SCIENCE FOUNDATION ARIZONA

Sandra Watson

Chairwoman

Sandra Watson is an economic development professional with over 30 years of leadership experience in business attraction and expansion, innovation, entrepreneurship, economic policy and workforce development. She and her teams have worked with more than 1,310 companies that have committed to creating more than 298,000 quality jobs and investing more than $169 billion in new capital in the state. 

Currently, Ms. Watson serves as the President & CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), a public-private partnership that leads statewide economic development. The unique structure of the ACA brings together leaders from private industry, academia and all three branches of state government. She previously oversaw the Workforce Arizona Council and Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, a data-driven team focused on economic and labor market analysis. In addition to leading the ACA and serving on its Board of Directors, Ms. Watson serves on Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs’ leadership team as her Senior Economic Policy Advisor. 

Ms. Watson is a member of the U.S. Investment Advisory Council, advising the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on policies to attract foreign direct investment. In addition, she is an inaugural member of Natcast’s National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) Workforce Advisory Board. She also serves as a founding member and the Chair of the State Economic Development Executives Network Board of Directors, a founding partner on the Institute for Automated Mobility Board of Directors and serves on the boards of the National State Science and Technology Institute and the Make-A-Wish Arizona Foundation. 

 

CRAIG BARRETT, PH.D.

Vice Chairman

Dr. Craig Barrett received a Ph.D. degree from Stanford. After joining Intel in 1974, he served as CEO and chairman, retiring in 2009. Dr. Barrett is a leading advocate for improving education and increasing awareness of the value of technology in raising economic and social standards globally. He chairs Achieve, Change The Equation, Arizona Ready Education Council, and BASIS Schools; co-chairs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Advisory Board; vice chairs Science Foundation Arizona; and is on the Boards of Society for Science and the Public, K12, Arizona Commerce Authority, Tallwave, and Geothermic Solution. Dr. Barrett previously served as Chair of the National Academy of Engineering. He is on the faculty of Thunderbird School of Global Management, and Dr. Barrett and his wife, Barbara, founded Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University.

 

DONALD BUDINGER

Founding Chair

Mr. Budinger is one of the founders and president of Rodel Inc., a startup that grew to become the world’s largest manufacturer of the surface finishing chemicals used to make computer chips, rigid memory disks and specialty optics. Currently, Budinger is Chairman and Founding Director of the Rodel Foundations, and Board Member of The Morrison Institute, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Basis Charter Schools and Greater Phoenix Leadership. In addition, Don serves on the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Tucson Values Teachers and the O’Connor House Advisory Group.