Leadership Staff

Andy Tobin

Director

Andy Tobin was appointed as Director of the Arizona Department of Administration in May 2019. Prior to his appointment, he served as a Commissioner on the Arizona Corporation Commission from 2015-2019. Director Tobin was a long-time member of the Arizona House of Representatives and served as Speaker of the House from 2011-2014. Before joining the Arizona Legislature, Director Tobin served as Director of the Arizona Department of Insurance and the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions.

In January 2020, he was also appointed interim Executive Director of the Arizona School Facilities Oversight Board.

Elizabeth Alvarado-Thorson

Deputy Director

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Elizabeth oversees the direction of policy and operations of all the divisions within the agency. Prior to her appointment, Elizabeth served as Interim Director and prior to that, was the Assistant Director of the Human Resources Division.

Elizabeth earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Psychology and emphasis in Organizational Behavior from Arizona State University. She is a 2017 Flinn Brown Civic Leadership Academy Fellow. Elizabeth and her husband live in Peoria with their two daughters.

Ray Di Ciccio

Deputy Director / Interim State Risk Manager

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Ray Di Ciccio was officially announced as Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Administration on July 1, 2019. Prior to his appointment, he served as State Risk Manager and Director of the Risk Management Division for the Arizona Department of Administration. Ray has statewide management responsibility for property, liability and workers’ compensation claims management, loss prevention, environmental remediation, risk financing, excess insurance and occupational health. Prior serving as State Risk Manager, Ray was the State Risk Management Finance and Insurance Manager. Outside of State service, Ray is an active member of the State Risk and Insurance Management Association.

Ray earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting in 1982 and Certified Public Accountant designation in 1985. He and his wife Hollie live in Gilbert with their two sons.

Megan Rose

Director of Statewide Communications

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Megan Rose serves as the Director of Statewide Communications for the Arizona Department of Administration. Megan oversees 35 cabinet agency communication professionals throughout the State of Arizona relating to internal and external communications and is lead for all agency affairs and communications. Prior to joining the State, Megan worked in public relations at Gordon C. James Public Relations for 16 years. Megan is the recipient of one Silver Anvil award, three Copper Anvil awards and ten Phoenix Merit awards.

Megan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a minor in Journalism and Urban Studies from University of Arizona. Megan and her husband Scott live in Laveen with their four children.

Nicole Sornsin

General Counsel

Chair, Governor's Regulatory Review Council

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Nicole Sornsin serves as ADOA’s General Counsel and Chair of the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council. Before joining ADOA, Nicole served as Chief Legal Counsel and head of the Legal Department and Recovery Fund at the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Prior to joining the State, she spent nearly a decade working as a business litigator at the law firm of Snell & Wilmer, LLP, in Phoenix, where her practice focused on, among other areas, general business torts, construction, financial services, employment discrimination, consumer fraud, unfair competition, and complex contract-related disputes. Nicole was recognized as a Southwest Super Lawyers, “Rising Star” in the area of Business Litigation for 2014-2017.

Nicole earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Arizona State University and her law degree in 2009 from William & Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia.

J.R. Sloan

Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Arizona Strategic Enterprise Technology (ASET)

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J.R. Sloan joined the State of Arizona in 2013 after working in the technology industry for over 20 years in operational and executive-level roles in both private and public organizations. As Interim CIO, J.R. oversees technology innovation development and IT policies. He also serves as Chairman for the State of Arizona Information Technology Authorization Committee (ITAC) which approves and monitors high-cost technology projects statewide.

Focused on digital transformation for the state, J.R. spearheads projects that make a significant difference for Arizona. He executed on a multi-vendor contract arrangement for web applications and online services that resulted in $1M in annual savings; cutting down processing time from 30 days to 2 days. J.R. also led the efforts of standardizing development and security for over 130 state agency websites, increased the number of online services available to Arizonans by 250% in a two year period as well as formalized policies and governance for key initiatives such as cloud-first and data management. Over the next year, J.R. is accelerating innovation for Arizona by overseeing the roll out of an app for government services, executing machine learning tactics to increase efficiencies statewide and piloting blockchain technology.

During his off hours, J.R. enjoys spending time with his five children and first grandchild as well as hiking, sampling Arizona’s local restaurants and participating in ministries and leadership at his church.

Ashley Ruiz

Assistant Director, Division of Business and Finance (DBF)

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Ashley serves as the Assistant Director of Business & Finance. Ashley oversees the ADOA budget and accounting office. Ashley joined ADOA in September 2019 and assisted DBF with Deputy Comptroller duties. Prior to coming to ADOA, Ashley worked as a Business Administrator at the Arizona Department of Corrections where she managed and oversaw the budget and operations of the Administrative Services Division.

In addition to her degrees in Accounting and Management, she holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix. Ashley is a proud resident of the west valley where she lives with her family.

Nola Barnes

Assistant Director, General Services Division

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Nola Barnes serves as the Director of the General Services Division for the Arizona Department of Administration. Nola is responsible for facilities operations and maintenance, fleet management and surplus property, as well as planning and construction services. Prior to her appointment to Assistant Director, Nola was the General Manager for General Services for nine years and previously worked at the Arizona Department of Economic Security for 14 years.

Nola holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and lives in Phoenix with her husband, Tom.

Emily Rajakovich

Assistant Director, Human Resources Division

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Emily Rajakovich is the Assistant Director for the Human Resources division. Prior to being selected for this position, Emily joined the Governor’s Office in December 2017 as Director of Boards and Commissions. During her time with the Governor’s Office, she administered hundreds of board appointments and led development of the Universal Licensing Recognition policy, making Arizona the first state in the country to recognize occupational licenses for new residents. Prior to that, she was the Senior Program Manager for the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation. She received a Bachelor of Arts in History and Juris Doctor at the University of Arizona.

Paul Shannon

Assistant Director, Benefit Services Division

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Paul Shannon serves as the Director of the Benefit Services Division for the Arizona Department of Administration. Paul has direct oversight and responsibility for administering the benefits insurance programs for State employees, State University employees and retirees. Paul has more than 30 years of experience with government programs, ranging from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee to the U.S. Peace Corps.

Paul earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Master’s degree in Applied Sociology from Northern Arizona University.

Ed Jimenez

State Procurement Administrator

Assistant Director, State Procurement Office

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Ed Jimenez serves as the Director of the State Procurement Office for the Arizona Department of Administration. Ed is the State’s central procurement authority and is responsible for the authorization, oversight and management of the contracting and purchasing activities of the State. Prior to his appointment, Ed worked for Supply Chain Whisperer, LLC as a Sr. Supply Chain and Procurement Consultant and as Executive Director in different capacities for The Boeing Company.

Ed earned his Bachelor’s degree in Management from Western International University and Master’s of Business Administration in Commerce and Finance from Villanova University.