John C. Giles

John Giles earned his JD from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law where he is now an adjunct professor teaching State and Local Government. Giles started his legal career with Udall Shumway in 1987 specializing in litigation. He eventually opened his own firm, Law Offices of John C. Giles, which he managed until 2014. In 2014, Giles was elected mayor of the City of Mesa. During his tenure, Mesa experienced significant economic development and added tens of thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in capital investment. Under his leadership, Mesa adopted a nondiscrimination ordinance, implemented a Climate Action Plan, and established the Mesa College Promise to connect students with a free community college education. He is happy to return to Udall Shumway where he practices Government Relations. His practice focuses on advocating with key decision makers to address and overcome local, regional, state, and national challenges.

Area of Practice

• Government Relations

Education

• J.D., Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
• B.A., Brigham Young University

Admissions

• Arizona and Federal Cours, admitted 1988

Professional & Bar Association Memberships

• State Bar of Arizona (1988-Present)
• East Valley Partnership, Board of Directors. 2014-Present

Community Involvement

• Mayor, City of Mesa 2014-2024
• Mesa Arts Center Foundation
• A New Leaf
• National Electric Vehicle Working Group
• Accelerator for America
• Former Chair of US Conference of Mayors’ Immigration Task Force
• Former Co-Chair Mayors and CEOs for U.S. Housing Involvement

Publications

• Multiple op-eds in The Arizona Republic, Arizona Capitol Times and East Valley Tribune
• Multiple guest appearances and interviews for CNN, FOX, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, New York Times, Wash-
  ington Post, Deseret News and more
• The Show, KJZZ, “For outgoing Mesa Mayor John Giles, 10 years flew by. Here are some of his favorite
  accomplishments” 2025
• The Arizona Republic, “Marathon man: John Giles leaves Mesa major’s job with a long legacy after a dec-
  ade in office.” M. Dominguez, 2025
• The Mesa Tribune, “John Giles reflects on decade as Mesa’s Major.” C. Chan, 2024
• ASU News, “Arizona’s newest ‘college town’ says farewell to Mayor John Giles.” A. DeGraw 2024
• The Arizona Republic, “Who is John Giles?” M. Dominguez, 2024

Speeches/Presentations

• AZ League of Cities and Towns, 2024 “Disagreeing without Being Disagreeable” launching Disagree Bet-
  ter Arizona
• Texas Tribue Fest, 2024, “Taking the Politics Out of Climate”
• Democratic National Convention, 2024, Primetime Speaker
• Aspen Institute, 2024, “Creating a World with People on the Spectrum; 2019, “Housing as a Social Deter-
  minant of Public Health”
• South by Southwest, 2024, “City Government’s Role in Divisive Politics,” 2018, “Local Regulation of Elec-
  tric Vehicles”
• Yale CEO Summit, 2024, 2022, 2019, Panelist and Participant
• Bloomberg City Lab, 2023, “Surge and the City: Facing the Challenge and Opportunity of Migration
  Locally”
• Harvard Bloomberg Mayors Institute, 2019, 2017, Panelist and Participant

Awards

• United Nations, “Sustainable Development Goals Innovation Award,” 2024
• Latino Leaders Network “Champion Award,” 2024
• Arizona Housing Coalition, “Housing Champion,” 2024
• Maricopa Community Colleges District, “Heroes of Education Award,” 2023
• Arizona Capitol Time, “Leader of the Year,” Government 2020
• East Valley Partnership, “Dwight Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award,’ 2018
• Mesa Citizen of the Year Association, “Mesa Man of the Year,” 2013
• Mesa United Way, “Volunteer of the Year,” 2005