Sandra Watson: Driving Arizona's Economic Future

Sandra Watson is the President & CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA): the highest-ranking economic development office in the State of Arizona.

Since Sandra started her position in 2012, she's brought more than $172 billion in capital investments with the creation of more than 297,000 quality jobs across the Valley.

And all that started with Sandra's internship at the Chandler Chamber.

Hear Sandra's story, intern to CEO, at a collaborative event between the Chandler Chamber's Women In Leadership Committee & Policy Impact Series on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
 

About Sandra Watson

Sandra Watson is an economic development professional with over 30 years of leadership experience in business attraction and expansion, innovation, entrepreneurship, economic policy and workforce development. She and her teams have worked with more than 1,320 companies that have committed to creating more than 297,000 quality jobs and investing more than $172 billion in new capital in the state.

Currently, Ms. Watson serves as the President & CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), a public-private partnership that leads statewide economic development. The unique structure of the ACA brings together leaders from private industry, academia and all three branches of state government. She previously oversaw the Workforce Arizona Council and Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, a data-driven team focused on economic and labor market analysis. In addition to leading the ACA and serving on its Board of Directors, Ms. Watson serves on Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs’ leadership team as her Senior Economic Policy Advisor.

Ms. Watson is a member of the U.S. Investment Advisory Council, advising the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on policies to attract foreign direct investment. In addition, she is an inaugural member of Natcast’s National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) Workforce Advisory Board. She also serves as a founding member and the Chair of the State Economic Development Executives Network Board of Directors, a founding partner on the Institute for Automated Mobility Board of Directors and serves on the boards of the National State Science and Technology Institute and the Make-A-Wish Arizona Foundation.
 

About the Chandler Chamber

Representing over 175,000 employees from over 1,700 member businesses, the Chandler Chamber of Commerce has brought the East Valley together for over 100 years.

The Chandler Chamber champions both small businesses and established corporations by providing innovative workforce development programming, by advocating for employers at the city and state level, and by providing collaborative opportunities through economic updates, industry-specific roundtables, a young professionals series, and more.