President, Branding & Digital Presence Committee Chair
Southwest Solutions AZ, Inc., Creative Director
Vera Minot is one of the partners at Southwest Solutions, a 4-time Readers' Choice Award winning custom marketing materials company. Everyone has a...
Vice-President, Media Liaison, Membership Committee Chair
Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona, Director of Pilot Programs
Joanna Marroquin is a bilingual and bicultural Arizonan and community advocate. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Work with a policy, administra...
Board Member
The Urban Infill Project, Managing Partner
Meet Lisa, the driving force behind Sonoran Development Consultants, synonymous with expertise in urban development. With a rich history starting i...
Board Member
Sonoran Institute, Marketing Manager
Melissa Cordero joined Sonoran Institute in October 2022 as Marketing Manager. Locked into the mission of Sonoran Institute to save our rivers, she...
Board Member
The Fern Grove Spa, Owner
Originally from Wisconsin, Amanda moved to Arizona in 2016 as a military spouse and decided to stay post-military life. Bored with her career in te...
Board Member
David Oase, CPA, PC, Senior Accountant
Chad grew up in Vail, Colorado skiing, ranching, and doing bookkeeping for his mother’s retail stores. He moved to Eugene, Oregon in 2004 to begin ...
Board Member
Data inspired Sr. marketing director with in-depth knowledge of the full brand value chain from strategy to content to metrics and analytics across...
Board Member
MindStrong Fitness, CEO
Rachel is the CEO of MindStrong Fitness, a lover of lifting heavy things up and down, and a coach passionate about helping others unleash their s...
Board Member
Forage Hair Co, Salon Owner
Shaye (she/they) is a salon owner, educator, and haircutting specialist. They opened Forage Hair Co as a safer space salon, prioritizing low-toxic ...
Vera Minot
President, Branding & Digital Presence Committee Chair
Southwest Solutions AZ, Inc., Creative Director
Vera Minot is one of the partners at Southwest Solutions, a 4-time Readers' Choice Award winning custom marketing materials company. Everyone has a unique story to tell, and she is excited to use her background and life experience to help her customers tell their stories to their audience in creative, fresh, and effective ways. Putting the fun in functional!
Vera joined the Board Member to use her specific strengths to help advance this organization in terms of both what it brings to its members (therefore increasing membership & allyship at large) but also in terms of how the Chamber presents as a community leader, as an example to the entire Tucson business community. This organization exists at a unique intersection of business and something deeply personal, leaving the Board in an opportunity space Vera doesn’t want to see the organization squander through inaction or fear of change.
Joanna Marroquin
Vice-President, Media Liaison, Membership Committee Chair
Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona, Director of Pilot Programs
Joanna Marroquin is a bilingual and bicultural Arizonan and community advocate. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Work with a policy, administration & community focus from Arizona State University. Joanna is involved in community in a lot of different ways as a non-profit leader, a transformative mediator, facilitator, and adjunct faculty. Her passion has been in working with community for over seventeen years empowering individuals and families while promoting social justice and economic equity in urban & rural communities throughout Arizo In her downtime she enjoys music, traveling, podcasts, spending time with family, friends and her sweet little mini schnauzer, Frida.
Lisa Bowers
Board Member
The Urban Infill Project, Managing Partner
Meet Lisa, the driving force behind Sonoran Development Consultants, synonymous with expertise in urban development. With a rich history starting in 2001, she bridged the gap between clients and officials in Metro Tucson. In 2023, Lisa partnered with Valerie Lane to establish The Urban Infill Project, addressing housing needs in Southern Arizona. A Tucson native, Lisa is devoted to supporting local designers, ensuring their visions become reality by navigating complex processes. Her prowess lies in smooth permitting and fostering collaboration between teams and municipalities. Respected and sought-after, Lisa's dedication to intelligent urban growth leaves a lasting legacy of progress.
Milan Calendine
Board Member
Marketing
Melissa Cordero
Board Member
Sonoran Institute, Marketing Manager
Melissa Cordero joined Sonoran Institute in October 2022 as Marketing Manager. Locked into the mission of Sonoran Institute to save our rivers, she works hard to increase visibility and fundraise to restore flowing rivers, healthy landscapes, and enable all people and nature to thrive. She believes there is a deep connection between natural resource conservation, economic prosperity, and you! On a personal note, Melissa can fly a helicopter, play rugby, and is originally from Guam. More importantly, Melissa is here to serve underrepresented communities & cultures to remove ignorance because everyone deserves to be happy and safe.
Amanda Pederson
Board Member
The Fern Grove Spa, Owner
Originally from Wisconsin, Amanda moved to Arizona in 2016 as a military spouse and decided to stay post-military life. Bored with her career in technical project management and seeing a need for inclusive skin care in the Tucson community, she went to esthetician school and opened The Fern Grove Spa in 2021. She enjoys a variety of crafty hobbies, always has an audiobook or podcast playing, and likes spending time with her husband, young son, and cat.
Chad Denson
Board Member
David Oase, CPA, PC, Senior Accountant
Chad grew up in Vail, Colorado skiing, ranching, and doing bookkeeping for his mother’s retail stores. He moved to Eugene, Oregon in 2004 to begin his college education, but was drawn to the desert and the University of Arizona when visiting his father in 2007. Chad moved to Tucson and finished his degree in Accounting at the UofA in 2010 and has been working in small to mid-sized accounting firms ever since. Chad is fascinated by taxation and helping individuals and business owners maximize profits, while legally minimizing their tax liabilities. In his free time, Chad can be found enjoying Arizona’s wilderness areas with his German Shepherds, Heidi and Klauss, taking day trips on his motorcycle, and volunteering with Rotary International, as well as the Arivaca Community Internet Cooperative. Chad is also a die-hard Arizona Wildcats Basketball fan.
Emilah DeToro
Board Member
Emilah Dawn DeToro - Intuitive | Coach | Energy Healer | Pet Psychic, Intuitive | Coach | Energy Healer | Pet Psychic
Astrologers tell me I’m here to live a spiritual life—to go deep, burn off karma (inherited patterns of behavior), heal the trauma I carry within me, and evolve into a more authentic, healthy expression of my soul.
That’s my experience for sure. Always learning, growing, identifying things that no longer work, letting them go, and stepping into a better, fuller version of myself. And then doing it again in a different area of my life—career, relationships, health, or spirituality.
Yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda have nourished me for over two decades as have the teachings of Adyashanti, Brené Brown, Nonviolent Communication, and New Thought. I love nature and animals of all kinds. I'm married to Jacob Gotwals, a psychotherapist and seeker himself. I'm grateful to be back in Tucson after 17 years in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
James Kasprzyk
Board Member
Data inspired Sr. marketing director with in-depth knowledge of the full brand value chain from strategy to content to metrics and analytics across channels and activities available for freelance marketing projects. Naturally curious mindset with affinity toward experimentation, analytics and appropriate risk taking. I bring a unique combination of hands on creative abilities, big picture business acumen, storytelling and leadership skills. Demonstrated ability to effectively manage and build teams in a fast paced, high growth, remote environments.
Rachel Freiman
Board Member
MindStrong Fitness, CEO
Rachel is the CEO of MindStrong Fitness, a lover of lifting heavy things up and down, and a coach passionate about helping others unleash their strongest, most empowered selves through education and mindset training. She has more than fifteen years of classroom instruction, and certifications in personal training, sports nutrition, and behavior modification and has studied the Neuroscience of Nutrition under the renowned Dr. Nicole Avena, visiting professor of Neuroscience at Princeton University. Rachel is the author of the bestselling book Becoming MindStrong: The Truth About Health, Fitness, and the Bullsh*t That’s Holding You Back. When she’s not in the gym, Rachel enjoys exploring the world, snuggling with her puppy, Charlie, eating, and thinking about the next time she'll be eating.
Shaye McCane
Board Member
Forage Hair Co, Salon Owner
Shaye (she/they) is a salon owner, educator, and haircutting specialist. They opened Forage Hair Co as a safer space salon, prioritizing low-toxic products and eco-conscious practices.