7 minute read
Neil Giuliano an actual star is born
By Heather Fuentes
Neil Giuliano serves as President/ CEO of Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL), a forum for Arizona leaders to collaborate with the government, education and philanthropy sectors to create and sustain a safe, healthy and prosperous community. From 2010–2015, Neil was President & CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF), one of the largest AIDS service organizations in the world and led the transition effort from a sickness and disease management model of care to one incorporating health and wellness for patients. Prior to his work in San Francisco, Neil was bi-coastal (NYC & LA) as President/CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and executive producer of GLAAD Media Awards from 2005–2009.
Before becoming a national activist and executive, Neil was then the youngest person ever elected to mayor of Tempe, a post he held from 1994–2004. The creation of Tempe Town Lake, the Tempe Center for the Arts and the implementation of the regional light rail system were all advanced under his leadership. Before all of that, Neil was a student at Arizona State University.
All you have to do is look over the long list of opportunities that ASU Gammage offers, and you will find something that excites and inspires you.
“Almost 50 years ago, in the fall of 1974, I smoked my first and only cigarette and took my first (but not only) shot of tequila on the west ramp of ASU Gammage that goes down into the parking lot. I was living in the dorms across the street and had no idea what the building was. Back then, my freshmen friends and I thought we were really cool. If you can believe it, THAT was my first interaction with ASU Gammage.” said Neil.
One of Neil’s coolest memories of being at ASU Gammage in his youth was as an extra during the movie filming of A STAR IS BORN with Barbra Streisand in 1975.
“I can be seen right off Barbra’s left ear in Row 9 Center as the camera pans behind her and looks out at the audience.” They were filming the closing number of the movie, and Neil was living his best life. Little did he know he was headed for a kind of stardom of his own.
“By 1998, I was the Director of Federal Relations and Mayor of Tempe when Barry Goldwater passed away. I had the privilege of helping to plan his funeral event that was held at ASU Gammage with nearly all of the U.S. Congress, Dan Quayle and Nancy Reagan in attendance. The event was telecast live on C-SPAN. The most memorable part was that I was the one who met Mrs. Goldwater when she got out of her vehicle and showed her and her family inside. It was one of the most solemn experiences to be involved with and such an honor,” said Neil.
In 2004, Neil was Colleen’s codirector of the Presidential Debate between George Bush and John Kerry. “I had been pitching for ASU Gammage to host a Presidential Debate since 1988 when I was on the ASU Staff Alumni Association. I was a political junkie and thought ASU Gammage had to host one of these major events! I was thrilled when it finally came to fruition.” In his own words, his relationship with ASU Gammage went from “crazy freshman partying on the ramp to escorting Senator Goldwater and co-directing a Presidential Debate! Nearly a 50-year journey.”
In 2004, Neil was Colleen’s codirector of the Presidential Debate between George Bush and John Kerry. “I had been pitching for ASU Gammage to host a Presidential Debate since 1988 when I was on the ASU Staff Alumni Association. I was a political junkie and thought ASU Gammage had to host one of these major events! I was thrilled when it finally came to fruition.” In his own words, his relationship with ASU Gammage went from “crazy freshman partying on the ramp to escorting Senator Goldwater and co-directing a Presidential Debate! Nearly a 50-year journey.”
When asked what made him decide to give his first financial gift to ASU Gammage, Neil said, “We must preserve our community meeting places and our iconic cultural landmarks in Arizona. We don’t have many — we are not hundreds of years old. Our institutions don’t have that kind of longevity.”
When asked what made him decide to give his first financial gift to ASU Gammage, Neil said, “We must preserve our community meeting places and our iconic cultural landmarks in Arizona. We don’t have many — we are not hundreds of years old. Our institutions don’t have that kind of longevity.”
Arizona will celebrate its 112th birthday as a state this year. “I know I am biased, but I truly believe ASU Gammage is THE preeminent cultural iconic place to gather in the state of Arizona. I thought it was important that it be maintained and enhanced for generations to come. Of course, being so close to the university in my tenure on staff for 22 years and as Mayor [of Tempe] for 10 years, it’s a place that I’m very close to.”
Neil reflected on one of his favorite theater memories.“ It was 1994 and we hosted THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA here at ASU Gammage for the first time. I was a part of the Alumni Association at the time and we had an Opening Night party for the alumni, got all dressed up and partied on the lawn outside the theater. It was a really big deal!” In fact, ASU spent $300,000 to retrofit the auditorium, reinforcing Frank Lloyd Wright’s venerable venue with steel beams to hold the weight of the show’s famous falling chandelier, not to mention all the lights and computers needed to run the show. And the investment paid off: More than 200,000 people flooded the box office with $10 million-plus over a nine-week run.
When asked to look toward the future of ASU Gammage, Neil said, “In my experience, things that tend to connect people in our communities culturally are sports, faith and entertainment. In the arts and entertainment section, no one does it better than ASU Gammage. I believe there’s an intersection of all of those things where we can reach people on a different level.”
Considering how the venue continues to reach folks across all walks of life in the Valley, what would Neil tell someone who is considering becoming a donor to ASU Gammage?donor to ASU Gammage?
“All you have to do is look over the long list of opportunities that ASU Gammage offers, and you will find something that excites and inspires you. It may be one of the big Broadway shows that draws you in…or it may be a small production of a dance troupe! You can find a connection and something that compels you to be involved and offer support. It’s all right there!”
It’s true that the magic has been there since the doors of ASU Gammage opened in 1964. It found Neil on the ramp ten years later, and then again on its hallowed stage twenty years after that. Maybe stars aren’t born every single day — but they are certainly born at ASU Gammage.
