About the Arizona District Export Council

What do we do?

We represent the interests of the U.S. exporting community and provide business mentoring on the export process, trade education through the Export-U.com training website, plus workshops, seminars, and community outreach to encourage Arizona firms to export.

Events

Mentorship

Trade policy advocacy

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee oversees governance of the Arizona District Export Council, including establishing, and overseeing completion of, strategic goals and objectives that align with the mission and vision of the AZDEC.

Chair

Vice Chair

Vice Chair

Executive Secretary

Corporate Secretary

Treasurer

Development Committee Chair

Martha Medina

Marketing & Communications Committee Co-Chair

ALMA PERALTA

Marketing & Communications Committee Co-Chair

GHAZAL KHORSHIDI

Thunderbird Committee Chair

ADAM HAWKINS

Trade Policy Legislative Advocacy Committee Chair

Committees

AZDEC initiatives are organized around four committees.

Hands of business people meeting around table

Trade Policy & Legislative Affairs COmmittee

The TPLA Committee supports education and advocacy related to state and federal trade/investment policies and legislation that enhances the competitive position of Arizona exporters or promotes foreign direct investment in Arizona. The TPLA also advocates for funding for the International Trade Administration and the U.S. Commercial Service to ensure their ability to support US exporters.

Members

Adam Hawkins – Chair

Steven Zylstra – Vice Chair

Thunderbird committee

The Thunderbird Subcommittee oversees the development of an enduring and mutually beneficial partnership with the Thunderbird School of Global Management, including an internship program, the GCL program, the Export Certification Program, etc.

Members

Ghazal Khorshidi – Chair

Development Committee

The Development Committee is responsible for:

Securing donors & sponsors (including sponsors for AZDEC events)
Development of programing that supports the Arizona District Export Council’s mission and generates revenue, including development of relationships with partner organizations that can jointly host activities
Exploring opportunities to secure grants

Members

Tina Waddington – Chair

Fernando Jimenez

Marketing & Communications Committee

The marketing committee oversees all internal and external communications on behalf of the AZDEC, including

Development of all media tools to get AZDEC members communicating and get deliver AZDEC content to the public and our customers (Website, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, etc);
Develop new member onboarding programs; and
Promotion of AZDEC events

Members

Alma Peralta – Co-Chair

Martha Medina – Co-Chair

Membership

Members of AZDEC are volunteers appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Members serve four-year renewable terms. Nominations of individuals believed to be suitable candidates for membership should be forwarded to the AZDEC’s Executive Secretary for consideration.

Browse Membership Directory