Melissa Johnson serves as the Director of Development & Member Engagement for Arizona Association of Economic Development (AAED), an organization formed in 1974 that advocates for responsible economic development. In this role, she helps grow AAED through membership, events and community building while also serving as a resource for communities and businesses throughout Arizona. She has a passion for regional and rural work and enjoys bringing together state-wide efforts. 

Melissa served as the Executive Director for Pinal Partnership, a non-profit membership organization focused on responsible economic development in Pinal County, from August 2016 until June 2021. In that role, she managed the Partnership’s day-to-day responsibilities and marketing efforts to help the organization continue to grow while also serving as a resource for the communities and businesses in Pinal County. During her time there, she helped grow the Partnership’s financial reserves 83% through membership and event sponsorships. 

Prior to that, she graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in Business and Political Science and then spent almost 8 years at a land use law firm building her knowledge of government relations, business operations, economic development and marketing. 

Before joining staff, Melissa was an active member in AAED, serving as the Chair of the PR/Communications Committee. She helped develop the 2021 Basic Economic Development Course, which she completed in 2019, as well as helped organize and facilitate the 2021 AAED Marketing Symposium. She is also an active member of ULI Arizona. She was recently named in AZ Big Media’s PTK People & Projects to Know in Commercial Real Estate – 2021 Edition. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Arizona – where she was born and raised.

Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissarj09/