist who had lost control of his bike. The impact of his bike and helmet were taken mostly on my left side, throwing me off my bike and into nearby concrete barriers and curbing.

I don’t remember much except the initial impact, going airborne, hitting the concrete, taking a deep breath, and passed out. It was lights out for a long while.

Two weeks later, I woke up in the intensive care unit of Northwestern Hospital. My sister from the east coast was sitting vigil with me while my wife, two adult children and other friends were taking a rest from their constant oversight of my care. I had endured a 10-hour emergency surgery to reinflate both lungs, reconstruction of my left ribcage, stoppage of much internal bleeding, and during that time, receiving the life-saving whole blood donations and plasma to replace what I had lost. I had survived because of generous donors like you.

Our daughter, who was working in California, organized a special blood drive, with many of her friends donating blood on my behalf, to backfill the lifesaving donations I had received. These generous donors, along with many others provide life-saving whole blood and human blood derived therapies that save and improve lives. Will you be the one to save a life? Will you be someone’s hero?

Click HERE to pledge

Each year PMI Phoenix judges support the Future City competition to Arizona Schools by providing guidance and feedback to the teams. During the competition, each team is given four requirements to complete before the project deadline to be eligible for the best project plan award. These requirements include creating Project Goals, Project Schedules, conducting Project Status Check-ins, and completing a Project Reflection.

This year, our volunteer judges at PMI Phoenix have determined that the award for the Best Project Plan is given to Team Blue M&M from Arizona Virtual Academy. Team Blue M&M excelled at completing the foundational elements of defining their goals for the project, showing excellent skills in forecasting their objectives, assigning team roles, acquiring resources, and providing fantastic project assumptions and risks.

Dennis Kinton, PMI Future City Director, (right) presents the Best Project Plan Award.

Schedules are a core component of any project. Team Blue M&M excelled in creating its project schedule by capturing tasks and critical milestones in an excellent Gantt Chart. Keeping a rigid task list of their remaining work and working as a team, Team Blue M&M was able to meet their Milestones and complete their project on time. One essential item that set Team Blue M&M apart was their thoroughness. Every requirement, task, and question was answered in length and in remarkable detail. All these items combined let the team do a fantastic job coming together to complete their original goals, earning them the best project plan award. Good job, team Blue M&M!

More articles about this year's competition are here:

PMI Phoenix Gives Back During Future City Competition 2023 Regional Finals – Arizona

PMI Phoenix Awards Future City Best Project Manager Award