Vincent Manfredi

Director of Advertising

Vincent comes to InMaricopa with a diverse business background in both private and public sectors and is looking to help grow our partnerships. A resident of Maricopa since 2010, he has been involved since moving to the City, helping with local nonprofits like the food banks, The Streets Don’t Love You Back, Maricopa Little League, Maricopa Babe Ruth League, MUSD budget committee and others. Vincent also serves on the Maricopa City Council. When not working or volunteering Vincent can be found doing something with his wife and kids. In fact, one of the best parts about volunteering is that many times it becomes a family outing of sorts.
Getting to know Vincent

Scott Bartle

Publisher

InMaricopa’s publisher began his career in sports marketing, producing and marketing Association of Tennis Professionals Tour events in Indianapolis and Scottsdale. He served as marketing coordinator for the Super Bowl XXX Host Committee prior to joining the Maricopa County Sports Commission where he spent four years as assistant executive director. Since 2000 Scott has served as president of Outside the Box Marketing Inc. Scott is former president of the Maricopa Unified School District Governing Board and IU Alumni Club of Phoenix and a member of the Knights of Columbus and Sigma Chi Fraternity. Scott is a graduate of Indiana University, Valley Leadership, Project CENTRL and the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy. A native Hoosier, Scott has lived in the Phoenix area since 1977.
Getting to know Scott

Elias Weiss

Managing Editor

Elias Weiss took the helm at InMaricopa after years of investigative reporting in Arizona at Phoenix New Times and The Daily Beast. A native of Charlotte, N.C., he attended the University of Arkansas and reported first for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He later served as managing editor of the Chatham Star-Tribune in Virginia, where, under his leadership, the publication was named “Best Weekly Newspaper in Virginia” by the Virginia Press Association in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the Association awarded him four individual first-place awards in the categories of Government Writing, Breaking News Writing, and Headline Writing among journalists statewide. Elias can often be heard discussing his Arizona politics coverage on KFNX radio in Phoenix and KAWC in Yuma, and on international television like HBO and GB News.

Michelle Sorensen

Director of Accounting & Special Projects

Michelle Sorensen was born in Oakland. She spent 25 years in California and 29 years in the state of Washington. She and her husband Chris have been proud residents of Maricopa from 2013-2021. The two have since moved to Idaho. She has three children and nine grandchildren. Michelle spent seven years as a credit and collections manager for a long-haul trucking company and another seven years in the government as a legal assistant in liability and claims lawsuits. Previously, she was the special census enumerator for the city of Maricopa as well as an executive secretary and profile coordinator in direct mail advertising for the largest direct mail advertising company, ADVO Systems Inc. Before moving to Arizona, she studied as a court reporting stenographer and as a closed captioner for the hearing impaired. Michelle is a strong believer in volunteering for her local community and wants to instill the same values at InMaricopa and into her role as Director of Accounting & Special Projects.

Justin Griffin

Editorial Consultant

Justin, who originally hails from North Carolina, has 25 years of experience working for local and regional newspapers in four different states. A graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, Justin caught the journalism bug in college and remains passionate about the craft and its value to communities. Prior to coming to inMaricopa, he served as Editor and Publisher for the Spirit of Jefferson, a hyperlocal weekly newspaper in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Justin has served as an editor, writer, and photographer at many other papers. He’s won awards for his journalistic pursuits in three different states and is thrilled to be here in Maricopa for the next chapter of his career. Justin and his wife, Tamara, have been married for 11 years. He proposed to her at the Grand Canyon. The two have explored much of the Grand Canyon State and look forward to getting to know Maricopa and Pinal County.

Monica D. Spencer

Reporter

Monica is a city government reporter and photojournalist for InMaricopa. Previously, she worked as a photographer for Mesa Community College’s student newspaper The Mesa Legend and interned with The Arizona Republic’s breaking news desk and visuals department. In 2022, she graduated with a BA in English Literature from Arizona State University. Monica is a rare Southwest native: she was born in Gallup, New Mexico, raised in Mesa, Arizona and is a member of the Navajo Nation. In her free time, Monica enjoys live music, A24 movies and playing Minecraft.

Bryan Mordt

MultiMedia Specialist

Bryan Mordt picked up his first camera in 1984 while in Navy bootcamp. He's been shooting everything from families to weddings, sports events and nature for the past few decades. While raising his two daughters, Bryan ran a successful custom pool-cue business for more than 25 years. Bryan and his wife, Jenece, have been married for six years, and all together, have four kids. Though he may not look it, Bryan has recently been promoted to the title of Grandpa! In his free time, Bryan enjoys time with my family, hiking, kayaking and camping. Bryan looks forward to capturing the heart of Maricopa and sharing it with the community.

Jeff Chew

Reporter

Jeff is an education and local issues reporter at InMaricopa since October 2023. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Arizona State University and has decades of experience reporting on education, government, sports and breaking news all over the state — metro Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott Valley and Lake Havasu City. He has also worked as a radio and newspaper journalist in metro Seattle, Dallas and West Texas.

Brian Petersheim Jr.

Reporter

Brian Petersheim Jr. was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and moved to Phoenix in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit his birthplace. He soon moved to the small city of Maricopa in July of 2006 and has been a resident since. He recently graduated in the class of 2021 from Maricopa High School. Before he joined the InMaricopa team, he was spinning signs near John Wayne Parkway. He began an internship at InMaricopa in October 2020, but began officially working there in May 2021. In his free time, Brian likes to play video games and hang out with friends. He loves to watch Marvel movies with his family.

Merced Villalobos

Advertising Professional

Prior to joining InMaricopa, Merced spent seven years as a leasing consultant and community director in Tempe. He enjoys working with business owners and operators and helping their businesses thrive. Merced and his daughter live in Rancho El Dorado. His sisters are also Maricopa residents.

Veronica Rodriguez

Advertising Professional

Veronica , a mother of three, grew up in Bakersfield, Calif. She attended community college in California before transferring to Arizona State University. She worked for UPS in Mesa and in Chandler at a rental company before moving to a new home in Maricopa’s Alterra community.

Mission

Inform readers/viewers. Enrich advertisers.

Values

  • Integrity.
  • Accountability.
  • Open, honest, real-time communication.
  • Prosperity for clients, community, company.

Beliefs

We believe in:

  • An informed citizenry.
  • Holding ourselves and others accountable.
  • The success of deserving businesses.