Phoenix rises: Joanna de'Shay shines in the Valley of the Sun.

When you think of Phoenix, you're likely to visualize red rock terrain, arid weather, and a small-town, cowboy lifestyle. These features are a golden lure for golf course developers, technology manufacturers, and progressive urbanites who are staking their worth on this emerging Southwestern city.

Joanna de'Shay, a native of Accra, Ghana with Russian roots. is uniquely informed about her adopted hometown through her role as the community development manager at power company Arizona Public Service, as chairman of the board of the Arizona Black Film Showcase (www.azblackfilm.com), and through her volunteer involvement with Sedona Jazz on the Rocks (www.sedonajazz.com). "We're not just sand, rocks, and rodeos," avows de'Shay, 30. "We have eight lakes that are within an hour's drive of the city and over 21 Native American tribes and 23 reservations. No other state has that many tribes, not even New Mexico. And golf is huge here. Because of the climate, you can golf every day of your stay." The 2005 FBR Open golf tournament attracted 500.000 visitors this in February.

The Greater Phoenix metropolitan area has a population of 1.4 million. Its thrilling tourism business creates more than 225,000 jobs in Phoenix alone. And the presence of Intel, Motorola, and Boeing are a testament to the area's industrial prominence.

Newcomers will find a slew of engineering openings and jobs for technical, data-oriented people, says de'Shay, who cites the annual Arizona Black Expo as an established channel through which employers seek to diversify their workforce. The international Auto Show, Maricopa County Home & Garden Show, and the Bridal Fashion Review & Wedding Expo are other prominent conventions. In 2006, Phoenix will also host BLACK ENTERPRISE'S inaugural Women of Power Summit, a four-day Professional leadership conference for women executives of color.