Joanne joined the office as Deputy Ombudsman after serving nearly eight years as the Arizona Corporation Commission Director of Corporations. Joanne has Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration and Real Estate from the University of Arizona. Read More

Lane joined the office as Deputy Ombudsman in July 2022 after serving almost seven years as the Ombudsman for the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). Prior to working at DES, Lane worked for Maricopa County and the Governor’s Office of Constituent Services. Lane received her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, with a minor in Justice Studies and certificate in Civic Education from Arizona State University. Lane completed the New Ombudsman Training prescribed by the United States Ombudsman Association (USOA) in 2015, and is certified as an Investigator/Inspector by the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and […]

Danee Garone is a staff attorney for the Ombudsman’s office and specializes in open meeting and public records law matters. He joined the Ombudsman’s office in 2014. Read More

Melissa Henry joined the office in February 2024 and is serving as Legal Counsel and Dispute Resolution Specialist.  Prior to joining the Ombudsman’s office, Melissa spent most of her nearly 25-year career in state and federal government including the U.S. Senate, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, and the Arizona Department of Economic Security.  Melissa also was a leader of the government relations team for a national non-profit organization and spent time in private practice as a family lawyer.

Melissa earned an LLM in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law.  Melissa […]

Thomas joined the office as a Senior Investigator in August 2024.  Before joining the Ombudsman’s office, Thomas worked for the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) for almost eight years serving as a Specialist, Program Specialist, and Unit Supervisor.  A majority of Thomas’s time with DCS, including his time as a supervisor, was with the After-Hours Investigation Team (AHIT) which responds to emergency reports and communications on nights and weekends.  Thomas was selected to be a “super user” for DCS’s case management system, Guardian.  Thomas also supported DCS coworkers as a member of the Workforce Resilience Team.  During his time […]

Frank Rutledge joined the Ombudsman team in June 2016 after working almost nine years with the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). During his time at DES... Read More

John Wicus joined the office in January of 2018. John has a Bachelor’s of Science in Politics / Global Studies and a minor in European History. Read More

Tamela joined the office as an Investigator in February 2024 after serving over 19 years at the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). During her time at DES, she most recently served over seven years as the Assistant Ombudsman with the DES Ombudsman’s Office where she investigated complaints about the various DES programs and services.  She also served within the DES Family Assistance Administration (FAA) where she held positions that included conducting quality assurance reviews on case determinations and helped review, write, and train on FAA program policies and procedures.  Tamela has completed the New Ombudsman Training offered by the […]

Alicia joined the Ombudsman team in January of 2020 as an intern with the ASU Legislative Internship and stayed on as a part of the team after the internship ended.  She received a Masters of Legal Studies with an emphasis in Criminal Law and Conflict Resolution from the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona State University in 2023.  Additionally, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Arizona State University in 2020.  Alicia completed the New Ombudsman training from the U.S. Ombudsman Association.  Alicia is also certified as an investigator/inspector by the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and […]

Yvonne Rothblum joined the Ombudsman team in November 2016. Yvonne has worked both in the public and private sector. She worked in the Arizona Commerce Authority (previously known as the Arizona Department of Commerce) and the Arizona Department of Revenue. Read More

Brandon Rosas joined the Ombudsman team in January of 2021. Brandon studied at ASU and received a Bachelor’s in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a certificate in Law and Human Behavior. He started off as an intern with the ASU Legislative Internship that led to staying on in the Ombudsman’s office as part of the team. Brandon completed the New Ombudsman training from the U.S. Ombudsman Association. Brandon is also certified as an investigator/inspector by the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR). Brandon is a Spanish speaker.

Connor Mueller joined the Ombudsman team in January of 2022. Connor studied at ASU and received a Bachelor’s in Political Science. He joined our office as an intern with the ASU Legislative Internship and became part of the team once his internship ended. Connor completed the New Ombudsman training from the U.S. Ombudsman Association. Connor is also certified as an investigator/inspector by the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR).