Governor Ducey appoints Tucson Hispanic Chamber CEO to ACC

Last week Governor Ducey appointed former Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce CEO Lea Marquez Peterson to the Arizona Corporation Commission, filling Andy Tobin’s vacancy after his appointment as Director of the Arizona Department of Administration.

“I want to thank Lea Marquez Peterson for answering this call to public service,” Governor Ducey said in a statement. “Lea brings a unique and important voice to Arizona’s Corporation Commission. Lea is extensively involved in the Southern Arizona community, having led the largest Latino business organization in Arizona, and brings decades of leadership experience that has earned her bipartisan accolades.”

Peterson served as the CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce between 2009 and 2018 and led the organization to immense growth and achievements. During her tenure, the chamber grew from 300 member businesses to more than 1,800, making it the largest Latino business organization in Arizona.

“It really worked by servicing our members, which are primarily small businesses,” Marquez Peterson said. “We expanded beyond Tucson and operated chambers in Douglas, Sierra Vista, and Nogales, and we were able to provide education advocacy, training, and consulting to small businesses throughout the region, which is very valuable to the small business community and allowed us to grow our small business community.”

Under her leadership, the chamber was voted the National Hispanic Chamber of the Year in 2013. These accomplishments led Marquez Peterson to receive a Top Latino Award by the National Latino Leadership Conference in 2017.

With her vast experience, Marquez Peterson is looking forward to her tenure as the next ACC commissioner.

“I think my past experience as a small business owner and the chamber leader will be very valuable,” she said. “We want to do all we can to ensure that we do business in Arizona and that our economy continues to thrive. The role of the commission is quite large when it comes to the incorporation of businesses, and I think I could really lend my voice of what it’s taken for me and my members of the chamber in the past.”

Marquez Peterson is passionate about many projects within the ACC, but because of her background, she is most excited for its anticipated web portal for businesses. “I know there has been discussion about a web portal for businesses that are in our state to get licenses, get incorporated, and so on — I feel passionate about that and would love to see that come to fruition,” she said.

Marquez Peterson emphasizes that she is just like any other Arizona citizen. And because of that, she understands and resonates with many of the concerns and thoughts of citizens throughout the state.

“Like any Arizonan, I pay electricity bills, water bills, sewer bills, and so on, so I have a vested interest in ensuring that we provide reliable and affordable services to people within our state,” she said. “I will truly be a voice for rural Arizona as well as the Tucson region and the rest of the state while working for the ACC. I’m really proud to be able to represent Arizonans and businesses of all sizes throughout the state.”