Megan Schmitz is a seasoned business diplomat; her diverse range of experience has allowed her to develop a unique cadre of skills that facilitate her ability to work productively with any team or individual. Always ultra-prepared and effortlessly capable, Megan has helped guide CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, high profile individuals, elected officials, and nonprofit leaders in achieving their objectives with the desired impact and added value creation. Her career spans public, private, and non-profits sectors, including an electric utility with over 1.2 million customers, a publicly-traded holding company, local government, and leadership roles with multiple nonprofit boards.

At Horizon Strategies, Megan leads the chief of staff services team where she builds and implements strategies that allows clients to maximize time, energy, and talent and create greater alignment amongst their teams and business interests. Megan is obsessed with helping individuals and organizations succeed and brings that mindset to each engagement, giving clients fresh perspectives, clear paths to meet their objectives, and an unparalleled client experience. Before joining Horizon, Megan served as Chief of Staff to the Chairman and CEO of Arizona Public Service (APS), Arizona’s largest and longest-serving electric company, where she advised on the strategic operations of the utility and its publicly-traded parent company. She worked closely with the parent company’s board of directors, establishing herself as one of their key advisors. She also led initiatives ranging from the rollout of the company’s clean energy commitment to the reputation management strategy. Previously, she served as chief of staff to several elected City Councilmembers for Phoenix, the country’s 5th largest municipality where she led a small but mighty team, managed day-to-day operations, community outreach, constituent services, media relations, and helped to formulate and implement policy. Megan advised on a multitude of governance matters including the METRO Light Rail Board, Federal Communications Commission Intergovernmental Advisory Board, Police Advisory Board, and Phoenix Planning Commission. Megan is acrobatically adept at building consensus, and has a penchant for fostering dialogue and collaboration to achieve clear results with mutual benefit.