What does Greater Phoenix Economic Council do?

The organization serves as a business advocacy and membership organization, representing member interests in policy development, providing networking opportunities, and supporting regional economic development initiatives through strategic partnerships and programming.

Who can become a member?

Membership is available to businesses, nonprofit organizations, and professionals operating in AZ. Member benefits include networking opportunities, advocacy representation, professional development resources, and participation in regional economic development initiatives.

How is the organization funded?

Funding comes primarily from membership dues, corporate sponsorships, program fees, and grants. Financial support enables the organization to provide member services, conduct advocacy work, and implement programs serving the regional business community.

How can I get involved?

Individuals and organizations can participate through membership, committee service, event attendance, and program sponsorship. The organization welcomes engagement from business leaders interested in supporting regional economic development and business advocacy priorities.

Greater Phoenix Economic Council

Phoenix, AZ · Founded 1989

Attracting and growing quality businesses to advance Greater Phoenix competitiveness

Primary audience

Business Members

Work area

Regional Advocacy

Topic

Economic Development

Contact

Chris Camacho

Website Contact

About Organization

Attracts and grows quality businesses and advocates for Greater Phoenix's competitiveness through business development, marketing, and policy initiatives. Based in Phoenix, AZ, GPEC serves as the regional economic development organization. Operating with $10.3 million in annual revenue and 47 employees plus 100 volunteers.

What They Focus On

Member Services

Provides networking opportunities, professional development resources, and support services for member organizations

Business Advocacy

Represents member interests in policy development and advocates for pro-business initiatives at local and state levels

Community Leadership

Develops business leadership capacity and facilitates collaboration on community priorities and regional challenges

Financial Information

Form 990 data showing organizational financial health and growth.

Revenue (2024)

$10.3M

+19.7% vs 2023

Expenses (2024)

$9.2M

+11.5% vs 2023

Assets (2024)

$11.0M

+13.4% vs 2023

Employees (2024)

-4.1% vs 2023

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Assets	Employees
2024	$10,338,550	$9,179,006	$11,038,156	47
2023	$8,638,924	$8,228,623	$9,735,425	49
2022	$9,013,171	$8,368,807	$7,119,312	50
2021	$7,545,492	$7,354,440	$6,926,984	48
2020	$7,256,157	$6,258,166	$5,751,370	40
2019	$6,965,030	$6,809,302	$5,472,151	48
2018	$6,540,079	$6,784,344	$4,503,250	50
2017	$6,084,709	$5,901,589	$4,752,101	45

Source: IRS Form 990 filings. All figures in USD.

01

Member Engagement

Identifies priority issues through stakeholder consultation and analysis of business community needs
02

Strategic Planning

Develops targeted initiatives based on member input and regional economic development priorities
03

Program Implementation

Executes programs through partnerships with member organizations and community stakeholders
04

Impact Assessment

Evaluates outcomes through member feedback and tracks progress toward organizational objectives

Programs and Initiatives

Services and programs offered by Greater Phoenix Economic Council

PROGRAM SUPPORT

Provides structured support and resources for program support initiatives across member organizations

For grant recipients exempt purposes

Coordinates for grant recipients exempt purposes efforts through strategic planning and implementation support

Business Advocacy

Represents business interests in policy development and legislative initiatives at state and local levels

Leadership Programs

Develops business leadership capacity through training, mentorship, and professional development opportunities

Economic Development

Promotes regional economic growth through strategic partnerships and development initiatives

Milestones

1989

Organization Founded

1989

Established to serve business community development and economic growth initiatives

2007

Regional Expansion

2007

Extended programming and membership services to serve broader regional business community

2024

Program Enhancement

2024

Launched enhanced member services and expanded advocacy initiatives for business community

2026

Continued Impact

2026

Maintains active programming serving member organizations and regional economic development priorities

Associated People

Board members, advisors, and key contributors

Board of Directors

Adam Goodman Director 1.00 hrs/week

Alexis Hermosillo Director 1.00 hrs/week

Amy Perry Director 1.00 hrs/week

Andre Kudelski Director 1.00 hrs/week

Andrew Geier Director 1.00 hrs/week

Andy Warren Director 1.00 hrs/week

Angela Creedon Director 1.00 hrs/week

Brad Vynalek Secretary 1.00 hrs/week

Brad Wright Director 1.00 hrs/week

Brett Johnson Director 1.00 hrs/week

Brian Jones Director 1.00 hrs/week

Brian Mueller Director 1.00 hrs/week

Brooke Westemeier Director 1.00 hrs/week

Cathy Teeter Director 1.00 hrs/week

Chris Brady Director 1.00 hrs/week

Chris Derose Director 1.00 hrs/week

Chris Grogan Director 1.00 hrs/week

Chris Koch Director 1.00 hrs/week

Chris Zaharis Director 1.00 hrs/week

Ciaran McMullan Director 1.00 hrs/week

Corey Berends Director 1.00 hrs/week

Corey Woods Director 1.00 hrs/week

Curtis Nielson Director 1.00 hrs/week

Daniel Barajas Director 1.00 hrs/week

Daniel Hendrickson Director 1.00 hrs/week

Daniel Keaveney Director 1.00 hrs/week

David Rousseau Director 1.00 hrs/week

Dea McDonald Director 1.00 hrs/week

Derrick Hall Chair 1.00 hrs/week

Ed Aaronson Director 1.00 hrs/week

Edward Carr Director 1.00 hrs/week

Eric Orsborn Director 1.00 hrs/week

Francis Najafi Director 1.00 hrs/week

James Currier Director 1.00 hrs/week

Jarett Brock Director 1.00 hrs/week

Jason Beck Director 1.00 hrs/week

Jeff Barton Director 1.00 hrs/week

Jeff Lowe Director 1.00 hrs/week

Jennifer Stein Director 1.00 hrs/week

Jennifer Zonneveld Director 1.00 hrs/week

Jessica Mefford-Miller Director 1.00 hrs/week

Joe Hughes Director 1.00 hrs/week

Joe Pizzillo Director 1.00 hrs/week

John Graham Director 1.00 hrs/week

Juan Rodriguez Director 1.00 hrs/week

Julia Wheatley Director 1.00 hrs/week

Kate Gallego Director 1.00 hrs/week

Kathleen Goeppinger Director 1.00 hrs/week

Kathryn Sorensen Director 1.00 hrs/week

Ken Vecchione Director 1.00 hrs/week

Keri Tignini Director 1.00 hrs/week

Kevin Hartke Director 1.00 hrs/week

Kevin Phelps Director 1.00 hrs/week

Kevin Tulipana Director 1.00 hrs/week

Kyle Steinbuch Director 1.00 hrs/week

Lisa Fitzgibbons Director 1.00 hrs/week

Marc Schmittlein Director 1.00 hrs/week

Mark Stewart Director 1.00 hrs/week

Mary Fedewa Director 1.00 hrs/week

Mathew Buchwald Director 1.00 hrs/week

Max Gonzales Director 1.00 hrs/week

Megan Ackaert Director 1.00 hrs/week

Michael Levault Director 1.00 hrs/week

Mike Cruz Director 1.00 hrs/week

Mike Goodman Director 1.00 hrs/week

Mike Pineda Director 1.00 hrs/week

Nancy Smith Director 1.00 hrs/week

Natascha Ovando-Karadsheh Director 1.00 hrs/week

Paul Luna Director 1.00 hrs/week

Paul Rivers Director 1.00 hrs/week

Peter Heck Director 1.00 hrs/week

Rachael Crump Director 1.00 hrs/week

Rick Watts Director 1.00 hrs/week

Ron Butler Treasurer 1.00 hrs/week

Roshy Didehban Director 1.00 hrs/week

Sally Morton Director 1.00 hrs/week

Scott Myers Director 1.00 hrs/week

Scott Phillips Director 1.00 hrs/week

Scott Spurgeon Director 1.00 hrs/week

Sharon Harper Director 1.00 hrs/week

Sheila Kloefkorn Director 1.00 hrs/week

Sonny Cave Director 1.00 hrs/week

Stephen Higgins Director 1.00 hrs/week

Steve Betts Director 1.00 hrs/week

Tammy McLeod Vice Chair 1.00 hrs/week

Ted Geisler Director 1.00 hrs/week

Thomas Galvin Director 1.00 hrs/week

Todd Laporte Director 1.00 hrs/week

Tomas Diaz De La Rubia Director 1.00 hrs/week

Tony Houston Director 1.00 hrs/week

Wendy Cohen Director 1.00 hrs/week

Will Rehrig Director 1.00 hrs/week

Christine Mackay President & CEO, Greater Phoenix Economic Council

Katie Barnes COO, City of Hope Phoenix

Scott Butler City Manager, City of Mesa

Dana Drew Shaw Vice President of Government Relations, Grand Canyon University

Anthony Houston Market President, Dignity Health (Common

André Kudelski Chairman & CEO, Kudelski Group

Jen Pokorski County Manager, Maricopa County

Dr. Joshua Baker President & CEO, Midwestern University

Rick Blake Senior Director, Commodities, Virgin Galactic

Michael Cruz Sr. Manager of Public Policy, Lucid Motors

Dr. Tomás Díaz de la Rubia Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation, University of Arizona

Mark Drayna Retired, FUJIFILM Electronic Materials

Jaye O’Donnell Director of Economic Development, City of Mesa

Richard Ra President, LG Energy Solution Arizona, Inc.

Dr. Kathryn Sorenson, Ph.D. Director of Research & Professor of Practice, Kyl Center for Water Policy

Ginger Sykes Torres Vice President of Resiliency Programs, Local First Arizona

Kenneth Vecchione President and CEO, Western Alliance Bank Corporation

Information compiled from IRS Form 990 and organizational materials.

Executive Compensation

Top compensated officers & key employees from IRS Form 990

Total Reported (2024)

$1.8M

Highest Paid

$736K

Chris Camacho

Compensated Officers

Name	Title	Base	Other	Total	Hrs/Wk
Chris Camacho	President/CEO	$648,736	$87,028	$735,764	40
Brad Smidt	SVP Of Business Development	$197,006	$29,745	$226,751	40
Thomas Maynard	SVP Of Business Development	$192,754	$21,456	$214,210	40
Maureen Howell	Chief Operating Officer	$188,677	$21,180	$209,857	40
Kathleen Lee	SVP Of Regional Initiatives	$179,205	$20,830	$200,035	40
Sean Fogarty	VP Of Business Development	$159,473	$18,812	$178,285	40

Name	Title	Base	Other	Total	Hrs/Wk
Chris Camacho	President & CEO	$657,485	$95,349	$752,834	40
Brad Smidt	SVP Business Development	$195,102	$16,206	$211,308	40
Thomas Maynard	SVP Business Development	$177,832	$11,570	$189,402	40
Kathleen Lee	SVP, Regional Initiatives	$168,623	$11,017	$179,640	40
Maureen Howell	Chief Of Staff	$153,611	$10,117	$163,728	40
Sean Fogarty	VP Business Development	$149,133	$9,848	$158,981	40

Name	Title	Base	Other	Total	Hrs/Wk
Chris Camacho	President & CEO	$626,000	$19,200	$645,200	40
Brad Smidt	SVP Business Development	$183,821	$19,561	$203,382	40
Thomas Maynard	SVP Business Development	$168,859	$11,032	$179,891	40
Kathleen Lee	SVP, Regional Initiatives	$161,724	$10,603	$172,327	40
Sean Fogarty	VP, International Business Development	$142,277	$8,762	$151,039	40

Name	Title	Base	Other	Total	Hrs/Wk
Chris Camacho	President/CEO	$505,500	$18,300	$523,800	40
Brad Smidt	SVP Business Development	$167,222	$18,565	$185,787	40
Colleen Schwab	SVP, Marketing & Communications	$165,550	$18,033	$183,583	40
Kathleen Lee	SVP, Regional Initiatives	$152,345	$10,041	$162,386	40
Stephane Frijia	SVP Strategy And Research	$137,463	$900	$138,363	40
Kristen Stephenson	SVP Research & Analytics	$128,865	$8,632	$137,497	40

Name	Title	Base	Other	Total	Hrs/Wk
Chris Camacho	President/CEO	$513,116	$50,404	$563,520	40
Sharon Hwang	COO (Resigned April 2021)	$223,825	$21,291	$245,116	40
Brad Smidt	SVP Business Development	$180,034	$22,205	$202,239	40
Stephane Frijia	SVP Strategy And Research	$159,205	$25,661	$184,866	40
Colleen Schwab	SVP, Marketing & Communications	$164,396	$17,230	$181,626	40
Kathleen Lee	SVP, Regional Initiatives	$154,140	$13,782	$167,922	40
Mitchel Allen-Rivera	VP Business Development	$149,351	$15,667	$165,018	40

Source: IRS Form 990 filings. Compensation includes base and other reported compensation.

Individual Political Donors

People from this organization who contributed to political campaigns

$2K Total Given

Democratic $1,900 (100%)

5 Contributions

$380 Avg Each

Top Individual Donors

2 Individual Donors

Timothy Bourcet 4 contributions • $400 avg

$1,600

Tim A Bourcet 1 contribution • $300 avg

$300

Quick Insights

🏆

Most Active Donor Timothy Bourcet with 4 contributions

💰

Highest Avg per Contribution Timothy Bourcet at $400 each

🎯

Top Recipient AQUI ESTAMOS PAC — $1,100

Data from Federal Election Commission • Individual contributions only

COVID-19 PPP Loans

Paycheck Protection Program (2020-2021)

Fully Forgiven

Total Approved

$555K

Total Forgiven

$560K

101% forgiven

Jobs Retained

Loan Details 1 loan

$554,900

Forgiven

Forgiven: $559,586 100%

Approved Apr 28, 2020

Lender MidFirst Bank

Jobs Reported 31

Forgiven On Mar 5, 2021

Source: Small Business Administration • Paycheck Protection Program (2020-2021)

Partners & Funders

Grant funding relationships from IRS Form 990 filings

$110K Grants Received

5 Organizations

Top Funders

5 total

Banner Health

$30K

Honorhealth

$30K

Arizona Community Foundation

$30K

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund

$13K

American Online Giving Foundation Inc.

$7K

Banner Health Honorhealth Arizona Community Foundation Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund American Online Giving Foundation Inc.

Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule I filings. Amounts may span multiple tax years.

Contact

Get in touch with Greater Phoenix Economic Council

Email

[email protected]

Phone

(602) 256-7700

Social

Visit Website

Two North Central Avenue 2500 Phoenix, AZ 850042389

Greater Phoenix Economic Council

What They Focus On

Financial Information

How They Work

Member Engagement

Strategic Planning

Program Implementation

Impact Assessment

Programs and Initiatives

PROGRAM SUPPORT

For grant recipients exempt purposes

Business Advocacy

Leadership Programs

Economic Development

Team & Leadership

Chris Camacho

Brad Smidt

Thomas Maynard

Maureen Howell

Kathleen Lee

Bill Gates

Cathleen Walker

Craig McFarland

Heidi Jannenga

Kyle Becton

Mike Canada

Ram Mayampurath

Sharron Grzybowski

Sean Fogarty

Milestones

Organization Founded

Regional Expansion

Program Enhancement

Continued Impact

Associated People

Board of Directors

Executive Compensation

Individual Political Donors

Top Individual Donors

Quick Insights

COVID-19 PPP Loans

Loan Details 1 loan

Partners & Funders

Top Funders

Related Organizations

Tax-Exempt Affiliates

Contact

Email

Phone

Social