Past Speakers

Past Speakers at The Rotary Club of Prescott

Kell Palguta, Mayor of Prescott Valley Arizona

Kell Palguta moved to Prescott Valley from a small town in Maine in 1996. In 1998 Kell began his career in public service as a Police Officer for the Town of Prescott Valley. As a Police Officer Kell received many awards to include; the Police Medal of Valor, Police Star, Rookie of the Year, Officer of the Year, Police Chief Commendation and Mothers Against Drunk Driving Officer of the Year two years in a row. After retiring as a Police Officer, Kell continued his service to the community as an Instructor at Yavapai College instructing Administration of Justice Classes.

Kell was elected Mayor of Prescott Valley in August 2018 and sworn in on January 10th 2019. Kell takes great pride being elected the youngest Mayor in Yavapai County and recognizes that the Town Council and Mayor work for the good citizens of Prescott Valley. Kell makes it a goal to ensure that every citizen can feel as if their voice can be heard and that they can be a part of the solution to any problem that Prescott Valley may incur along the way.

Brad Clifford, Yavapai College Athletic Director

Having spent 36 years at Yavapai College as a student, student-athlete, assistant coach, head coach assistant athletic director, Brad Clifford bleeds Roughrider Green and Gold.

Clifford is no stranger to the Prescott area; he attended Prescott High school where he lettered in basketball twice and baseball twice. A back injury forced Clifford to cut his competitive days short but he found his calling when the women's basketball coach asked him to become his assistant.

During his 15-year tenure at the helm of the Roughriders, Clifford had an overall record of 323-143, becoming the all-time winningest basketball coach in YC history.

Tim Carter, Yavapai County School Superintendent

Tim was raised in southern Arizona. He graduated from Tombstone High School and attended Glendale Community College prior to receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree from Grand Canyon College and a Master of Arts in Secondary Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. Tim completed the requirement for an Arizona Superintendent Certificate at the University of Phoenix.

Tim was selected for the North Central Accrediting Association’s Circle of Excellence in 2001, has been recognized with the Robert Taft and Melvin Jones Fellowships, was inducted into the Arizona Track Coaches Hall of Fame, and was selected as the 2003 Arizona School Administrator of the Year. Tim was elected twice by the 4A Conference to serve on the Executive Board of the Arizona Interscholastic Association. He served as the Secretary of the Prescott Sunrise Lions Club and is the former Advancement Chairman of Boy Scouts Troop One. He was elected as the President of the Arizona Association of Counties in 2011. He was honored by the Capitol Times, as the 2010 Educational Leader of the Year for Public Policy and as the outstanding JTED/CTE Policy Maker of the Year in 2013 and 2014. He was honored and humbled in 2017 when inducted into the Grand Canyon University Hall of Fame and to the Northern Arizona University Hall of Fame in 2021.

Dr. Whitney James, Neurosurgeon & Rotarian

Dr. Whitney James is a Neurosurgeon who applies outpatient surgical solutions to alleviate acute and chronic pain. She specializes in minimally invasive surgical procedures to treat spine fractures, back pain, migraines and other neurological pathologies.

She has a Bachelors of Science in Neuroscience from Bates College, a Masters in Health Science from Johns Hopkins, a Medical Doctorate from Yale University School of Medicine, and she did a 6 year neurosurgery residency at University of Arizona, Tucson.

She is a Fulbright Scholar, a Doximity Scholar, co-founder of Inner Atlas, a program for comprehensive healthcare in any hospital or clinic setting, and founder and CEO of James Marco Health, a healthcare organization and brand that prioritizes providers well being and a whole-person approach to patient care.