NW Valley Times

The American Mining Hall of Fame has honored Mila Besich, the mayor of Superior, Arizona, and a Grand Canyon University (GCU) alumna. Besich attended GCU as an online student while managing her responsibilities as a working mother. Her experience at GCU taught her effective time management and communication skills, which have been beneficial in her role as mayor.

Besich is also the executive director of the Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition and serves on several committees related to city governance and environmental resources. She has strong ties to her hometown, demonstrated by her roles with local news publishers and recreational trail initiatives.

Reflecting on her journey, Besich shared how she maintains organization: “I write one big list for the month of what needs to get done and add and subtract to that list every day.” This approach helped her balance raising children with starting Miracle Executive Services, a business offering virtual assistant services.

Her flexibility has been crucial in handling unexpected changes in her schedule as mayor. Besich's commitment to the mining industry was recognized with a Special Citation Award at the 42nd American Mining Hall of Fame ceremony. She was acknowledged for advocating for projects like the Resolution Copper Project near Superior.

Besich credits GCU for enhancing her communication skills, enabling her success in public service and business. “So it really required me to learn a lot about our federal policies, state policies, mining policies, economic policies – a lot of policies – and actively participate,” she said.

Vicky Peacey from Resolution Copper praised Besich's efforts in promoting energy transition discussions involving copper companies. Besich began her higher education journey in 1996 before returning to complete a communications degree at GCU in 2013. She emphasizes that GCU's program allowed seamless integration into her busy life.

“Most important, there were so many lessons from my communications degree that have helped me become a better mayor,” Besich noted regarding the impact of her education on leadership abilities.

Mark Gonzales from GCU News contributed to this report.