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Meet our new Chamber team members

The Chamber staff is growing! We are proud to have these new, talented individuals on board to help support your business. We invite you to get to know them and welcome them to the Chamber.

Mara Samudrala, Director of Marketing & Communications

  1. Tell us about your professional and educational history.
    I graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2013 with my Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a concentration in Social Justice.  Upon graduating, I entered the nonprofit field with a strong focus in Marketing and Fundraising. I moved to the Phoenix area in 2019 where I took a position at a large social service and healthcare agency. In June of 2022, I joined the Phoenix Chamber team and have enjoyed learning about the organization and getting to know all the wonderful people.
  2. Why did you want to work for the Chamber?
    The chamber connects and engages individuals from all walks of life and helps to make our community a stronger, more vibrant place to live. It feels great to be part of an organization that makes such an important impact.
  3. What motivates you at work?
    My team!
  4. What’s your most used productivity hack?
    Staying organized is key.  I try my best to plan out my week with certain tasks or projects that I want to complete each day of the week.
  5. What’s the most exciting part of your job?
    Every day is different. There is always something new and exciting happening at the Chamber which keeps things fun and interesting.
  6. What do you like to do outside of work for fun?
    Hike, trail run, garden, play tennis, volunteer, travel, thrift, check out new restaurants and coffee shops
  7. What are your favorite places and things to do in the Valley?
    We have some great museums, the Heard Museum is probably one of my favorites. For hiking, although they are a bit outside of the city, the Superstitions have some of the best trails. Siphon Draw to Flatiron Summit has breathtaking views and it’s a great workout. For something a bit more unique, and if you enjoy architecture and art, Cosanti is a cool place to check out.

Ava Chovanec, Multimedia Marketing Coordinator

  1. Tell us about your professional and educational history.
    I am originally from Houston, Texas but moved out here in 2018 to attend Arizona State University where I got my Bachelor’s in Sports Journalism. I’ve been doing video production/photos for about 2 years now. I started out as an intern for a former professor of mine and fell in love with being creative and making videos that I decided to pursue it as a career, and now I’m working for the Chamber as the Multimedia Marketing Coordinator.
  2. Why did you want to work for the Chamber?
    I wanted to try something new. Most of my schooling and work was surrounded by taking videos/photos of sports. I came across the job posting for the position at the Chamber and thought I would be a good fit. It involved creating a different type of content than what I used to, so it all just worked out perfectly!
  3. What motivates you at work?
    Seeing a video turn out how I envisioned it to is always a satisfying feeling, so that motivates me to really put thought and effort into each video.
  4. What’s your most used productivity hack?
    Planner and sticky notes! I write down what each day needs to look like in my planner, so I can prioritize projects for certain days and keep track of what’s due when. I also have sticky notes all over my desk with what each project needs, when it’s due, what day I should work on it, etc. If I didn’t plan everything out almost to the hour it would be chaos.
  5. What’s the most exciting part of your job?
    Our events are always fun to film and take photos of. Also, no day is the same. Each day is something different to work on, so it’s always a new challenge and a nice switch up from doing the same thing day in and day out.
  6. What do you like to do outside of work for fun?
    I love taking spin classes at The Madison, spending time with my dogs, going out with my friends, and doing freelance video/photo work.
  7. What are your favorite places and things to do in the Valley?
    There are so many great places to eat here in the Valley, so I love trying all the places I find on TikTok or Instagram.