Robbins & Green, P.A., a Phoenix law firm, marked its 30th year with an open house Dec. 3. Hattie Babbitt, one of the firm’s original partners, attended the event. Ms. Babbitt recently met with 17 Iraqi women leaders in preparation for their meetings arranged with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and President Bush in order to make a case for the importance of the inclusion of women in the reconstruction of Iraq.

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Kevin Kinsall, director of state and local governmental relations for Phelps Dodge Corporation, has been reelected to a third term as chairman of the board of directors for the Arizona Tax Research Association. Mr. Kinsall was elected during the group’s annual meeting in November. Also elected as officers: Amy Barron Etzkorn, Advance PCS as first vice chair; Larry Lucero, Tucson Electric Power, second vice chair; Barb Dickerson, Deloitte & Touche, third vice chair and Dave Minard as secretary and treasurer. The following members were elected to seats on the ATRA board of directors to terms that expire in 2008; <bmichael Galloway, Quarles & Brady Streich Lang; Gretchen Kitchel, Pinnacle West; Jim Klinker, Arizona Farm Bureau; John McNamar, AT&T; Munir Malik, Phelps Dodge; Steve Partridge, Fennemore Craig; Layne Simmons, Viad; Alan Stanton, individual; Meyer Tuken, Turken Industrial Properties; Bob Buns, General Dynamics and Steve Shriffin, Ernst & Young. The Arizona Tax Research Association represents taxpayers before policy makers at the state and local level.

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Arizona’s small-business advocacy group, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB/Arizona), has presented its Small-Business Champion award to Kirk Adams, owner of The Adams Agency. NFIB/Arizona State Director Michelle Bolton praised Adams for his long service in the small-business community and for his activism at the state capitol on behalf of Arizona Main Street. “Kirk has testified on numerous occasions before legislative committees. One such occasion concerned a bill to expand the federal Family and Medical Leave Act to include many small businesses. Kirk’s testimony proved decisive in killing the bill,” Ms. Bolton said. Mr. Adams is active on the NFIB/Arizona’s Leadership Council and will take over as chair of the group in January 2004. Additionally, he serves as the small-business representative on the Governors Task Force for the Health Care System. The Adams Agency is a property and casualty insurance agency established in 1978. It services more than 25,000 clients through three offices in Mesa, Apache Junction, and Yuma. Mr. Adams and his two partners manage the agency’s operations and 17 employees.

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Challenger Space Center Executive Director Sandi Hicks has been named Nonprofit Executive Director of the Year for Medium Sized Organizations by the Organization for Non-Profit Executives. Ms. Hicks has been the executive director of the space center since it opened in Peoria in 2000. Since its opening, it has grown from six employees to 29 and its budget has increased to $1.8 million from $600,000. Ms. Hicks is credited with being the driving force behind retaining private funds to help build the center, and signed the first Smithsonian Institution affiliation agreement in the Valley. The center is a museum that teaches all ages about science, space and the universe. The award was presented during lunch at the ASU Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management Dec. 5 in Phoenix.

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Secretary of State Jan Brewer has hired Lisa Glenn as her assistant. Ms. Glenn was formerly an assistant to the president of Westmarc, a collation of business and government leaders in the West Valley. Ms. Glenn replaces Alma Hernandez, who left the post to become chief of staff to newly elected Phoenix City Councilman Tom Simplot. Ms. Glenn began her duties Dec. 1

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Governor Napolitano helped to open a new Democratic campaign headquarters Dec. 14, at 8359 E. McDonald Drive in Scottsdale. The office is a first for northeast Scottsdale, which is in District 8 and will serve party members in Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Cave Creek.