GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY HONORS LEADERS WITH SIXTH ANNUAL COLANGELO SERVANT LEADERSHIP AWARDS

Colangelo College of Business awards four exemplary leaders

PHOENIX, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- From expanding recovery services and advancing trauma-informed reform to delivering compassionate healthcare and faith-centered financial stewardship, four Arizona leaders were recognized for putting service at the center of their leadership during Grand Canyon University's sixth annual Colangelo Servant Leadership Awards on Tuesday morning.

Presented by Freeport-McMoRan, the Colangelo Servant Leadership Awards honor devoted leaders who embody the ideal for which business and sports icon Jerry Colangelo is best known – servant leadership. The award ceremony was held at GCU and honored the following recipients:

• Ken Brissa is the Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Rescue Mission, a Christ-centered nonprofit serving men, women and families impacted by homelessness, addiction and trauma. Since becoming CEO in 2020, he has led the organization's largest expansion in 74 years, strengthening housing, recovery and workforce development programs that transform thousands of lives each year.
  
  
• Todd LaPorte is the Chief Executive Officer of HonorHealth, a leading nonprofit healthcare system serving over 3 million patient encounters a year in Maricopa and Pinal counties. With a background as a certified public accountant, he has risen through healthcare leadership to guide HonorHealth through major growth, innovation and community-focused care, fostering a culture rooted in compassion and integrity.
  
  
• Rachel Mitchell is the Maricopa County Attorney and a veteran Arizona prosecutor with more than 30 years of experience. A nationally recognized expert in sex crimes, she has led efforts to protect vulnerable victims through trauma-informed reforms and has handled hundreds of complex cases involving child abuse and sexual assault.
  
  
• John Moore is the Founder of John Moore Associates, a faith-driven financial planning firm rooted in biblical stewardship and Kingdom impact. A Certified Kingdom Advisor® and a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy with over 40 years of experience, he helps individuals, families and organizations align their wealth with God-honoring purpose through wise, values-based financial guidance.

"Mr. Colangelo is the definition of service before self. When we pick recipients for the Colangelo Servant Leadership Awards, we are looking for those business leaders in our community who really represent that type of leadership," said John Kaites, Dean of GCU's Colangelo College of Business. "Mr. Brissa, Mr. LaPorte, Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Moore all go above and beyond when it comes to combining business and service, so we are thrilled to honor them with this year's award."

As one of the three pillars of the Colangelo College of Business, servant leadership is taught both in and out of the classroom. "Servant leadership should be a core principle of every successful business or organization and these four individuals exemplify that," Jerry Colangelo said. "They are truly making a difference in our communities and setting an example for future leaders in Arizona."

Colangelo is an Arizona icon whose Hall of Fame career in sports, business and real estate has spanned 50 years – from the day he arrived in 1968 with $300 in his pocket to a career that included ownership of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks; the Valley's only major sports championship with the 2001 World Series; the creation/relocation of the Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Rattlers and Arizona Coyotes; reshaping the Valley skyline with two state-of-the-art sports facilities that transformed downtown Phoenix; re-establishing global dominance of USA Basketball; and serving as principal partner with JDM Partners, which has a 60-year history of real estate acquisitions, development and management.

The 2025 Colangelo Servant Leadership recipients were Doug Ducey, Dr. Richard Gray, Dr. Chevy Humphrey and Tom Lewis.

About Grand Canyon University: Grand Canyon University was founded in 1949 and is Arizona's premier private Christian university. GCU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers 370 academic programs, emphases and certificates for both traditional undergraduate students and working professionals. The university's curriculum emphasizes interaction with classmates, both in-person and online, and individual attention from instructors while fusing academic rigor with Christian values to help students find their purpose and become skilled, caring professionals. For more information, visit gcu.edu

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SOURCE Grand Canyon University