PHOENIX, ARIZ. (July 1, 2024) — The Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED) has announced its new officers for 2024-2025.
The Executive Committee includes President Karla Moran, AZED Pro, President-Elect Jennifer Lindley, AZED Pro, Vice President Heath Vescovi-Chiordi, AZED Pro, Secretary and Treasurer Kristen Stephenson, CEcD, , and Immediate Past President Vincent “Skip” Becker, AZED Pro. Together, the new Executive Committee members bring more than 80 years of experience in economic development.
Moran is an Economic Development Principal with Salt River Project (SRP) and brings more than 20 years of economic development experience, including roles with the Arizona Department of Commerce, the Arizona Commerce Authority, and the Town of Gilbert. She is responsible for attracting and expanding business and industry within SRP’s service territory, providing site-specific electrical infrastructure identification and cost analysis, and working collaboratively alongside state, regional, and municipal partners to identify targeted company attraction, expansion, and retention efforts conducive to building a healthy economy to advance well-planned growth throughout the Valley.
Lindley is the Downtown Development Manager with the Town of Queen Creek and has over 17 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and economic development. She is responsible for co-founding AZ Downtowns, a group created to ensure better statewide collaboration and legislation for downtown development and redevelopment. She was recently named one of the Phoenix Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 award winners for 2022.
Vescovi-Chiordi serves as the Director of Economic Development for Pima County, focusing on economic development and workforce development initiatives. Vescovi-Chiordi brings 10 years of experience in economic development and is responsible for the attraction and retention of industry across Southern Arizona. Vescovi-Chiordi also acts as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Arizona, where he designed, implemented, and teaches a class in the University of Arizona School of Government and Public Policy which focuses on teaching the essentials of economic development and local government administration to Masters of Public Administration students. Heath was also named a 40 Under 40 Honoree by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2019.
Stephenson is the Senior Vice President, Research & Analytics with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) where she leads innovative research programs such as the community partnership program, market intelligence and competitor market analyses, while supporting the efforts of the business development and marketing teams. She brings over 20 years of economic development experience, including 18 with GPEC. She is an International Economic Development Council certified economic developer and was named 2023 Member of the Year by AAED.
As the Immediate Past President, Becker will remain on the Executive Committee and assist the board in its continuing efforts. Becker serves as the President of Becker Development and Consulting LLC, providing the resources and knowledge to help companies with site selection, project management, agribusiness development, and consulting needs. Becker is a nationally certified economic developer and was named the 2015 Developer of the Year by AAED.
AAED also elected seven members to its board of directors.
Elected for first term:
- Cameron Robb – Senior Economic Development Consultant, APS
- Melissa Johnson, AZED Pro – Director of Business Development & Marketing, Danson Construction
- Heath Anderson, AZED Pro – Outreach and Workforce Development Specialist, Western Electrical Contractors Association
Re-elected to a second term:
- James Smith, CEcD – Economic and Workforce Development Director, Pinal County
- Cutter Chamberlain, AZED Pro – Economic Development Administrator, Town of Prescott Valley
- Kristen Hall, CEcD, AZED Pro – Business Attraction Project Manager, City of Surprise
Re-elected to a third term:
- Tim Suan – Deputy Town Manager, Town of Wickenburg
The board members were approved at AAED’s Annual Spring Conference, which was held on April 26 in Lake Havasu City. They began their positions on July 1.