Retired Arizona Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP; Board Director, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE), i-80 Gold Corp (NYSE/TSX)
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Ron Butler is an accomplished leader and recently retired as EY’s Arizona Managing Partner. With 34 years of diverse management and executive leadership experience, Ron is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 C-suite executives, corporate boards, and audit committees across a broad range of industries, including professional services, technology, energy, mining and metals, and consumer products. His expertise spans, financial and strategic planning, operational effectiveness, digital transformation, and corporate governance, qualifying him to serve as a financial expert. Ron began his career in 1991 with KPMG LLP in the Phoenix office. He joined Ernst & Young LLP (EY) in 1995, becoming a Partner in 2004 and Managing Partner of the Arizona Practice in 2008. Ron also served as EY’s U.S. Mining & Metals Leader from 2022 until his retirement. He has advised a diverse group of public and privately held companies, ranging from middle-market to large multinational corporations. As the...
Ron Butler is an accomplished leader and recently retired as EY’s Arizona Managing Partner. With 34 years of diverse management and executive leadership experience, Ron is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 C-suite executives, corporate boards, and audit committees across a broad range of industries, including professional services, technology, energy, mining and metals, and consumer products. His expertise spans, financial and strategic planning, operational effectiveness, digital transformation, and corporate governance, qualifying him to serve as a financial expert.
Ron began his career in 1991 with KPMG LLP in the Phoenix office. He joined Ernst & Young LLP (EY) in 1995, becoming a Partner in 2004 and Managing Partner of the Arizona Practice in 2008. Ron also served as EY’s U.S. Mining & Metals Leader from 2022 until his retirement. He has advised a diverse group of public and privately held companies, ranging from middle-market to large multinational corporations.
As the leader of EY’s Arizona Practice for sixteen years (2008-2024), Ron oversaw a team of over 500 audit, tax, consulting, and transaction services professionals and staff. Under his leadership, the EY Phoenix office grew by more than 500%. As EY’s U.S. Mining & Metals Leader, Ron drove national strategy, client and business growth, and strategic positioning, resulting in over 100% growth in the practice during his tenure. He also served as a senior member of EY’s West Region Executive Leadership Team.
In his role as Arizona Managing Partner, Ron led EY’s growth initiatives focused on new service offerings and strategic business ventures. These efforts included cost reduction strategies, real estate optimization, and technology enablement. Other initiatives included cloud enablement, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.
Throughout his career, Ron gained extensive experience in the boardroom, working with Audit Committees and Boards on a range of complex issues, including IPOs, M&A, digital transformation, cost reduction, cybersecurity, governance, and enterprise risk management. This experience encompasses over 30 years and hundreds of Board and Audit Committee meetings.
As a community leader, Ron has held senior governance roles across prominent professional and civic organizations. He served as Chairman of the Board for the Arizona Community Foundation, Downtown Phoenix Partnership, Expect More Arizona, and Teach for America – Phoenix. He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Education Forward Arizona and as an Executive Board Member of the Ellis Center for Educational Excellence. Ron is also a member of the University of Arizona Eller College National Board of Advisors. Other notable community involvement included the boards of the Arizona Science Center, Barrow Neurological Foundation, Phoenix Art Museum, and Make-A-Wish Arizona.
In 2023, Ron was appointed to the Transition Team for Arizona Governor-elect Katie Hobbs and in 2024 served on the Executive Committee for the City of Phoenix’s $500 million General Obligation Bond Program—the first voter-approved bond initiative in nearly two decades.
Committed to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, Ron was named Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s “Man of the Year,” one of the “Most Admired Leaders” by the Phoenix Business Journal, and Arizona Business Magazine’s “Most Influential Leader – Accounting.”
Ron received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accountancy from the University of Arizona. He was the recipient of the University of Arizona Eller College Outstanding Alumnus (2024) and the University of Arizona Alumni Association Sidney S. Woods Alumni Service Award (2015). Ron is a licensed CPA in the State of Arizona and a member of the Arizona Society of CPAs and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Ron is also a member of the World 50 Group, Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA) and National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
Ron is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Pinnacle West Capital Corporation/Arizona Public Service (NYSE: PNW) and is the chairman of the audit committee and member of the human resources and nominating and governance committees. Additionally, Ron is a member of the Board of Directors of i-80 Gold Corp (NYSE American: IAUX) and is the chairman of the audit committee and a member of the compensation committee.
