Donna Chesler

About Donna Chesler

With a strong background in photography and the arts, I feel my experiences are uniquely related to the field of real estate. I ran a successful photography business, created a luxury pet boutique, renovated a historic home and opened an art gallery and vacation rental. I have been instrumental in starting Jerome Art Walk and have recently helped put Jerome on the map as an art destination in Arizona. After 7 years in the Verde Valley, I have a love and familiarity of the area. I have been involved with the architectural and interior design of yachts, homes and properties. I have enjoyed working with the ‘rich and famous’ as well as yacht crews and house staffs. For 25 years, my husband and I photographed the most beautiful yachts in the world as well as private islands and luxury properties. I organized and planned our shoots that were quite complex. Moving equipment, obtaining permits, making travel arrangements, art directing and styling the shoots, casting, client handholding, marketing, billing and book-keeping were all part of the job. Since our retirement from Chesler Photography, I have opened and managed a luxury pet boutique that was selected by Pet Product News as Best Newcomer of the Year. I have renovated a 100-year-old historic home and opened Gallery 527 in Jerome, a respected and successful gallery. I also run a vacation rental business in the upper portion of the Jerome property. I am VP of The Jerome Chamber of Commerce and head of marketing for the Jerome Chamber. We are regularly featured in publications around the country. As head of PR for our Chamber, we doubled our Historic Home Tour revenue a few years ago. I am president of Jerome Art Walk, a monthly event that is in its 4th year. In this capacity, I am responsible for bringing The Sedona Plein Air Festival to Jerome for a day of painting every year, the Chamber/Art Walk sponsorship of a film at the Sedona Film Festival and joining forces to promote Sedona and Jerome in a ‘Make a Weekend of It’ Art Walk campaign. I helped stage the first Verde Valley event called Walkin’ on Main – a Wine, Jazz and Arts festival in Old Town Cottonwood, bringing every art group in Northern Arizona under one big tent for a day of Art and Wine. I am an active member of the Made in Clarkdale group and will hang the community show for the third year in a row. My experience with the Jerome Chamber and Jerome Art Walk in the past 7 years has given me an understanding and talent for marketing and public relations. I have taken the Best Real Estate School class and recently passed the State exam. I feel my relationships from our former life in the yachting world and current relationships in the Verde Valley art and business communities will serve me well as a realtor.