I believe that our area deserves an individual who is able to see all sides of any situation and not just call out problems, but have the skill set and experience to provide viable options as solutions with the ability to see them through.
Since the beginning I have been put in a place to represent our area. Originally I was recruited as a Board member of the San Tan Area Chamber of Commerce and today sit as the current President/CEO of the same organization now known as the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce. I was instrumental in bringing the Pinal County Comprehensive Plan work sessions into the northern unincorporated area to be sure that the residents in our area had their voices heard. Working side by side with other individuals, our residents were able to be included in planning our part in Pinal County's future. I assisted with implementing the Business Block Watch, alongside PCSO, in our community and became an active member in my own community block watch. I was later appointed to become the Block Watch Community Coordinator for the largest housing community in our area, Johnson Ranch and I still hold that position today. In addition, I worked tirelessly to bring the Citizen's On Patrol (COP) program, that was running successfully in Gold Canyon, out into what is now known as San Tan Valley and worked alongside other Block Watch Coordinators to create the Greater San Tan Area Community Block Watch Association, as a way to mentor and educate other communities on how to start their own watches.
In addition to spending the last 6 years with the Chamber of Commerce, you will see a short list of other organizations that I have proudly represented:
- I was one of the founding CORE members of the Greater San Tan Area Coalition (GSTAC), an organization that was created to bring our area together with one voice so that this community could become proactive with its future. As the largest area in Pinal County both in size and population, an organization was necessary to start this process.
- Assisted in bringing the first business leads group organization into the Greater San Tan Area, to help provide additional resources and training to our business community.
- Worked with Central Arizona College to create a presence for our community which is now accessible at the San Tan Center.
- Was co-chair for the Tech 4 Kids committee in 2008, that pushed to get the override passed to allow FUSD #1 to bring tech into our schools. As a result, the first high school in 94 years to be built in the Florence Unified School District, was a 100% tech school, the first in the state of Arizona and it was built in our area.
- Founded the first Special Olympics group in the San Tan Area, known as the San Tan Bumblebees.
- In 2010, I created a community portal called SanTanValley.com, a FREE resource for anyone interested in learning more about San Tan Valley and includes news, school information, events, classifieds, homes, pets, businesses and more. This was the first step in giving our area, an unbiased and easily accessible venue to learn about our area and our county.
- Created a partnership with the Pinal County Animal Care & Control Center so that our area could be notified of new pets each week available for adoption.
- Through the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce, we created the first ever San Tan Valley area map and distributed over 10,000 copies to visitors and new residents in our area.
- One of the founding members of the San Tan Valley Substance Abuse Coalition, whose mission is to provide recovery, education, and prevention resources to those effected by substance abuse and/or mental health disorders.
- Assisted with bringing the first Relay for Life into San Tan Valley this past month and helped to raise over $20,000 for the cause.
As I stepped into the role as President/CEO of the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2010, my main goal has been to not only assist our local business community, but to work with others in and out of San Tan Valley to know that we as a community exist. I have worked with residents from Superior to Coolidge and everywhere in between. I have represented this area at every opportunity and over the years have gained a reputation as a leader in this area. I am often invited to attend meetings as a representative both of the business and residential community and I accept those invitations with honor. Whether I am sitting at a CAAG meeting, at the State Capitol, a meeting with County officials, or with businesses or residents, my passion and my focus has been and will continue to be for this area.
In my opinion, I feel as if I have been doing the work of this position, for the last six years. I have done it not because it was my job, or because I was paid to do it. I did it because I believe in this area and what our future can become. This area needs a voice that is unbiased and will truly represent it. My focus will continue to be to improve the quality of life for the amazing residents that we have in this district and it is because of this, that I will ask for you to vote for me, Tisha Castillo, to be your Pinal County District 2 Supervisor.
