Leadership Team
Peter Gentala
President
Center for Arizona Policy
Peter Gentala is the President of Center for Arizona Policy.
By far, the best thing about Peter is that he is married to Allison Gentala. Peter and Allison have been married for 27 years. Their greatest love, joy, and pride is their eight children.
Peter’s professional lifework focuses on the intersection between law and policy. He has litigated constitutional, public-law, and victim-advocacy cases at every level of the federal court system, including two cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. In the realm of public policy, he has served as professional staff to elected lawmakers and has authored or co-authored countless pieces of proposed and enacted legislation, including state constitutional provisions.
Peter’s calling as a lawyer began at the Alliance Defending Freedom, where he represented individuals who were targeted for living out their faith in Jesus.
Center for Arizona Policy brought Peter into the world of public policy. He initially served at CAP from 2004 to 2008 under CAP’s two prior Presidents, Len Munsil and Cathi Herrod.
For seven years, Peter served as the General Counsel of the Arizona House of Representatives, a role he held in the administrations of three different Speakers of the House. During this time, Peter was also the policy advisor for the Judiciary and Rules Committees.
Protecting vulnerable children is one of Peter’s main passions. From 2015 to 2020, Peter was the General Counsel and Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Childhelp—one of the oldest and largest nonprofit organizations focused on the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse. Peter has also served as an appointed member of the Community Advisory Committee of the Arizona Department of Child Safety and on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Child and Family Advocacy Network, an organization dedicated to supporting the multidisciplinary teams that treat the victims of criminal child abuse. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Christian Family Care.
Most recently before returning to CAP, Peter served at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center as Senior Legal Counsel, where he represented survivors of abuse and exploitation in court and encouraged federal and state lawmakers to bring accountability to exploiters—and those who profit from or facilitate exploitation.
Peter’s bachelors’ degree is from Dallas Baptist University. Peter’s law degree is from Regent University, where he also received a Master’s Degree in Public Policy.
“For me, the best part of being a lawyer is learning more about the heart of the best lawyer—Jesus Christ. I’m glad He is my advocate. He’s the only one who could ever successfully plead my case.”
Allison MacMurtrie
Chief of Staff
Center for Arizona Policy
Allison MacMurtrie is Chief of Staff at Center for Arizona Policy (CAP), a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to promoting and defending the foundational values of life, marriage and family, and religious freedom. Since CAP’s founding presence at the Arizona Capitol in 1996, 201 CAP-supported measures have been passed into law.
Allison joined CAP in 2013 and has grown with the organization, serving first as Executive Assistant, then Operations Director, and now Chief of Staff. In her current role, she leads day-to-day planning and operations across the organization and oversees all administrative, financial, and internal functions. Known for her calm presence and strategic mind, Allison helps prioritize key issues, streamline internal processes, and ensure that CAP’s team is well-supported to stay focused on its mission.
Before entering the nonprofit world, Allison spent more than 20 years in the private sector, starting her career in human resources for a manufacturing company. She went on to work in operations, marketing, accounting, and HR across a range of industries, and even launched and ran a couple of small businesses—an experience that sharpened her entrepreneurial spirit and people skills.
Allison holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Arizona State University. A native of Illinois, she has called Arizona home since her teenage years. She is the proud mother of two adult daughters and a joyful grandmother to one granddaughter.
Bob Trent
Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Center for Arizona Policy
Bob Trent serves as Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Center for Arizona Policy, where he leads public and media outreach efforts to advance CAP’s mission of promoting life, marriage and family, and religious freedom in Arizona.
Before joining CAP, Bob served as Senior Vice President of External Affairs at PrePass Safety Alliance. There, he led communications and government relations initiatives that supported transportation safety and innovation nationwide. His work included shaping legislative strategy across multiple states, building coalitions with industry stakeholders, and strengthening the organization’s public voice on key regulatory issues.
Earlier in his career, Bob was Vice President of Communications at ADF, where he directed national media efforts around landmark legal cases, including those before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also hosted Freedom Matters, a podcast focused on legal and policy trends.
Bob’s background in journalism as a news anchor for KTAR News 92.3 provided him with a practical, real-world approach to communications. His work consistently bridges the gap between complex policy and everyday meaning and understanding.
He graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a degree in History and completed advanced studies in Eastern Europe at the University of Sts. Kiril and Metodij, Skopje. Bob is a member of Christ’s Church of the Valley and remains active in marriage ministries and civic and professional organizations.
The greatest blessing in Bob’s life is his family. He’s been married to his wonderful wife, Michele, for nearly three decades. Together they’ve raised two daughters and a son and now have four vibrant grandchildren who keep them young, tired, and endlessly joyful.