Meet Our Team
Steve Chucri is the quintessential American story. A native of Mesa, Arizona, he comes from Lebanese lineage on both sides of his family. His maternal grandfather, Tony M. Coury, Sr., was a true entrepreneur in becoming the first licensed automobile dealer in Arizona. Steve draws inspiration from his grandfather who couldn’t read or write, but whose hard work and success afforded Steve first‐hand insight into the complexities of running a business. That experience at an early age led to successful careers in both the public and private sectors. Of the many jobs Steve has today, he would say the most important is that of devoted father to his two teenage sons, Grant and Will, and loving husband to Christine, his wife of over 25 years.
Beginning in 2002, Steve has served as the President and CEO of the Arizona Restaurant Association (ARA). The insight Steve has gathered through his experience with the restaurant association was a contributing factor in his decision to run for public office. In 2012, Steve was elected three separate times by an overwhelming margin to serve as Maricopa County Supervisor for District 2 and proudly served his constituents until November 2021. Steve worked with his County colleagues to eliminate excess regulations and create an environment that invites innovation and sustains entrepreneurial growth with a Best in Class mindset. Steve remained focused on adopting policies that enhance the business cache of the County, eliminating unnecessary burdens, and implementing strategies that make it more affordable and attractive to operate a business in Maricopa County.
Since 2001, Steve has had the pleasure of representing General Motors in their business development and government affairs work for Arizona. Recently, Steve was appointed by the Republic of Estonia to be the Honorary Consul for Arizona. This distinction builds upon his experience having traveled around the world on delegation missions, sampling a variety of cuisines, meeting with diplomats and developing a keen understanding of foreign policy. Prior to his work with the restaurant association and at Maricopa County, former Supervisor Chucri spent 6 years on Capitol Hill working for an Arizona Congressman. This prestigious position afforded him many opportunities to travel and visit with foreign dignitaries and engage in unique foreign customs that further reaffirmed his affinity for America and gave him a real sense of what it is to be an elected official.
Steve is an alumnus of Brophy College Preparatory and went on to obtain his post‐secondary degree in Business Administration at the University of San Diego. He has received the Sentinel Award from the Greater Phoenix Chamber, the Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 award, the 2021 PHX East Valley Partnership Legacy of Leadership Award and the Arizona Society of Association Executives 2021 Leadership Award. Steve serves as a Board Member for the University of San Diego Alumni, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale, Native American Fatherhood & Families Association, Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau, Arizona Consular Corps, Creighton University Presidential Health Sciences Phoenix Advisory Board, Tepeyac Leadership Initiative, Visit Mesa and the Council of State Restaurant Associations where he also served as a past president.
Jana Shelton is the Arizona Restaurant Association’s Vice President of Administration. She has served the ARA since 1999, forming valuable and lasting relationships with the ARA’s partners, restaurant and vendor members alike. Prior to the ARA, Jana worked in the finance industry for several years.
Interacting with ARA members on a daily basis, supporting the ARA Board of Directors and providing direction to staff are just a few of Jana’s favorite aspects in her role.
When away from the office, Jana enjoys spending time with her family, watching sports (Go D-Backs!) and dining at ARA Member establishments.
Reach Jana at Jana@azrestaurant.org
Dan Bogert is the Arizona Restaurant Association’s Chief Operating Officer. Dan came to the ARA in September 2016 after spending four years with the County Supervisors Association of Arizona (CSA). In addition to his legislative duties at CSA, he was responsible for developing revenue and expenditure projections, state fiscal analysis, and assisting counties in their budget development process. Prior to joining CSA, he worked on county and special district issues at Barnes and Associates as a legislative liaison and analyst. Dan also served as a campaign manager and consultant for several local races and a congressional race.
Dan is a Graduate with Distinction with a degree in economics and business from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) where he received the second highest score on the Major Field Test in Business. While at VMI he was an NCAA Division 1 swimmer and captain of the swim team. Shortly after returning to Arizona, Dan became a firefighter with the Mesa Ranger District for the U.S. Forest Service before realizing that offices have air conditioning.
In his free time, Dan enjoys cooking and testing new cocktails, hiking, camping, scuba diving, and traveling. Dan currently serves as an instructor for the United States Air Force Explorers, a service academy preparatory program, and also teaches wilderness survival classes several times a year.
Reach Dan at Dan@azrestaurant.org
Since May 2018, Jamie has been the Director of Marketing for the Arizona Restaurant Association (ARA). Through her prior experience working at advertising agencies, Jamie brings a multitude of skills to her role with the ARA including creative thinking, quick execution, multi-tasking, project management, copywriting, social media, and web development.
Jamie brings a high level of knowledge to the ARA, where she enjoys using her marketing skills while focusing her work and energy on one great organization — and, of course, all of its members. Jamie loves the community feel at the ARA and its wonderful members that have been a part of the organization for so long. She finds supporting them and sharing in their impact on Arizona’s food and beverage industry to be a very rewarding element of her position.
Outside of work, Jamie loves spending time with her family, which consists of her husband and their dog Bron. Together they enjoy traveling throughout Arizona and supporting the food and beverage industry through many meals out at their favorite local restaurants and by meeting up with friends at favorite bars to catch any game that may be playing!
Reach Jamie at Jamie@azrestaurant.org
Susie Timm has been the public relations advisor to the ARA for over 10 years. She owns and operates Knife & Fork Media Group, specializing in restaurant and hospitality PR and marketing. Timm is a graduate of Arizona State University and has a diverse background in banking, prior to her decade of experience in PR. For fun, Timm plays tennis and enjoys the rich local cuisine our state has to offer. You can reach her at susie@knifeandforkmedia.com