Valley Partnership has named Cheryl Lombard as its new president and CEO.
In this role, Lombard will be responsible for leading and managing Valley Partnership, including developing and executing strategies, and managing the association’s resources, expertise, and leadership initiatives.
“Cheryl is an ideal fit in terms of Valley Partnership’s mission and goals,” said Scott Nelson, chairman of the Valley Partnership Board. “Her 20-plus years of experience in politics, public affairs, media and community relations, and nonprofit management will serve her well as our new President and CEO.
“With Cheryl at the helm, we know Valley Partnership will continue to serve the needs of the business, commercial real estate and development communities in Metro Phoenix at the highest level,” Nelson said. “Cheryl’s vision will be instrumental in our work towards the goals of furthering responsible development and creating sustainable economic opportunities for our communities.”
Lombard comes to Valley Partnership from The Nature Conservancy in Arizona. She served as the organization’s Government Relations Director. During her tenure with the Nature Conservancy she was named the Arizona Capitol Times Public Policy Leader of Year for the Environment in 2010. In 2014 she served as the co-chair of Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s Transition Committee on State Lands. She previously served on then-Gov. Jan Brewer’s Transition Team.
“I am thrilled to join Valley Partnership as President and CEO,” Lombard said. “In this role, I’ll be returning to my development roots, while also being able to utilize my expertise in navigating complex environmental and political issues as they pertain to development and economic growth.
“I’ve long admired the organization’s mission of ‘responsible development,’ and I’m confident my skill set will bring much to the table in terms of working within that mission and serving our partner base,” she said.
Prior to her position with The Nature Conservancy, Lombard was a senior associate attorney with the political and election law firm of Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk in Santa Monica, Calif. In this role, she ensured clients were in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local election laws, rules, and regulations. Clients included then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, The Walt Disney Company, Southwest Value Partners, and several statewide and local ballot measures.
Before practicing law, she was the director of public affairs with Davies Communications in Santa Barbara, Calif. She headed the Land Use/Real Estate Group and led several commercial and residential development clients successfully through the California land entitlement process.
Lombard holds a J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, Calif. She also has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, Northridge and a Bachelor’s degree from the American University in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the State Bar of California.
An active member of the community, both professionally and personally, Lombard is actively involved in Urban Land Institute and is a member of the Arizona Department of Water Resources Director’s Advisory Group, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director’s Advisory Group, Colorado River Advisory Commission for Arizona. Most recently she was a member of the Arizona Governor’s Regulatory Review Council from 2008 to 2014.
