Who’s Directing Community Life

Eastmark, DMB Associates’ new mixed-use community opening in June, has hired Suzanne Walden-Wells to serve as the Director of Community Life.
Walden-Wells will implement a rich community building strategy that will include multi-faceted programming, community celebrations, special events and more.  She will lead the creation of social and civic programming, and traditions to enhance the overall quality of life at Eastmark.
“Suzanne will serve in a critical role of fostering Eastmark’s way of life, elevating the community’s vitality and engaging the residents with rich programming,” said Dea McDonald, DMB’s Senior Vice President and Eastmark’s General Manager. “She is a proven leader and adept in building relationships with the broader community to enhance the Eastmark lifestyle.”
DMB’s approach to Community Life is a key differentiator for its masterplanned communities.  Each DMB community has a professional team dedicated to resident engagement and connecting the community to local charitable organizations.  Walden-Wells is a key hire for the Eastmark team as they build a team of Community Life specialists to develop partnerships with health, education and cultural organizations to engage residents on a year-round, full-time basis.
She previously served as the executive director of the Community Council for DMB’s DC Ranch in Scottsdale where she collaborated with board members and staff in developing a comprehensive strategic plan, launched a community garden, oversaw a community theater, and managed relationships with nonprofit partners like the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, Ryan House, Copper Ridge School and others.   Walden-Wells initiated opportunities to integrate the commercial districts with the residential community and her team led hundreds of large and small programming events to build personal connections between neighbors in the community.  In addition, Walden-Wells worked with a number of local nonprofits to engage residents in health, education and social service opportunities.
From 2000 to 2008, Walden-Wells served in several roles at the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce including interim president/CEO, executive vice president/chief operations officer and vice president of business services. Walden-Wells serves as the board secretary for Scottsdale Leadership.
In addition, she is a member of the Scottsdale Charros Foundation Board of Directors and supports the Arizona Humane Society in a variety of volunteer capacities. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Georgia Southern University.
Eastmark will hold a grand opening ceremony on June 1. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ray and Ellsworth roads in Mesa. Admission is free.
OPEN THE FRONT DOOR TO   Eastmark