2018-2019 Board of Directors

Board leadership is a core element in the success of the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance and perhaps more so in the organization’s unique arts and culture sector. As the decision-making body at the highest level of organizational leadership, we understand that our board plays a critical role in creating an organization that prioritizes, supports, and invests in diversity, inclusion, and equity.

The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance is committed to cultivating and growing a leadership center, who is committed to implementing and uplifting a diverse, inclusive and equity focused leadership model. 
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  • PRESIDENT: J. Tom Binder, RBC Wealth Management, Vice President - Financial Advisor
  • Vanessa Bechtol, Visit Tucson, Senior Director of Community Partnerships
  • Dan Carraher, JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass, Director of Sales & Marketing
  • Jo Ann Carolla, Allen Polt Fine Art, Administrative Manager
  • Sarah Eschenbrenner, Financial Services Professional, New York Life Insurance Company (Incoming 2018-2019 Board of Director)
  • TREASURER: Kim Fernandez, Retired Architect & Financial Planner
  • Chuck Kill, Retired Business Owner                                  
  • Marvin L Kirchler, HEM and HER, Managing Partner
  • VICE PRESIDENT: Jennifer McMahon, Digital Sales Director, Strategus
  • Amanda McCoy Place, Right Place Consulting
  • Kristy Nash, Quality Restoration, President
  • PAST PRESIDENT: Maya Nash, Tucson Electric Power
  • Suzi Nomiyama, Tucson Lifestyle Magazine, Senior Marketing Consultant
  • Julia Palfreyman, RPM Law, Partner/Attorney
    ​(Incoming 2018-2019 Board of Director)
  • Steven Pope, Retired Publisher
  • Bill Zachau, Watermark Communities, National Sales Director

Interested in Arts Leadership Service?

If you are interested in learning more about becoming an organizational leader, through committee, or Board service, please contact kate@saaca.org with any questions, or we invite you to fill out an online committee, or Board of Director Application.

Board of Directors

Board of Directors are elected in July of each year.  Most Board nominees or applicants, serve one year on a rotating committee, to better familiarize themselves with the organization's leadership.  **Please note, we are currently seeking applications from young, emerging leaders, or directors from diverse cultural and community representations, to serve on our 2018-2019 Board of Directors.  

Committee Leadership

We are always recruiting community leaders with a passion for the arts, creativity, education and trans-formative arts integrations.  Our committee can regularly add members, if they are voted in by the sitting members.  
 
Internal Affairs Committee: All internal and operational issues-including those related to finance, human resources, and programming-are handled by this committee which is staffed by the Executive Director and the Operations Manager.  The committee meets bi-monthly, and is lead by an Executive Committee Member.  Monthly financial reports are issued for cash flow purposes. 
 
External Affairs Committee: All external issues-including collaborative fundraising and strategic partnerships, public relations, and marketing are the responsibility of this committee.  The committee is headed by one member of the Board.  The Board committee head produces a report after each meeting to submit electronically to the entire Board of Directors.  The committee is staffed by the Director of Programs & Community Outreach, Marketing Manager, and for specific fundraising meetings, the Executive Director.  
 
Governance Committee: This committee is responsible for the health and functioning of the board. It recruits new members, conducts orientation, produces board materials, suggests policies and procedure updates and evaluates the performance of the board itself. This committee, staffed by the ED, is arguably the most important of the three. It is responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of the current board and for recruiting tomorrow's leaders.  The Governance Committee is staffed by a chair lead, as well the Arts Integration Manager, and the Executive Director.  The Governance Committee lead sends out electronic meeting summaries to the entire Board of Directors.  
 
Volunteer Committee: Lead by a current Board of Director and the Programs and Volunteer Coordinator.  Recruits, train and develops all aspects of the volunteer program.  Actively solicit, recognize, schedule and develop focus areas for volunteers.  Meets monthly, headed by the Program Manager and Program Coordinator.  
 
Ad Hoc Committees
Ad-hoc committees meet on an as-needed basis, or at least annually, consisting of the Executive level nominated officers, selected Board and Staff.  The ad-hoc committees work closely with the ED and so hears of issues before they come to the full board, helping the ED to resolve them in advance of the next board meeting.  Ad-hoc committees can include special projects, such as fundraising initiatives, Executive Director reviews, and new program opportunities.  

Interested in becoming a Committee Member, submit your application below. 
Diverse: The individual leaders who compose nonprofit boards are a reflection of an organization’s values and beliefs about who should be empowered and entrusted with its most important decisions. We believe that all social sector organizations can better achieve their missions by drawing on the skills, talents, and perspectives of a broader and more diverse range of leaders, and that the diversity of viewpoints that comes from different life experiences and cultural backgrounds strengthens board deliberations and decision-making.

Inclusive: The most effective boards work to build a culture of trust, candor, and respect — none of which is possible without a culture of inclusion. Boards that cultivate an inclusive culture ensure that all board members are encouraged to bring their perspectives, identity, and life experience to their board service. An inclusive board culture welcomes and celebrates differences and ensures that all board members are equally engaged and invested, sharing power and responsibility for the organization’s mission and the board’s work.

Equity-Focused: Boards play a critical role in helping organizations understand the context in which they work and how best to prioritize resources and strategies based on that reality. An awareness of how systemic inequities have affected our society and those an organization serves enables boards to avoid blind spots that can lead to flawed strategies, and creates powerful opportunities to deepen the organization’s impact, relevance, and advancement of the public good.

Leadership History

The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance grew out of the Greater Oro Valley Arts Council.

The Greater Oro Valley Arts Council was established in 1997 by co-founders and Oro Valley residents, Bob Weede and Dick Eggerding.  

After a series of funding reductions and community assessments, the organization expanded it's scope of work to include communities throughout the Southern Arizona region.  In 2009, under key Board and Staff driven leadership, the organization amended its Strategic Plan and focus program areas, to establish the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance.  

Since 2009, the organization has grown it's annual operating budget from $250,000, to nearly 1 million dollars in FY 2017-2018.  SAACA has since expanded many program efforts Statewide, and has established itself as one of the largest multi-disciplinary community driven arts and cultural organizations in the State.