Tom & Shauna Connelly Honored with “Guiding Star Award” by the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona
May 3, 2023 The National Kidney Foundation of Arizona bestowed its Guiding Star Award upon Tom and Shauna Connelly at the Foundation’s annual Dancing with the Stars Gala in March. The National Kidney Foundation of Arizona chose Tom and Shauna for the Guiding Star Award to recognize their exemplary leadership and passion in their philanthropic work for the Foundation and their dedication that has made a significant impact on the future of the Foundation. This is only the third time the award has been given since its inception in 2016.
“On behalf of the Foundation, we were honored to celebrate Tom and Shauna Connelly and their long-standing dedication to Arizona’s kidney community,” said Leslie McReynolds, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona. “Serving on our Board of Directors, Tom has been an invaluable advocate for the Foundation – continually generous with his insights, resources, and countless hours of his time spent volunteering at our events. He truly leads by example and inspires others to do more. Shauna has dedicated a decade of passion to the Foundation and its gala; dancing twice and serving as a co-chair, she has continued to bring countless dancers, funds, and awareness to benefit our mission. We are proud and lucky to know them.”
Shauna Connelly has been a volunteer with the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona since 2014 and co-chaired its annual gala in 2015. She was a celebrity dancer at the Foundation’s Dancing with the Stars Gala in 2014. Shauna is an artist and community activist, giving her time and talents to many of Arizona’s causes, including Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona.
Tom Connelly, CFA, CFP, is the President and Chief Investment Officer at Versant Capital Management, an independent wealth management and investment firm located in Phoenix. He is currently a member of the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona Board of Directors and the Financial Planning Degree Board at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Tom was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) from 2006 to 2016. Tom explains that the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona is particularly meaningful to him because he lost both of his parents to kidney disease. Tom and Shauna reside in Phoenix, AZ.
