Employee Spotlight – Leslie Marquez
Image: Linkedin
Inside the Council with Leslie
Leslie Cooper Marquez is a dynamic marketing and communications professional with 20 years of experience spanning in-house and agency roles. Her expertise bridges multiple industries, including non-profit performing arts, legal, mortgage technology and investment banking, where she has led impactful campaigns and strategic initiatives. Originally from Birmingham, AL, Leslie has spent the past eight years deeply engaged in Arizona’s business and nonprofit communities.
Before joining the Arizona Technology Council, Leslie served as Marketing Director for Scottsdale-based mortgage technology firm focusIT, Inc., and previously as Director of Marketing for Ballet Arizona. Her passion for storytelling, brand strategy and community engagement has been a driving force throughout her career.
Committed to giving back, Leslie is a Sustainer with the Junior League of Phoenix, a volunteer with the Distinguished Young Women of Arizona scholarship program and a proud alumna of the Valley Leadership Accelerate class of 2019.
What inspired you to pursue your current career path?
From about middle school on, I was convinced I wanted to be a broadcast journalist. I even declared, “Watch out, Barbara Walters, here I come!” during a high school pageant interview. Ha!
Fast forward to college, when a fortuitous internship at a local news station in my hometown helped me realize something important: I hated it. And I’m genuinely grateful for that experience. Internships are so valuable because they can teach you not only what you want to do, but also what you don’t want to do.
What I did love about journalism, though, was the communication side of the work, and that has stayed with me throughout my career. My journalism degree gave me a strong foundation in writing, storytelling and clear communication, and I intentionally pursued opportunities that allowed me to keep building those skills.
Marketing became part of the mix along the way, and I’ve been fortunate to work in both the for-profit and nonprofit worlds. Each role has built on the one before it and ultimately brought me to where I am today, back in the nonprofit space and putting all of those experiences to work at the Council.
What does a typical day in your role look like?
That’s one of the things I enjoy most about working for the Arizona Technology Council – no two days are ever quite the same, which keeps the work exciting.
On any given day, I might be engaging with members and Arizona’s broader technology community on social media, promoting upcoming events, managing the Manufacturing Catalyst Committee, developing a new email campaign, designing event graphics, supporting the Council’s public policy efforts and much more.
I get to be a bit of a jack-of-all-trades and use a wide range of marketing and communications skills, which keeps the work creative, varied and interesting.
How do you take your coffee? If not coffee, what’s your favorite morning drink?
Before having our two wonderful, wild boys, I was not a coffee drinker. And now, I cannot imagine life without it! I love the ritual around coffee almost as much as the coffee itself. During the summer, my go-to is cold brew with lots of ice and a splash of half and half and sugar free vanilla. During the colder months, it’s hot O’Henry’s Coffee (shipped from back home in Birmingham, AL) with the same fixin’s.
What is your favorite weekend activity?
I love exploring Phoenix with our boys and getting outside as much as possible. When I can find the time to sneak away, I love a good dance class!
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