2021 State of the District
Each year, the Tempe Chamber of Commerce presents the State of the District, a federal update with Arizona’s 9th District U.S. Representative. This year’s event was an interactive live broadcast with Congressman Greg Stanton, who provided a comprehensive update on federal issues affecting our district, state and country.
This year’s program was sponsored by FOX and was held on Thursday, March 11th, at 9:00 a.m. In addition to Congressman Stanton’s address, the program included questions from different sectors of the chamber’s business community.
2021 Sustainability Summit
On April 2, 2021, the Tempe Chamber of Commerce held its annual Sustainability Forum. The Tempe Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Sustainability Summit, part of the Emerging Issues series sponsored by SRP, was an hour packed with informative and influential speakers who discussed emerging sustainability issues and solutions for Tempe businesses.
The first part of the summit was an interview with Chuck Chaitovitz, the vice president for Environmental Affairs and Sustainability at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Jen Coyne, CEO and co-founder of the organizational development firm The PEAK Fleet and co-chair of the Tempe Chamber of Sustainability Committee, spoke with Chaitovitz about the Biden Administration’s focus on climate and infrastructure. They also discussed key policies that can help the business community in building resilience and how clean energy can impact employment challenges.
The second part of the summit was a panel led by Braden Kay, Ph.D., director of Sustainability for the City of Tempe, which expounded on the importance of partnerships and collaboration. Dr. Kay spoke with Tracee Sutton, U.S. Congressman Stanton’s legislative director and deputy chief of staff; Emma Viera, executive director of Unlimited Potential, a local nonprofit that works to strengthen the South Phoenix community through literacy, education and self-empowerment; and Lauren Withycombe-Keeler, an Arizona State University professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society. Each panelist brought a specific point of view to help businesses better understand potential partnerships and opportunities for sustainable development.
For more information on the Tempe Chamber’s sustainability program, visit https://tempe.pledge.green/.
2021 Red, White & Blue Awards
The Tempe Chamber Military Affairs Committee hosted its third Annual Red, White & Blue Awards Ceremony on April 14, 2021. The live broadcast event recognized stellar members of our local military through scholarships and special recognition awards.
Awards Included:
Sgt. Alfredo “Freddy” Jimenez – Kyle Brayer Veteran in Public Safety Award
SMSgt. James Smith – 944th Fighter Wing “Graydon Williams Award”
CM2 (SCW) Joseph Edward Flores – Navy Operational Support “BUC Joel E. Baldwin Memorial Award”
Captain Cody Bown – 63rd Fighter Squadron “Trip Grace Memorial Award”
Scholarships Included:
Gil Ruiz, U.S. Marine Veteran/ASU Student – The Merle Fister Veteran Scholarship
Cadet Laura O’Donnell – ASU ROTC Scholarship – Army
MIDN Christopher Turcott – ASU ROTC Scholarship – Navy
Cadet Stephen Epp – ASU ROTC Scholarship – Air Force
For more information about our Military Affairs Committee, visit https://tempechamber.org/committees.
2021 Leadership Conference & Virtual Expo
On May 14, 2021, nearly 250 business professionals and community leaders participated in a live broadcast of the 26th Annual Leadership Conference & Virtual Expo, presented by Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital in partnership with the Women in Business Council. This year’s theme is “Leading by Example” and the conference was held as a live studio broadcast. The program included a progressive trivia contest, an online silent auction and the announcement of the 2021 Businesswoman of the Year recipient.
The Tempe Chamber of Commerce named Aneesah Nadir, Ph.D., as the 2021 Businesswoman of the Year. Dr. Nadir has lived, worked and worshipped in Tempe for more than 30 years. She is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Department of Social Work, where she taught for 17 years. Dr. Nadir is co-founder, and president of the Islamic Social Services Association–USA, a national nonprofit organization engaged in mental health advocacy and education headquartered in Arizona. She is the CEO of Dr. Aneesah Nadir & Associates, LLC, which provides diversity and inclusion education and training, as well as family life and premarital education programs. Two additional finalists recognized this year were Suzy Greenwood of Arizona Tax Advisors and Rosa Inchausti with the City of Tempe.
This year’s keynote was ASU Gammage Executive Director Coleen Jennings-Roggensack, who shared her path to leadership and how others can learn from how she leads by example in her organization. In addition, a moderated panel discussed how to build a diverse workforce, implement programs for those diverse groups and build a culture of inclusivity.
The 2021 Mentoring Program graduation rounded out this morning of leadership, conversation, and celebration. If you are interested in participating in this year’s Women in Business Council, contact us through the Chamber.
2021 Annual State of the Chamber & Annual Awards
On June 25, 2021, the Annual State of the Chamber was presented by Southwest Airlines. Celebrating 113 years, this year’s State of the Chamber was an interactive, live broadcast celebrating the Tempe Chamber’s dedication to the community, recognition of its volunteer leadership, and plans for the continued road to recovery.
We introduced the incoming board chair, Raveen Arora; the new board of directors, who include Nick Bastian, Mike Bradley, Laura Briscoe and Lisa Cavazos; and committee chairs while honoring those who are moving on from their terms of service. We had many milestone members to celebrate during this ceremony as well including 50-year members Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital, State Farm Insurance Companies and Lumen.
Congratulations to our 2021 award recipients:
Becton Dickinson, Business Excellence Award – Large Business Category
TerrainHopper, Business Excellence Award – Small Business Category
Bobby Zavala, Volunteer of the Year
Raveen Arora, Spirit of Tempe
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