Silicon Oasis Announces Appointment of Five Distinguished Arizona Leaders to Board of Directors

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Silicon Oasis, Arizona's founder-led nonprofit dedicated to strengthening and advancing the state's technology startup ecosystem, today announced the appointment of five prominent business, economic development, and innovation leaders to its Board of Directors, marking the organization's next chapter following its merger with invisionAZ and the successful inaugural Silicon Oasis Summit.

Earlier this year, Silicon Oasis and invisionAZ joined together under the Silicon Oasis brand, unifying two founder-focused organizations with a shared vision of accelerating Arizona's innovation economy. The merger expanded the organization's statewide network while bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, operators, corporations, universities, and public-sector leaders under a single platform dedicated to building Arizona's future as a leading technology hub.

Joining the Board are Jonathan Keyser, Founder and Managing Partner of Keyser Commercial Real Estate; Christine Mackay, President & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC); Drew Trojanowski, President & CEO of the Mission Acceleration Center (MAC); Melissa Ahearn, Director of Strategic Development at Caprock; and Scarlett Spring, Executive Director of the Phoenix Bioscience Core.

The appointments represent an important milestone as Silicon Oasis continues expanding its statewide efforts to support entrepreneurs, strengthen collaboration across Arizona's technology community, and accelerate the growth of the state's startup ecosystem. Collectively, the new board members bring decades of leadership experience spanning entrepreneurship, venture capital, wealth management, bioscience, defense innovation, economic development, commercial real estate, and public service.

Silicon Oasis has rapidly evolved into far more than a nonprofit organization. It has become a movement, a geography, and an organization that represents Arizona's growing technology ecosystem. Guided by many of the state's leading founders, investors, executives, researchers, and business leaders, Silicon Oasis exists to unite the people and organizations building Arizona's innovation economy while creating greater opportunities for entrepreneurs across the state.

"This newly-formed partnership was founded on the belief that Arizona has all the ingredients to become one of the world's premier startup ecosystems," said Kyle Macdonald, Chief Operating Officer of Silicon Oasis. "Over the past year, we've built incredible momentum through the growth of our community, the merger with invisionAZ, and the success of the Silicon Oasis Summit. This organization has become much more than a nonprofit—it has become a movement bringing together the people shaping Arizona's future. We're honored to welcome this remarkable group of leaders to our Board of Directors. Their experience, relationships, and commitment to Arizona will help guide Silicon Oasis as we continue strengthening our state's innovation economy."

"Arizona's startup ecosystem is strongest when founders, investors, corporations, research institutions, and public leaders work together," said Josue Romero, Chief Community Officer of Silicon Oasis. "This board reflects that philosophy. Each member brings a unique perspective and an unwavering commitment to Arizona's future. Together, they'll help us create more opportunities for entrepreneurs, strengthen collaboration across industries, and continue positioning Arizona as a national destination for technology companies, talent, and investment."

The new board members collectively represent some of Arizona's most influential organizations and industries.

Jonathan Keyser is the Founder and Managing Partner of Keyser Commercial Real Estate and a nationally recognized entrepreneur, author, investor, and business leader. Beyond building one of Arizona's premier commercial real estate firms, he actively invests in emerging Arizona technology companies and has become a leading advocate for entrepreneurship, servant leadership, and innovation throughout the state.

Christine Mackay serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council after leading the City of Phoenix's economic development efforts for more than a decade. Throughout her distinguished career, she has helped facilitate more than $75 billion in capital investment, supported the creation of more than 100,000 high-quality jobs, and played a defining role in establishing Greater Phoenix as one of America's fastest-growing innovation economies.

Drew Trojanowski is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mission Acceleration Center, where he works to strengthen collaboration between entrepreneurs, industry, academia, investors, and national security partners. His career includes leadership roles at Arizona State University, the White House Domestic Policy Council, the office of U.S. Senator John McCain, and nearly a decade of military service in the U.S. Army, giving him a unique perspective on innovation, public policy, defense technology, and cross-sector collaboration.

Melissa Ahearn serves as Director of Strategic Development at Caprock, where she advises business owners, executives, and multigenerational families on long-term wealth strategies and capital stewardship. With decades of experience working alongside entrepreneurs and high-net-worth clients, she brings valuable expertise in strategic growth, relationship building, philanthropy, and capital formation.

Scarlett Spring is Executive Director of the Phoenix Bioscience Core and a serial entrepreneur with more than two decades of leadership experience spanning healthcare, pharmaceuticals, bioscience, entrepreneurship, and economic development. She previously held executive leadership roles with Merck, AstraZeneca, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, and multiple venture-backed companies, making her one of Arizona's leading voices in bioscience innovation, commercialization, and startup growth.

The appointments come during a period of significant momentum for Silicon Oasis. Over the past year, the organization has expanded its statewide footprint through strategic partnerships, founder programming, investor engagement, startup media, educational initiatives, ecosystem research, and community-building events that connect entrepreneurs with the resources needed to build and scale venture-backed companies.

The organization's recent merger with invisionAZ created a more unified platform for Arizona's innovation community. Meanwhile, the inaugural Silicon Oasis Summit brought together founders, investors, executives, policymakers, researchers, students, and ecosystem leaders from across the state to celebrate Arizona's growing technology economy and define a shared vision for the future.

Together, these milestones reflect Silicon Oasis' continued evolution as Arizona's founder-led platform for ecosystem development—bringing together the people, organizations, and ideas shaping the state's next generation of innovation.

As Silicon Oasis continues to grow, the Board of Directors will provide strategic guidance to help expand the organization's impact through community building, capital formation, founder support, ecosystem storytelling, research, leadership development, and statewide collaboration.

The appointments reinforce Silicon Oasis' long-term commitment to creating a stronger, more connected innovation ecosystem that enables entrepreneurs to launch and scale world-class technology companies while attracting greater talent, investment, and national recognition to Arizona.

Together, the Board will help guide Silicon Oasis as it pursues its long-term vision of establishing Arizona as one of the world's premier startup ecosystems and positioning Arizona among the Top 5 technology hubs in the United States by 2035.

About Silicon Oasis

Silicon Oasis is Arizona's founder-led nonprofit dedicated to strengthening and advancing the state's technology startup ecosystem. More than an organization, Silicon Oasis is a movement and a unifying identity for Arizona's innovation economy—bringing together founders, investors, operators, universities, corporations, research institutions, and public-sector leaders to accelerate innovation, increase access to capital, and strengthen the state's technology community.

Through community building, media, signature events, educational programming, strategic partnerships, and ecosystem research, Silicon Oasis works to create the conditions that enable entrepreneurs to build globally significant companies in Arizona while establishing the state as one of the nation's leading technology hubs.