Gary Trujillo Thumbnail

Gary Trujillo

Chairman of the Board
BlueCross and BlueShield of Arizona; former board member, Wells Fargo Bank of Arizona
Mr. Trujillo has been a serial entrepreneur for nearly 40 years with significant experience as a financier, founder, CEO, and corporate board member. Mr. Trujillo founded the investment firm Southwest Harvard Group Venture Capital, LLC (SHG), where he has served as the firm’s President & CEO since inception. SHG has a proven track record of creating and investing in businesses for growth and profitability and most recently acquired Standard Printing Company, of which he currently serves as Chairman.

Mr. Trujillo has three decades of board experience, including serving on three publicly traded company boards and serving as Chairman of the Board for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona. Mr. Trujillo has extensive experience in the technology, transportation and education industries. Mr. Trujillo is also recognized nationally as a dedicated community leader, having co-founded the Be A Leader Foundation (BALF) in 2002, an education-focused nonprofit serving more than 8,000 students per year, with his wife, Melissa B. Trujillo.

PUBLIC CORPORATE BOARD:
• Quepasa.com (1999-2002): An internet, e-commerce and search engine company dedicated to the Hispanic consumer. Served as Chairman of the Board & Executive Committee Member
• National Auto Credit Inc. (2000-2002): Auto finance company focused on [sale and financing of used cars targeting the American consumer]. Served as Member of the Audit Committee
• DriveTime Inc. (2000-2002): One of the nation’s largest used car dealership groups focused on the
sale and financing of used cars targeting the American consumer. Served as Member of Audit
Committee and Governance Committee. Formerly known as Ugly Duckling Corporation

PRIVATE CORPORATE BOARD:
• Wells Fargo Bank of Arizona (1996-2020): Diversified financial institution which is the nation’s 3rd
largest bank by assets (as of 2020). Served as Board Member for the Desert Mountain Region
• BlueCross and BlueShield of Arizona (1998-2020): Largest health insurance provider in Arizona by
enrollment (as of 2020). Served as Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Finance, Executive,
Human Resource & Compensation, and Audit Committees; Member of Nominating Committee
• Midwestern University – Medical School (2013-2017): For-profit university focused on healthcare education. Served as Member of Audit, Finance and Investment Committees
• Trinnovate Ventures (2015-2020): Venture capital investing arm of BlueCross and BlueShield of Arizona focused on healthcare technology and innovation.
• Auto Safety House Corporation (2009-2011): Vehicles and equipment provider for automotive fleets of municipal, school district and utility customers. Served as Member of Audit & Finance Committee
• Southwest Harvard Group Portfolio Businesses (1990-present): Responsible for Governance of
each Board, including as Board Chairman, for all SHG portfolio companies

Mr. Trujillo brings to the Board an informed, unique and diverse perspective drawing from his significant experience in the industries of technology, transportation and education. Over his career, Mr. Trujillo has founded multiple companies and organizations (SHG and BALF), taken a technology company public (Quepasa.com), served as an active independent board member on several public and private transportation boards (DriveTime.com, National Auto Credit Inc. and Auto Safety House Corporation).

Mr. Trujillo has been actively involved in the educational sector at the national, state and local levels for over 35 years. He is active with the leadership of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and has created several Non-profit organizations that have supported elementary, high school, colleges and universities. He has been a school board member (PUHSD) and is currently an active advisor to thousands of schools and hundreds of school superintendents in Arizona.

SESSIONS

Main Stage: The Board/CEO Relationship Speaker

Leading a company is challenging in any year, but 2020-21 has been more stressful than any year in recent memory. CEOs relied more heavily on their boards, or a “kitchen cabinet” subset of directors. How can a board be the best possible mentors for the CEO? How can directors determine what form of emotional support will be the most helpful?


Please note: You can ask questions anytime during the presentation using the Q&A box. Questions will appear as “waiting for review.” We will get to as many questions as possible. 

If you prefer, you can minimize the Q&A window.