Founder 

Margaret (Marge) Pruitt Clark, PhD

Marge Clark, the first President of the Eve's Place has had an eclectic career. After receiving her PhD in sociology she taught at several universities in the Washington D.C. area before moving to Brunswick, ME and teaching at Bowdoin College. After she left academia, she worked as a divorce mediator and a volunteer lobbyist. She was elected to three terms in the Maine House of Representatives, serving on the Human Resources Committee.

While in the House, she worked as the Executive Director for the Adolescent Pregnancy Coalition. In 1992 she became the CEO of Advocates for Youth, a Washington D.C. based advocacy organization. Since moving to Arizona, she has worked as a realtor for Ken Meade Realty.

Marge has a long history of working for women. She was Maine state coordinator and national "small state" coordinator for the National Organization for Women, and has served on the boards of the Family Planning Association, the Maine Women's Fund, and at the Arlington (VA) Home for Recovering Women. She is one of the contributors to the "Woman's Watch" column that appears monthly in the Daily News Sun. 

Board of Directors

Velda K. King - President 

Ms. King is an experienced Publishing and marketing executive with a background in accounting and finance. She is the owner and C.E.O. of Publishers Management Corp., a niche marketing and publishing company, and also the president of Double K Publishing Inc., a marketing company specializing in investment companies. She is also on the Board of Directors for several other Corporations.

Ms. King is married to Ron King, who is also very active in Eve's Place. She has two sons and four grandchildren. 

Dorothea Boothe - Vice-President

Dorothea is a seasoned printing/public affairs specialist for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.   She serves as a key media relations liaison and buyer of printed materials, including high profile brochures, maps and promotional products.   Dorothea brings a wealth of communications experience and special events planning to the board.

Previously, Dorothea served on the boards of the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona and Valley Youth Theatre.   She is also a member of the Black Board of Directors Project, an advanced leadership program in Phoenix, Ariz.

A native Washingtonian (DC), Dorothea relocated to Arizona in 1992, and hasn't looked back.   She is married with one child.   She enjoys theatre, writing, community service and family vacations.

 Mary Lou Stevens - Treasurer

Mary Lou is the President of Perpetual Marketing, Inc., which specializes in promotional products. Perpetual Marketing, Inc. is a Certified Woman Owned Business, Small Business Enterprise and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise through the City of Phoenix and Maricopa County.   It is also a member of the Peoria Chamber of Commerce and the Buckeye Chamber of Commerce and has served on the Board of Directors for the Buckeye Chamber for 2 years as Secretary of the Board.

Mary Lou is a member of the Board of Directors for Sun Valley Lodge in Sun City, Arizona, a member of the Business & Professional Women's Group for the past 7   years, holding offices of President in 2002, Program Chairman, and currently is Vice President for 2005/2006.   She is former President of the White Tanks Rotary Club and is also a Licensed Distributor of the Rotary International products through her business.    She is also a member of Human Service Professionals West, a member of the West Valley Business Connections networking group, a member of E-Women Network, and she is a member of the Dynamite Dolls Red Hat Society in Sun City, Arizona.

The Reverend Barbara Bengtson Associate Pastor - Lord of Life Lutheran Church - Secretary

Rev. Barbara A. Bengtson is a graduate of Arizona State University and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary.  She earned her Masters in Divinity degree in 1993 and has served as a pastor for the past 14 years.  She is currently Associate Pastor at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Sun City West where she has served since 1997 with an emphasis on care ministries.

Prior to her seminary education, Rev. Bengtson worked at Good Samaritan Medical Center and Phoenix Children’s Hospital in the pediatric residency training program for 16 years.  She is a native of Fargo, North Dakota and has lived in Arizona since the age of 13.  She was on the Board of Directors of a Safe House in Safford, Arizona in its early stages and is committed to raising awareness about the tragedy of domestic violence through her work on the Board of Directors of Eve’s Place.

Stephanie Goodin - Board Member

Stephanie lives in Peoria and is the Senior Vice-President for Development at Adultcare Assistance Homecare in Sun City. She was previously the Marketing Manager at Desert Sky Mall for Westcor/The Macerich Company of Phoenix.  She has worked in the past with Eve’s Place through community efforts and donations with Westcor/Desert Sky Mall.  They also furnished over 400 candles for our outreach program and the women in our house at Christmas time. Stephanie has volunteered with many other organizations such as Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, Phx Children’s Hospital, and Phoenix Rescue Mission just to name a few.Stephanie graduated form Arizona State University in Tempe.  She is the Site Council Member for the Holiday Park Elementary.  She brings her marketing and special events experience and we are delighted to have her.  She is married and has one daughter. We feel honored to have her and her experience

Michael J. Thomas – Board Member 

Michael lives in Sun City West and is the Branch Manager and a licensed mortgage banker at Alliance Financial Resources. Michael has a strong desire to share his time and talents with those in need. He wants to empower a sense of community to those who may have given up. Michael is involved with Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross, Rotary, West Valley Arts Council, West Valley Art Museum and is a Chamber ambassador, just to name a few. Michael philosophy is: Time is the “coin of the Realm” and is a non-renewable resource and is best used when not wasted. His day is done when the work is done.

Myra Roper - Board Member 

Myra Roper lives in Glendale is a Senior United States Probation Officer.  Myra is single and looking at retiring in a few years so is looking forward to having even more time to devote to our cause at that time.  She has participated in many of our fund raisers and has been a supporter for several years.Myra graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and got her MA from Fordham University in New York. She is currently the district representative of the FPPOA and a member of several other professional organizations.  She is fun and I am sure you will all love getting to know her.

Lisa M. Gill - Board Member 

Lisa M. Gill is our one of our latest Board Members. Lisa lives in Anthem and is the Vice President and Community Bank Manager at Mutual of Omaha Bank in Sun City West. Lisa has worked in banking in Arizona for the past 7 years and has another 20 years of banking in Pennsylvania. She believes in giving back to her community through financial education and reading literacy. Lisa has volunteered with Duets, Surprise Chamber Women Committee, Deer Valley Unified School District, Arizona Saves Organization, Junior Big Town and Valley View Food Bank. She is married to husband Joe for 23 years and has two beautiful daughters, Alicia and Kristina who also do volunteer work. Lisa was volunteering with Eve’s Place long before becoming a Board Member and she is a great asset to our team.

Board Meetings

Our Board meetings are held the Third Monday of each month. The locations vary on site availability. If you would like to attend one of our Board meetings, please call our office at 623-547-6175 for directions.