The Metropolitan Pima Alliance has selected Amber Smith to lead the organization as its new executive director.
Smith, the top-ranked candidate, was approved unanimously Dec. 17 by the MPA board of directors. MPA board President Steve King said he couldn’t be happier with the selection.
“We were very fortunate to have a great pool of tremendously qualified candidates to choose from, and it was a difficult decision to make but in the end, we felt that Amber had the right combination of drive, talent and institutional knowledge we needed,” King said in a release.
As executive director, Smith, 33, is responsible for working closely with the MPA board to influence public policy and decision-making and to facilitate dialogue among members of the development community and those in the public sector. This past year, she successfully worked with the Pima County Board of Supervisors to find a compromise that delayed the implementation of higher impact fees in an attempt to help the struggling development industry.
She holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Arizona.
The selection opens up the position of government relations director, previously held by Smith; that candidate search is under way. Interested candidates should send qualifications to amber@mpaaz.org or check the MPA Website at mpaaz.org for more information.
