Presented by PetSmart, this year’s UNITY Agent honor is Neil Giuliano, President and CEO of Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL).

Neil first came to national attention in 1994 when he became the youngest person ever elected mayor of Tempe. Under his leadership Tempe was named an All-American city in 2003, considered the “Oscar'' for local government achievement. Concurrently while holding public office he held leadership roles and taught at Arizona State University. Pivoting naturally toward national activism, Neil spent the next 4 years as the bi-costal president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the third largest LGBTQ advocacy organization in the US, as well as the executive producer of the GLAAD Media Awards. Following this he spent 5 years as the CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation, one of the largest AIDS service organizations in the world. In addition to Neil’s current role at GPL, is the author of “The Champion Within: A Mayor’s Private Journey to Public Leadership'' and he is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his work in public policy and community activism.

Center Stage sponsors include: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Castle Group, Cox Communications, Fry's Food Stores, Glendale Chamber of Commerce Hensley, JPM Chase, KEO Marketing, Many to ONE and the Sheraton Grand Downtown.