“Working together, we survived. You don’t do it alone!”
Uhl is coming to the end of her 19-year position leading the Prescott Valley Chamber, announcing her retirement for early 2025 to allow the Chamber board to find her successor.
Her father was in the Navy when Uhl was born at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. He then joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, setting the stage for Uhl’s first career.
After graduating from San Diego High School, Uhl went directly into the workforce, working for an orthopedic surgeon. She soon decided medicine “wasn’t her thing.” Her dad suggested Uhl might consider a career with the Sheriff’s department. Setting a lifelong pattern, she said, “That sounds like fun!” and tested.
After attending the law enforcement academy, Uhl found her career as a deputy suited her and served for 21 years, from 1977 to 1998. “There is a real brotherhood and sisterhood in law enforcement. It was an honorable career and I felt honored to serve.”
She then made a radical change – moving to New Mexico with her young son and marrying a cowboy. With her husband working and her son at school, she took a job at a propane company, stayed a few months and then saw an ad for an assistant at the nearby Springerville-Eager Chamber of Commerce. She had become familiar with chamber work while living in Temple City, California, where her mom had a business and had become involved. Uhl chaired the chamber’s casino night, and served as an ambassador. She soon was recognized as the chamber’s Volunteer of the Year.
Uhl interviewed and was hired for the Springerville-Eager Chamber position, and after the former director moved on, she was appointed director. As was her style, she quickly immersed herself in learning everything she could to support the organization, attending conferences and other chamber events. She started a newsletter, hosted mixers and later fostered a regional partnership with other nearby chambers.
In 2005, Uhl saw a job posting for the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce director. “I was ready to spread my wings. Prescott Valley sounded like a fun, growing community,” she said.
She was offered the job in December 2005, right before her mother was diagnosed with cancer.
She wasn’t sure she should accept, thinking her mother would need her. But her parents encouraged her to take the opportunity. She was on board by Feb. 13, 2006.
The Chamber has weathered ups and downs in Prescott Valley and has supported the business community through it all. When Uhl arrived, the Town had some exciting growth, but then the Great Recession hit the country and Prescott Valley with it. “Working together, we survived. You don’t do it alone!”
She always has had a clear vision for the PV Chamber. “I want the Chamber to lead and grow with the community. I’m most proud of having developed community leaders through involvement in the board of directors. They are amazing people who have grown as part of our board investing in leadership. Accreditation was also a strong investment, and I’m proud of that.”
While in California, Uhl also became involved in community theater. Theater became another area in which she strove to learn as much as she could, and her love for the stage has continued.
She has acted in many Yavapai College productions, including “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Hello Dolly” with pop legend Toni Tennille, and “Singin’ in the Rain.” She recently auditioned for the college’s upcoming production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” She has produced murder-mystery plays for Prescott Valley organizations and performed with the Boys and Girls Club of Central Arizona’s Dancing for the Stars.
Uhl’s love for learning and excellence has never wavered and she has applied those qualities to her careers and volunteer service. She earned an associate of arts degree in administration of justice from East Los Angeles College and graduated from the Institute of Organizational Management. She earned the Accredited Chamber Executive designation from the Western Association of Chamber Executives four times. She also graduated Project CENTRL, a rural Arizona leadership initiative, and completed the Prescott Area Leadership development program, Prescott Valley Citizens and Citizen’s Police Academies, and Central Arizona Fire & Medical Authority’s Fire Ops 101 program. She was voted the 2017 Prescott Area Leadership Woman of the Year.
In addition, Uhl chaired the Arizona Chamber Executives and on a national level, served on the Board of Trustees for the Institute of Organizational Management with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
She also has approached her volunteer endeavors with passion, serving as the Yavapai College Foundation president, on the board of the Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center, in the Prescott Valley Early Bird Lions Club, the Prescott Valley Police Foundation, and as co-founder of the Humboldt Education Foundation. She has volunteered with People Who Care, Habitat for Humanity, PV Friends of the Library, PV Historical Society, Highlands Center for Natural History, Prescott Area Shelter Services, Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boys and Girls Club of Central Arizona.
A cancer survivor, Uhl approached that challenge like she has all of the others in her life. In 2018, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thanks to early detection, she underwent treatment and has now been cancer-free for more than six years. She has become a strong advocate for yearly mammograms for all women. She volunteers for Prescott Frontier Days – Tough Enough to Wear Pink events.
“I’m just a normal person whose opportunities put me in places where I could make a difference. I have the same problems as other people. I’ve failed and I can flame out. But that hasn’t kept me from trying something new,” she said. “I’m just who I am. I want to leave the world a better place than it is, and I want people to feel empowered because they were a part of my life. When I see someone grow and find themselves, that’s magic to me.” QCBN
By Heidi Dahms Foster, QCBN
Photo by Heidi Dahms Foster: Praised for bringing positive growth and solidarity to Prescott Valley, Marnie Uhl, a performer and retired Los Angeles County deputy sheriff, has led the PV Chamber of Commerce for 19 years.
