Meet the GR!PHX Board
KENYATTA TURNER, MM, BSPC
Kenyatta Turner (she/her) has been an avid volunteer for Girls Rock! Phoenix since she witnessed her first camp showcase in the summer of 2017. She hopped in to assist wherever she could, serving as the showcase emcee, floating band coach, Gear Team Captain, workshop facilitator, and drum instructor, and recruited volunteers through community networking. In January 2024, she joined the board to serve at a new level and continue to help the organization flourish through its post-pandemic momentum.
Kenyatta has been a musician since 1999, playing bass guitar and singing in local bands, and recently began playing drums. She is passionate about music and creativity and she enjoys helping the campers and volunteers explore their self-awareness and express their ideas through music and all forms of communication. Kenyatta loves hiking, skateboarding, yoga, snowboarding, karaoke, and meditation for extra special fun!
An entrepreneur since 2014, Kenyatta is a Transformational Speaker, Certified Behavioral SuperPowers Coach & Master Trainer, and Author. She’s the Founder and CEO of Freedom Empire Consulting firm, where they Coach, Influence, and Protect their clients by helping them build and shield their own Freedom Empires and live their best lives. Her practice uses real-time, scientifically validated behavioral assessments that unleash the Behavioral SuperPowers of individuals, teams, entrepreneurs, and professionals. #BehaviorMatters
KRISTI WIMMER
Kristi Wimmer (she/her) has been a Girls Rock! Phoenix volunteer since its inception in 2015. She has also played bass in local Phoenix bands since her early 20s, and has been a bass instructor and band coach at GR!PHX summer camp every year. She wishes there had been a Girls Rock program when she was young, and the empowerment, passion, and joy she sees in the campers each summer is why she believes so much in the unique power and importance of the organization. She has recruited her three nieces to participate in camp, and two have returned as volunteers.
Professionally, Kristi has been an adult education instructor and administrator for 25 years, working to help teens and adults who were unsuccessful in high school finally reach their goals of earning a GED, learning essential workforce skills, and increasing their English language abilities so they may be able to find a career they love and provide for themselves and their families. She has a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from Arizona State University in Justice Studies and is a fierce social justice, equity, feminism, and diversity advocate and activist.
Kristi’s husband Jeremy is also a musician, and they currently play in a band together with her sister-in-law (his sister). She has a son who loves soccer and videogames and the best golden retriever ever, who goes on adventures with her. She loves hiking, traveling, photography, 80s goth dancing, and playing music. Her favorite week of the year is the week of Girls Rock! Phoenix Summer Camp.
BETHANY VALDIVIA
Bethany Valdivia (she/her) is a former K–8 educator and fitness instructor with degrees in Education and English, as well as certifications in personal training and fitness instruction. She joined Girls Rock! Phoenix in July 2019 as a band coach, after performing in Valley bands and seeking ways to combine her passion for education and music while empowering youth to rise up and rock out.
With over 15 years of experience serving under-resourced and underserved communities in public education, Bethany has seen firsthand how extracurricular programs—especially those centered on music and movement—can help students of all backgrounds develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong skills.
Bethany currently works as an Account Executive at Imagine Learning, where she continues her mission to help educators and students unlock their full potential. She is passionate about building inclusive communities that recognize and unbridle the potential in every person.
CYNTHIA MRUCZEK
Cynthia Mruczek (she/her) wishes Girls Rock existed during her youth. After being told, "girls don't play guitar," and trying to learn Van Halen songs on the piano, she was finally able to be around like-minded lady rockers who helped her find her identity as a guitarist. She has volunteered as a guitar instructor during Girls Rock! Phoenix summer camp and was ECSTATIC to watch her own daughter bring down the house on drums in 2025. Cynthia is the co-founder of a local queer band that has been playing shows across Arizona for over 20 years. She's a big nerd who loves watching people do what they love.
Cynthia holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and is currently faculty at the University of Arizona. She directs and teaches in the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program (Ed.D.), supporting educational leaders in cultivating safe, inclusive learning spaces across PK–20+ school contexts. Her passion is to promote educational equity for students and families who have experienced marginalization across a variety of intersecting identities, including race, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability status.