Councils and committees

Cherie Edilson, CEO and Founder, Member Marketplace, Inc.

Cherie Edilson is the CEO and Founder of Member Marketplace, Inc., a platform that empowers small businesses to thrive through community-based online marketplace programs. With a mission to strengthen local economies by providing digital and e-commerce tools that help businesses grow and reach new customers, Member Marketplace has supported more than 3,500 small businesses across the U.S. Cherie has collaborated with a wide range of organizations, including Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), chambers of commerce, Main Street programs, and local and state economic development agencies.

Cherie’s entrepreneurial journey began 13 years ago as a micro-entrepreneur, crafting handmade products and gaining customers through local farmers markets. Those humble beginnings gave her valuable insights into the challenges of starting and growing a small business and navigating local business resource networks. Today, Cherie coaches and trains early entrepreneurs in starting their businesses and selling online. Having grown a startup herself, she has developed expertise in state-funded programs, access to capital, venture capital, startup ecosystems, resource partners, and broader economic development initiatives.

Cherie is passionate about supporting small businesses and fostering entrepreneurship. She is an Alumni Ambassador for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, where she advocates for small business growth. She also serves on the Business Support Innovation Council for her local Economic Alliance, contributing to initiatives that promote small business and community development.

Outside of her professional work, Cherie volunteers with organizations like Junior Achievement, mentoring young people in entrepreneurial skills. She enjoys spending time with her family, including her four children, and encouraging their own entrepreneurial spirit. Cherie holds a Master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa.

Lea Márquez Peterson, Founder, Marquez Peterson Group, and Commissioner, Arizona Corporation Commission

Lea was appointed to the Arizona Corporation Commission by Governor Doug Ducey in May of 2019. The Corporation Commission regulates the state’s utility services and the incorporation of businesses. She is the first Latina to serve in a statewide seat in the state of Arizona.

Lea has been an entrepreneur in her community for many years and served as the President/ CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber from 2009 until November of 2018. The Tucson Hispanic Chamber serves the business community in the bilingual, bi-cultural region of the Arizona- Sonora border and was recognized as the Hispanic Chamber of the Year in 2013 by the U.S Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The chamber represents over 1800-member businesses and in partnership with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is one of the largest chambers in the State of Arizona.

She ran for Congress in Arizona Congressional District 2 in 2018 and won a competitive primary race though lost the general election. She previously served as the Executive Director for Greater Tucson Leadership (GTL) from 2005 to 2009 and owned and operated a Business Brokerage Firm from 2005 to 2009 and a chain of six gasoline stations / convenience stores with fifty employees from 1998 to 2005 in the Tucson region.

She has been appointed to serve on the Arizona Judicial Council which advises the Arizona Supreme Court, and the Arizona Finance Authority, the state’s bonding authority. She chairs the Board of Directors of Carondelet’s St Mary’s and St Joseph’s Hospitals in Tucson and is the former Chair of the Pima Association of Governments Economic Vitality Committee. She serves on the Boards of the University of Arizona Foundation and the Pima County Workforce Investment Board and is the President of the National Association of Women Business Owners in Tucson. She also formally served on the national board for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the National Women’s Business Council.

She received her undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona, and her master’s in business administration from Pepperdine University.