Mila Besich

Major of Superior, AZ

2024 SPECIAL CITATION AWARD

During the last 20 years, Mila Besich has been an important ally to the mining industry. Understanding both the significance of the industry and the economy of the State of Arizona, she has provided a critical voice in the debates important to the mining industry. She envisions a community that is inclusive, innovative, and diverse; celebrates the history of mining in the Copper Corridor; and prepares for the future development of Resolution Copper with a sustainable, resilient economy.

Mila Besich was born and raised in Superior and graduated from Grand Canyon University in 2013 with a Communications degree. Her career began as a Management Assistant with the Central Arizona Association of Governments in 2002. She founded Miracle Executive Services in 2005, which she still operates. She worked for the Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition from 2009-2016 developing regional tourism strategies for the 12 mining communities in southern Gila and eastern Pinal counties, becoming its Executive Director in 2016. She has been a reporter for the Copper Basin Area News since 2011 and Advertising Director since 2012.

Besich has served on the Superior Unified School District since 2010. She was elected to the Superior Town Council in 2013 and became the Town’s first directly elected woman Mayor in 2016.

Mayor Besich has helped shape the Resolution Copper project, through years of consultation and engagement, participating in every permitting milestone. She has contributed to the Community Working Group, the Good Neighbor Agreement, strategic economic development agreements, and long-term mitigations.

Mayor Besich began serving a 2-year term on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Small Community Advisory Subcommittee in December 2023. This subcommittee comprises elected and appointed officials from smaller communities nationwide representing nonfederal interests with a focus on city-elected officials. Simultaneously, Mayor Besich was elected to a 1-year term on the National League of Cities (NLC) 2024 Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Federal Advocacy Committee. This committee plays a pivotal role in shaping NLC’s federal advocacy agenda and policy priorities related to sustainability, climate change, community resilience, water infrastructure, and solid waste management.

Besich is a Flinn Brown Fellow and graduate of the Valle del Sol Hispanic Leadership Institute. She is a mother of two students who attend Arizona State University and enjoys traveling with her family.