With her undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in industrial engineering and now pursuing a PhD in sustainable engineering, all from Arizona State University, Virginia Counts has worked for 13 years at Medtronic, a large manufacturer of health devices. She is a program manager in "sourcing" and works to bring new suppliers of devices and their components into the culture of the overall Medtronic operation. Virginia feels good about working for a company that helps to improve people's health.
A native Phoenician, Virginia studied ballet from age 5 to 14 and wishes she'd never stopped. She's gone back for adult ballet classes a couple of times over her work career, most recently at the School of Ballet Arizona. She loves the facilities at the new Washington Street studios, in the neighborhood where she began her career working for Allied Signal/Garrett. Virginia has been a Ballet Arizona subscriber more on than off since graduating from college and enjoys introducing new people to the Company's work on stage. She appreciates the rapid development of the Company's technical and artistic strength under the direction of Ib Andersen.
Virginia has been extensively active in the Society of Women Engineers, a nonprofit organization with 20,000 members whose purpose is to encourage women to study and pursue careers in engineering and provide vital scholarship support to many women. It was through SWE that her awareness of philanthropy grew, recognizing that there was an important link between donations to SWE and the programs it could offer. Bequests realized by SWE were especially impactful, she noticed, especially to the organization's ability to provide scholarships.
It was following her divorce that Virginia began to think about planning for her own future financial security and health care, and she remembered the importance of including charitable giving in her estate plans. She made a generous bequest in her estate plan to benefit Ballet Arizona upon her death because she wants to help continue the beautiful art of ballet in the Phoenix community and perpetuate the inspiration it offers to those who experience it.
It will be many years before Ballet Arizona realizes the gift that Virginia has planned. At age 50 she has many years left as a member of the audience and as a ballet student! Her thoughtfulness and generosity are deeply appreciated.