By Jeremy Duda
Arizona Capitol Times
An eight-month, $75,000 nationwide search for a new Arizona Commerce Authority CEO ended when the only identified candidate – who worked in the building – was selected and unanimously approved today.
The ACA board today named interim CEO Sandra Watson to the job permanently after more than an hour in executive session. Watson is a 16-year veteran of the ACA and its predecessor, the Arizona Department of Commerce, which it replaced in 2011. She served as the agency’s second-in-command before taking over as interim CEO in July.
After Don Cardon announced in January that he would resign as CEO at the end of June, the ACA hired an executive search firm to find candidates for the position. DHR International’s contract required it produce a list of 10 candidates.