Hobbs appoints 26 members to Arizona-Mexico Commission; 8 are holdovers from Ducey panel

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Gov. Katie Hobbs on Thursday announced her slate of appointees to the Arizona-Mexico Commission, an economic and cultural development group whose previous board of directors Hobbs summarily dismissed six months ago.

The group of 26 board members includes eight returning members who had served under former Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican. The members come from six of Arizona's 15 counties and work in a mix of industries, from higher education, economic and real estate development, the law, arts, utilities, healthcare and marketing.

The Governor's Office said the new board includes more women than previously had served at the same time, and that the commission would have an international meeting this fall after going four years without one.

“Mexico is a major economic and cultural partner,” Hobbs said in a statement. “These appointees have the expertise needed to ensure we leverage that partnership to create jobs and grow the economy, promote cultural exchange, and keep every community safe."

Hobbs announced the new board exactly six months after she dismissed all 31 former members on Feb. 17, and after criticism from two former members that the delay was costing relationships with Mexico. Former board members received a surprise email notifying them of their dismissal on a Friday afternoon in February as Hobbs was in Mexico for an unannounced meeting with officials, including Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo.

The housecleaning was largely seen as Hobbs, then in her second month as governor, putting her stamp on the administration. Ducey named several GOP allies to the board at the end of his term. One of those, former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, a Mesa Republican, will return under Hobbs' tenure.

Hobbs' mark on the commission is beginning to take shape with the naming of new members. Notable newcomers are Jack McCain, son of Arizona's longtime U.S. senator, who works as a lobbyist for American Airlines, and Jim Pederson, the former head of the Arizona Democratic Party and founder of Pederson Group Inc., the shopping center developer.

Members that bring new experience to the commission include Donna Valdés, executive director of a cultural group supporting Mexican and Indigenous artists called Xico; Yimin Wang, vice provost for global affairs at Northern Arizona University; Ayensa Millan, an immigrant from Puerto Peñasco whose Phoenix law firm helps international businesses move to the United States; and Javier Duran, a professor of border studies at the University of Arizona's Center for Latin American Studies.

"I think the most important role is to serve as an advisory commission to the governor where we can really dig deep into policy," Millan said, identifying trade, infrastructure, economic development and workforce issues as top priorities.

Duran, who has studied the border for decades, said the commission could tackle energy and climate change issues in addition to economic development, which has long been associated with the commission's mission.

"I think there is more intentional conversation, more direct conversations related to collaboration," Duran said of the relationship going forward between Arizona and Sonora, the Mexican state that shares a border with Arizona. "From where I'm coming from I see a lot of opportunity in enhancing and elevating the collaboration between the university systems in Arizona and Sonora. I believe there is tremendous opportunity to have a more robust and more fluid exchange of our students."

Hobbs has said she wanted to have a "clean start" and rebuild relationships with Mexican leaders, though multiple former board members  — who were not reappointed to the commission though they reapplied  — said they were not aware of a need to repair relations.

The six-decade-old commission serves as a networking arm between Arizona and Mexico, in particular Sonora, focusing on trade and economic issues. It works with a sister commission with a similar name in Sonora. Together, the commissions oversee 16 committees that tackle topics from transportation and health care to commerce and technology.

“This is a great time to re-launch this mechanism of collaboration under the leadership of Gov. Hobbs and Gov. Durazo, who jointly promote projects of shared vision in search of improving economic, social and cultural aspects for the inhabitants of our region," David Figueroa, the Sonoran state government's representative in Arizona, said in a statement provided by the Governor's Office. Durazo was elected in June 2021.

According to a list provided by the Governor's Office, new members are:

• James Ahlers, Maricopa County, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

• Adam Brake, Cochise County, health care industry

• Chris Camacho, Maricopa County, Greater Phoenix Economic Council

• Gema Duarte Luna, Maricopa County, Luna Valencia

• Javier Duran, Pima County, University of Arizona

• Laura Franco French, Maricopa County, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

• Arturo Gabaldón, Pima County, Community Water Company of Green Valley

• Buna George, Yuma County, Greater Yuma Port Authority

• Mignonne Hollis, Cochise County, Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation

• Rhett Larson, Maricopa County, Arizona State University

• Vicki Mayo, Maricopa County, Global Market Innovators

• Jack McCain, Maricopa County, American Airlines

• Ayensa Millan, Maricopa County, CIMA Law Group

• Tim Nelson, Maricopa County, Nelson Law Group PLLC

• Jim Pederson, Maricopa County, Pederson Group Inc.

• Donna Valdés, Maricopa County, Xico

• Guillermo Valencia, Santa Cruz County, Valencia International Inc.

• Yimin Wang, Coconino County, Northern Arizona University

Returning members are:

• Erik Bakken, Pima County, Tucson Electric Power

• Former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Maricopa County, RWB Worldwide

• Jaime Chamberlain, Santa Cruz County, Chamberlain Distributing, Inc.

• Julie Engel, Yuma County, Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp.

• Molly Greene, Maricopa County, Salt River Project

• Rana Lashgari, Maricopa County, Arizona Municipal Solutions LLC

• Andrés Martínez, Maricopa County, Arizona State University

• Todd Sanders, Maricopa County, Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce

Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gov. Katie Hobbs names new slate for Arizona-Mexico Commission