Administrative Team

Jeff Fleetham, Director

Governor Doug Ducey appointed Jeff Fleetham as Director of Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) effective February 9, 2015.

Prior to his appointment, he owned 12-88 LLC, a residential project consulting and dispute resolution company, licensed as a B-3 General Residential Remodeling Contractor. His background includes construction, consumer products, consulting, and dispute resolution in both public and private sector industries. Director Fleetham was an investigator with Arizona Registrar of Contractors from Jan. 2007 to Sept. 2013.

He serves on several councils and boards and in mid-2015, the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies’ (NASCLA) Executive Committee appointed him to their Board of Directors.

In addition to NASCLA, Director Fleetham is a member of Arizona Building Officials (AZBO) – where he was named Member of the Year 2013/2014; Central Arizona Chapter of the International Code Council (ICC); International Code Council – holding multiple certifications; National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and Arizona NFIB Leadership Council; an Arizona Construction Career Days (AzCCD) Steering Committee member; Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE); National Association of Bunco Investigators (NABI); Association for Career and Technical Education of Arizona (ACTEAZ)

Director Fleetham came to Arizona when his father moved the family and business from Oregon in 1959. In 1962, Fleet Construction was founded and licensed in the State of Arizona until 2015. He attended Tavan grade school and graduated from Arcadia High School in 1970. He currently lives in the house he grew up in and has three children and four grandchildren, all currently living in the Phoenix-metro area.

Nicole Sornsin, Assistant Director Legal & Recovery Fund

Nicole Sornsin serves as ROC’s Chief Legal Counsel and head of the Recovery Fund, advising the ROC with regard to the statutory and regulatory structure underlying licensing and compliance review, as well as Recovery Fund claims. Sornsin grew up in Glendale, AZ and attended Arizona State University, graduating with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She obtained her law degree in 2009 from William and Mary Law School, Williamsburg, VA, and spent nearly the last decade working as a business litigator at the law firm of Snell & Wilmer, LLP, Phoenix.

Sornsin’s practice focused on, among other areas, construction litigation and she has represented general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers and owners with regard to licensing and compliance matters with the Registrar of Contractors, as well as with regard to performance and payment disputes, contract termination matters, mechanics' and materialmen's lien foreclosures, surety bond claims and bid protests.

Sornsin was recognized as a Southwest Super Lawyers, “Rising Star” in the area of Business Litigation for 2014-2017.

Contact ROC Legal staff at [email protected].
Contact ROC Recovery Fund staff at [email protected].

Jeff Wills, Assistant Director Compliance & Chief of Investigations

Jeff Wills began his construction career in 1999 working as a third-party inspector for Motorola at their Chandler, AZ location within their clean room and fabrication facilities. A short time later, he moved on to Intel Corporation inspecting clean room stainless steel piping and connections for microchip production.

In 2001, Chief Wills went to work for a large national homebuilder in the Phoenix-area as a Warranty Customer Service Representative and within a few years he was afforded the opportunity to supervise the customer service department as the Director of Warranty Customer Service.

In 2005, he was asked to oversee the warranty customer service department and their JD Power rating system of a competing national homebuilder. As with many in the industry, though, due to the economic downturn during that time, he was forced to change gears and in Oct. 2007 Chief Wills went to work for AZ ROC as an Inspector. While there, he performed numerous jobsite inspections as well as working on other projects within the agency. In Dec. 2012, he was promoted to Assistant Chief of Inspections supervising 18 Construction Inspectors statewide.

In late-summer 2013, Chief Wills returned to the national homebuilding scene accepting the position of Special Projects Construction Manager. In this position, he oversaw and managed class action lawsuit repairs, difficult construction situations and day-to-day homeowner and contractor interaction.

Knowing Chief Wills’ public and private experience, Director Fleetham asked him to return to AZ ROC to serve as the Chief of Compliance in Mar. 2015. In this position, Chief Wills and his staff are tasked with ensuring all licensed contractors are performing work in a professional and workmanlike manner; adhering to the rules and regulations set forth by the State of Arizona. Chief Wills and his staff also ensure unlicensed entities operating outside of statute and state law are penalized and cited within the boundaries of Contracting Without a License.

Contact ROC Unlicensed Investigations staff at [email protected].
Contact ROC Construction Investigations staff at [email protected].

Brian Kirby, Chief Information Officer & Chief of Licensing

Brian Kirby has over 20 years of leadership experience, managing operations and process improvement, including working with Fortune 100 companies. Brian joined the AZ ROC in October of 2016 and serves the citizens of Arizona as the ROC’s Chief of Licensing.

Brian was raised in the Phoenix-area, where both his grandfather and father were long time contractors. While working for the family business, he gained firsthand knowledge of different aspects of contracting. Chief Kirby holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Management. As a Six Sigma Black Belt Professional with LEAN and other continuous process improvement capabilities, Kirby is proficient in process improvement techniques. As a former consultant, he assisted small- to mid-sized businesses in Arizona with process improvement and operational efficiencies from start-up through operations. His unique combination of construction, process improvement, and management experience allows him to effectively lead the Licensing team while improving existing processes.

Brian understands the importance of a contractor’s contributions to Arizona’s economy and his goal is to integrate the Licensing department with the other ROC departments to improve the customer experience for existing contractors and those applying for new licenses.

Brian and his wife Nikki have two daughters and live in Peoria.

Contact ROC Licensing staff at [email protected].

Jeff Zimmerman, Assistant Director of Continuous Improvement

Jeff Zimmerman serves the Citizens of Arizona within the Registrar of Contractors by applying proven improvement methods to deliver quality services supportive of Governor Doug Ducey’s 21st Century Economy priority.

Asst. Dir. Zimmerman is an alumni of Arizona State University. He refined his skills as a Quality Manager at Intel Corporation and Lean/Six Sigma Process Manager at CVS Health. Although credited with millions of dollars in savings throughout his career, Zimmerman says the most satisfaction comes from building a sustainable continuous improvement culture with the people he works with.

Raised as a farm boy in North Dakota, Zimmerman’s family moved to Mesa, Arizona in 1972, where his father practiced real estate and owned a land development company. Zimmerman and his wife have five children and live in Tempe.

Wilma Dengavi, CPM, Assistant Director of Budget and Finance

Wilma Dengavi began working for AZ ROC in 1995 and has had oversight over various administrative and financial services including: Agency Business Operations, Call Center, Information Technology, Human Resources, Mail Room, Purchasing, Accounting, Payroll, Budget, Audit, Leases, Vehicles, and other Administrative and Finance related functions. In December 2005, Wilma was appointed to the position of Assistant Director over Administrative and Financial Services, in late-2009 assigned oversight over AZ ROC Recovery Fund and the ROC Examination Program, and in 2012, oversight over ROC state-wide support services.

Asst. Dir. Dengavi also serves as AZ ROC Tribal Liaison and sat on the Agency Incentive Pay Steering Committee, Transportation Committee, is a member of AZ ROC Administrative Team and served as the Agency Ombudsman from 2005 to 2008.

She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business with an emphasis in Accounting, later earning the designation of Certified Public Manager from ASU. She has over 35-years of experience in; Local, Tribal, Federal and State governments, is a former Treasurer of the Hopi Tribe, member of the Arizona Affirmative Action Association, NASCLA Accredited Examination Program Committee, the Government Finance Officers Association, National Institute of Government Purchasing, Economic Development Board, and a current member of Arizona and National Society of Certified Public Managers.

Laura Hamisch, Human Resources Manager

Laura Hamisch joined AZ ROC in August of 2013 and serves as the Human Resources Manager.

Ms. Hamisch has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Organizational Behavior from Brigham Young University and a Masters of Business Administration from Colorado State University. During her education, Ms. Hamisch received numerous leadership designations including four Diamond Service Awards, the Bank of America Award, Business Student of the Year and three Scheid Writing Contest Awards.

Ms. Hamisch has a strong background in public and private sector human resources. She began her career working for several private sector agricultural companies doing HR support and analyst duties. On a whim, Ms. Hamisch took a college course on public sector human resources and knew this was the right fit for her. Since that time, Ms. Hamisch has worked in human resources at both the county and state government levels.

In her current position, Ms. Hamisch manages all HR functions for the agency including recruitment, compensation, employee relations and strategic HR planning. Ms. Hamisch maintains a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification and a Society for Human Resources Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) certification.

Jim Knupp, Chief of Operations and Chief Communications Officer

Jim Knupp joined AZ ROC in late-April 2015 and serves as the Chief of Operations, Chief Communications Officer, Legislative Liaison and Ombudsman.

Mr. Knupp earned a BA in Political Science and International Studies from Wright State University, in Dayton, OH. Also in Dayton, he worked for a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives serving in various capacities from 2005 to 2010.

In 2011, he moved to Arizona and began working for another congressional member in the representative’s Flagstaff and Casa Grande, AZ offices as an Office Manager, Business Liaison and Outreach Coordinator.

For the two years prior to joining AZ ROC, Mr. Knupp worked in Pinal County, AZ as the Public Information Officer for the Pinal County Attorney’s and Sheriff’s Offices.

Contact Jim Knupp at [email protected].

Cindy Casaus, Assistant to the Director & Operations Services Manager

Cindy Casaus joined the AZ ROC in May 2018 and serves as the Agency Operations Manager and Assistant to Director Fleetham. Prior to joining the AZ ROC, Cindy served as the Accounting Manager for the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, largest member-driven business association in Arizona. She also held a similar role for a privately owned corporation specializing in data center design, critical power and commercial HVAC.

In her previous roles, Cindy’s responsibilities included overseeing the day to day Accounting functions of the organizations, financial reporting, human resources and working closely with leadership to identify and implement improved processes related to office operations. Additionally, Cindy has experience presenting to and working with elected officials and representatives from many of the Valley’s most recognized and influential organizations and companies, including Dodie Londen Excellence in Public Service Series and Salt River Project.

A third generation Arizonan, Cindy earned a B.S. in Accountancy from the Arizona State University W.P. Carey School of Business and resides in Ahwatukee with her husband David and daughter Adeline.

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