Team
Board of Directors
ABS is led by a dedicated core team of volunteer board of directors. Each bring with them a minimum of thirty years of career and work experience of in their respective fields as educated, trained professionals from their fields. Among the sectors represented are education, hospitality and retail, hotel management, arts, entertainment, and film, real estate and development, human resources, executive training and consulting, publishing, media and broadcasting, law
enforcement, public relations and fundraising/ resource development, archiving and historical preservation, volunteer and non-profit management, social services, marketing, and more.
Meet our team
We are here to keep our legacy

Gil Bivens
Founder
Gil brings over thirty years experience in business and industry as an Executive manager overseeing marketing, management, sales, media and broadcast/video production.

Joann Bivens
Co-Founder
Joann is a seasoned business owner and entrepreneur with over three decades in real estate management, accounting, contract negotiation and event management.

Roman R. Reyes
Principal and Host “Art Inspires Us”
Roman is a globally recognized artist and entreprenuer. He has a distinguished forty year career in higher education, feature films, business and advocacy.

Dr. Jose Leyba
Host, “La Platica”
Jose is an experienced education professional specializing in equity, professional training, and leadership development. He currently serves as Chief Search Officer at JG Consulting and is dedicated to preserving Chicano history.

Irma Payan
Host, “Irma Payan Show”
Irma Payan is a dedicated, beloved educator with three decades of experience. As the Community Archivist, she champions the preservation of cultural history locally and elsewhere through the tradition of storytelling.

Ray Martinez
Founding Member, Production Team
Ray brings over thirty years leadership experience in law enforcement, corrections and investigations. He is dedicated to advocacy and is a team lead for the ABS technical crew.

Frank Luna
Director of Advocacy
Frank is recognized for his more than thirty year career in resource development and public relations. His experience includes working in the higher education and non-profit arenas.

Christina Garrobo
FB navigator
Christina Garrobo serves as the Facebook Navigator, overseeing post approvals and managing all aspects of our Facebook group to ensure a thriving online community.
Gil Bivens
Message from our Founder
Famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo once said “I paint flowers so they will not die.” We at ABS and our familia of dedicated amigos, members, sponsors, donors, and loyal followers tell stories so our legacies and memories won’t disappear. When I was a young boy living in my family home in Phoenix’s Golden Gate Barrio during the 1970s, my parents received a peculiar notice in the mail from the City of Phoenix. It informed us that our neighborhood was in the pathway of the planned Sky Harbor International Airport, and we would have to move. It was the first time I learned about the weird term “Eminent Domain.” Being a kid, I translated in my brain to the cold, ominous power of big government sweeping down into the innocent lives of hundreds of hard-working, descent, tax paying Mexican immigrant families being pushed out of their home. But the building of Sky Harbor Airport represented progress and growth for the city and state, and in the big scheme of things, the city saw our little barrio was expendable. The city bought out the residents of Golden Gate Barrio and we all were forced to relocate. My heart was broken. I know my friends and neighbors from the barrio felt just like I did. Many of us from Golden Gate still carry a feeling of deep sadness and loss over losing our home all those years ago. Our childhood homes are such an integral part of forming our identities as we grow up and mature. To experience the trauma of being uprooted the way everyone in Golden Gate experienced was devastating, and to not be able to go back and visit my old barrio years later has left a void in my life.
That led to the idea of what today has become Arizona Barrio Stories: the creation of a healing space to pay tribute to the barrios that are vanishing or are no longer around. At its most fundamental core, our intention is to share memories, stories, pictures, memorabilia, videos, interviews, and dialogue about the barrios where we came from across Phoenix, the state, and beyond. In doing so, we are building community, preserving important knowledge and information about a myriad aspects of our culture and its traditions, values, mores, and history. We are educating, preserving, documenting, and sharing aspects of anthropological data that reflects socioeconomic and demographic lifestyle choices about our gente over an extended period of time. As we continue to expand our program content with shows like “La Platica”, “Irma Payan Show”, “Art Inspires Us”, and “Salud, Dinero, y Amor – AARP Arizona Hispanic Connection”, ABS will deliver quality, relevant information to help individuals and families navigate their daily lives. Thanks to all of you, our familia, our gente, for being the heart and soul of ABS. Keep sharing your barrio story and stay tuned! Your feedback and support are always welcome.