President of the National League of Cities
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
MARIE LOPEZ ROGERS
MAYOR, AVONDALE, ARIZONA
AND
PRESIDENT OF
THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers is president of the National League of Cities (NLC), the nation's oldest and largest organization representing municipal government.
She was first elected to local office in 1996, and on January 1, 2006, she was elected as the nineteenth mayor of Avondale, Arizona, and the city's first Latina mayor.
Mayor Rogers grew up working side-by-side with her parents in the small migrant farm labor camps around the city. In 2011, President Barack Obama recognized her dedication to and accomplishments in local government at a national conference of Hispanic leaders.
Mayor Rogers is guiding the transformation of her community. Avondale, once tiny community, is now one of the nation's fastest growing municipalities. Avondale is home to Phoenix International Raceway and was named the first Kids at Hope city in the United States.
She is currently a member of the League of Arizona Cities & Towns' Executive Committee, where she has received a Distinguished Service Award and served as President of the Arizona Women in Municipal Government. Mayor Rogers serves on Arizona's largest Metropolitan Planning Organization - Maricopa Association of Governments' where she is the Chair of the Regional Council and Chair of the Executive Committee.
Mayor Rogers has also been active at the state government level. She was selected by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, to serve on state of Arizona committees and task forces.
She is a founding and current member of the Hispanic Leadership Forum, an organization providing academic opportunities for rising leaders in the community. She received one of the highest awards in the state from the Latino community, when she was presented the Profiles of Success Special Recognition Award for her advocacy, leadership, and years of service to her community -- emphasizing the integration of the Hispanic community.
Mayor Rogers has also received the Jacque Steiner Public Leadership Award for Children from the Arizona Children's Action Alliance.
She and her husband Ed have been married 42 years. They have three sons and six grandchildren.
12/2012
