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Page 1 MINUTES OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD OF THE CITY OF CHANDLER, ARIZONA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2025, HELD IN-PERSON AT CHANDLER CITY HALL, 175 S. ARIZONA AVE., CHANDLER, ARIZONA. Board Present: Kari Zurn, Chairwoman Julie Graham, Vice-Chair Micah Miranda, Secretary Neil Calfee, Board Member Anthony Deard, Board Member Chris Dobson, Board Member Jennifer Hewitt, Board Member Mike Mobley, Board Member Rommie Mojahed, Board Member Karla Moran, Board Member Dan Serrano, Board Member Ryan Smith, Board Member Terri Kimble, Ex-Officio Board Absent: Raj Chakraborty, Board Member Ron Hardin, Board Member Jacob Knudsen, Board Member Joshua Wright, Ex-Officio Others Present: Andy Bass, Deputy City Manager Joe Abeita, Economic Development Chandler Escalante, Economic Development Chelsey Faggiano, Economic Development Odette Moore, Economic Development Caly Strickler, Economic Development Michael Winer, Economic Development 1. Call to Order/Roll Call Ms. Kari Zurn called the meeting to order at 8:35 a.m. 2. Approval of Minutes Mr. Ryan Smith made a motion to approve the minutes from Wednesday, December 11, 2024. The motion was seconded by Mr. Chris Dobson. Minutes approved unanimously. 3. Action Items None. 4. Briefing Items A. Chandler Career Center Updates Chandler Escalante, Economic Development Workforce Project Manager, provided an overview of the Chandler Career Center. Page 2 He began with a timeline of the program development and launch. He said City Council authorized one-time funding to create a position to focus on workforce development initiatives in July 2023. He was hired in October 2023 and was tasked with working with PipelineAZ to develop the Chandler Career Center online platform. He said the platform is designed to serve job seekers and local employers and was officially launched in April 2024. At launch, the focus was on advanced manufacturing employers looking for top talent, but it has since expanded to other target industries. The pool of job seekers looking for rewarding careers has also grown over time. He then outlined workforce development efforts to onboard employers and job seekers onto the Chandler Career Center: • Hosting an advanced manufacturing career expo with companies utilizing the Chandler Career Center and two other job fairs for local employers with planned layoffs. • Hosting four Lunch and Learn events to help Chandler employers publish current job openings. • Developing a Transferable Skills Workshop Series in partnership with Arizona State University to offer upskilling opportunities for job seekers. • Monthly meet ups at the Downtown Chandler Public Library to assist job seekers with local employment opportunities. • Meetings at local high schools to help students looking to enter the workforce. • Attending quarterly Chandler4 Workforce meetings with community partners, including Chandler Gilbert Community College, Chandler Unified School District and the Chandler Chamber of Commerce. He concluded by sharing workforce performance metrics (as of February 2025): 41 total companies and 641 job seekers utilizing the Chandler Career Center, 506 jobs posted, and 11 partnered workforce development events. B. UA Chandler Programming Update An update on University of Arizona (UA) programs at the Chandler campus was provided by Mike Mobley, UA Regional Manager of Maricopa County. Mr. Mobley began with an overview of the Outreach, Distance & Continuing Education (ODCE) annual report, which reflects the university’s commitment to providing renowned educational opportunity to a myriad of learners. The report highlights shared that ODCE locations have supported: - 4,500 total learners - Learners between the ages of 15-98 - 45+ undergraduate & graduate programs - 60+ certificate programs & short courses Mr. Mobley then gave an overview of the Near Year Network, which has two locations in Maricopa County (Chandler and Gilbert) and additional locations Page 3 in Douglas, Nogales and Yuma County. He said the university offers locally focused programs led by elite, world-class faculty for working students. He then provided an update on the UA Chandler Campus, stating it has been successful with nearly 85 students currently enrolled and over 400 students visiting the campus annually. He added the university will be launching the following new programs at UA Chandler: - Project Management PMP Exam Prep - Spanish/English Translation and Interpretation - A full-time and part-time MSBA program - Mining Engineering & Criminal Justice He concluded by saying the UA Chandler campus will be receiving IT updates for offices and classrooms and they are looking forward to welcoming new students to Chandler. 5. Advisory Boardmember Comments Terri Kimble reminded the board of the following upcoming events — Ostrich Festival March 14-16 and 21-23; Small Business Expo April 2; Evolving Trade Landscape Workshop April 22 and Michael Pollack Economic Update April 24. 6. Next Meeting Ms. Zurn announced the next Economic Development Advisory Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. A calendar invite will be sent to all board members in advance. 7. Adjournment Ms. Zurn adjourned the meeting at 9:49 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, ________________________________ Kari Zurn, Chairwoman ________________________________ Micah Miranda, Board Secretary