On June 1, 2025, Jennifer Lindley officially assumed the presidency of the Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED). From the start, she and CEO Katie Hurst have been laying the groundwork for what they hope will be a landmark year for the state’s premier organization dedicated to advancing economic prosperity. Earlier in May, the Association issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to hire a consulting partner and received a remarkable response.
“We received a crazy number of submittals,” Lindley reveals, noting that the outreach generated interest well beyond Arizona’s borders. A volunteer selection committee is now reviewing proposals, with a finalist to be picked at AAED’s August board meeting. The consulting firm will then collaborate with AAED on shaping the strategic plan through late 2026.
Hurst emphasizes the significance of this moment—the last time AAED undertook this process was before COVID. Now, as Arizona transitions into a post‑pandemic phase, the team wants an external viewpoint to help them not just pivot but evolve. “We want to move into a post‑COVID era, as well as recognizing where economic development and AAED are now in these times versus five or six years ago,” she shares.
Strategic planning isn’t just a bureaucratic process; it’s a roadmap. Hurst and Lindley both recognize that while core goals like member value and organizational impact remain consistent, the trends shaping Arizona’s workforce, housing, and partnerships have shifted, and AAED intends to adapt. “We’ve got an exciting opportunity to listen deeply, and not just to our members,” Hurst says. “This plan should reflect not only where we want to go, but who we want to be.”
Educating tomorrow’s economic developers and helping today’s professionals stay ahead is a cornerstone of AAED’s mandate. Lindley’s focus centers on expanding educational opportunities across all career stages. The Association’s AZED Pro certification program, a state‑specific credential, provides six core courses, ranging from strategic planning to incentives and business retention, and one elective, to be completed within three years.
First launched in 2024, the Cohort program enables participants to complete this sequence in a single year, augmented with mentoring. Currently, the Professional Education Committee is exploring ways to reach pre‑career individuals via community colleges, highlighting economic development as a potential career path. This is part of a broader goal to strengthen mid‑career and executive‑level development.
“I’m focusing on what career development looks like for mid-career to senior‑level professionals, executive‑level career support,” Lindley explains. Given that economic developers need to know a little bit about a lot,” AAED is working to equip professionals with strategic insight across multiple disciplines: workforce, site selection, public‑private partnerships, and more.
In addition to AZED Pro, AAED holds regular half-day summits in various regions of the state which focus on specific areas of economic development. For example, the 2025 Phoenix Summit was focused on advocacy and legislation, and the upcoming Southern summit focuses on aerospace. These programs reflect AAED’s commitment to a continuum of learning from early entry stages to executive leadership.
Hurst highlights AAED’s collaboration efforts as vital in a complex political and professional landscape. She emphasizes that while Arizona’s economic developers each bring unique strengths, their collective voice carries more weight, especially in advocacy.
The February “Lunch on the Lawn” at the State Capitol exemplified this. AAED’s partners and members came together to promote economic development’s impact on quality of life with state legislators. Similarly, AAED’s Spring conference featured a novel Higher Education Roundtable cohosted by Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, Arizona Western College, and various municipalities. The session explored collaborations between cities and colleges, generating fresh ideas and content for attendees.
Looking ahead, AAED is targeting further alignment through emerging leader events and thematic forums. One sold‑out event in August with the Pinal Partnership will bring together their respective rising professionals for a tour of the Lucid plant. “These partnerships let us move from ideas to action,” Hurst explains. “It’s about showing up for each other and leveraging our shared vision to get real results.” These initiatives support AAED’s three pillars: educate, advocate, and collaborate, emphasizing that genuine progress comes through strategic partnerships.
It’s no secret that politics plays an outsized role in economic development. AAED’s Government Affairs Committee, its largest, is responsible for developing policy priorities, collaborating with a lobbying firm, and tracking legislation that affects the industry. Hurst clarifies AAED’s dual‑layer approach: annual policy priorities that align with the legislative calendar, and a set of overarching internal guidelines for long‑term posture. Recent advocacy efforts included reauthorizing the Arizona Commerce Authority, central to state economic projects, while workforce development and competitiveness are persistent priorities.
Certain issues require nimble responses beyond annual plans. AAED leverages its guidelines to pivot and respond in real time. While the organization refrains from prescribing policy outcomes on certain issues, such as data center regulation, it positions itself as an educator, helping members and public officials understand issues so communities can make informed decisions.
This stance, combining humility with impact, reflects AAED’s state‑wide orientation. As Hurst puts it, “We do not take a position on whether data centers are good or bad. We want to make sure communities have the best education and knowledge so they can make the decision for themselves.”
Annual member surveys culminate in AAED’s “State of Economic Development Report,” over 100 respondents strong. Recent editions have identified top challenges facing Arizona’s economic developers: housing affordability, workforce retention, building availability, and community pushback or NIMBYism. Housing and workforce remain deeply intertwined; with limited housing, it becomes difficult to attract and retain workers who, in turn, require childcare, transportation, and amenities to settle. Hurst sums it up: “Housing availability, workforce retention, expansion, and childcare are all this giant ball that’s very difficult to unwind.”
Further complicating the picture are rural Arizona’s struggles with building availability. Unlike metro Phoenix, small towns lack ready space, creating barriers to economic attraction.
Another disruptive factor is community resistance. As Hurst notes, NIMBYism has surged and can stall projects ranging from industrial parks to commercial developments. AAED plans to provide tools, training, and public education to help practitioners better frame development initiatives as enhancements to quality of life and community branding.
For Lindley, this work is deeply personal; as an economic developer, she rarely gets to see projects through from concept to ribbon‑cutting, but she’s laying foundations for futures that will outlive her tenure. She also sees education and collaboration as cornerstones of success. “If we’re doing our jobs right, we’re creating impact that might not be visible for five, 10, or even 20 years,” she reflects. “But that doesn’t make it any less critical.” It’s a long‑term commitment to improving quality of life across generations.
Hurst echoes that sentiment. Economic development, she insists, touches everyone’s lives, from city managers and planners to utilities and educators. AAED’s events, which are open to the public, range from breakfast panels to facility tours, welcoming anyone invested in Arizona’s competitiveness. At its core, AAED remains a community builder. It invites participation across levels, from elected officials to emerging talent. Nearly all events are public; non‑members may join at a nominal cost.
What does success look like at the end of this term? For Lindley, it’s about execution, a fresh strategic plan shaped by external insights, a robust pipeline of educational programs at multiple levels, improved member engagement, and enhanced awareness of economic development’s role in Arizona’s future. “I want us to be a resource people turn to, not just during conferences, but year‑round,” she says. “If we’ve done that, I think we’ve won.”
Hurst adds that real success lies in influence through stronger coalitions, meaningful policy wins, and public trust. She hopes AAED can build a measured reputation as an educator-first voice on contentious issues, with statewide representation that accounts for both metro and rural nuance.
Both leaders take a panoramic view: this work is not a sprint, but a marathon. And for them, every mile in this season is a continuation of the journey they’ve been running since 1974, supporting economic development professionals, shaping policy, and strengthening Arizona’s communities for decades to come.
As AAED embarks on its strategic renewal, expands its educational outreach, forges new partnerships, and tackles the complexities of policy and development head‑on, it underscores an essential truth: economic development is about more than projects; it’s about people, place, and the promise of tomorrow.
Whether you’re a city official, a business leader, a student, or a local resident concerned about data centers or housing policy, AAED’s doors are open. Its evolving strategic plan aims not only to elevate economic developers but to inform and engage broader communities. As Hurst so aptly puts it, “If you’re passionate about seeing Arizona remain competitive, we would love to have you involved.”
Indeed, in this marathon of growth, collaboration is the baton and AAED is passing it on.
