Summer Issue 2026
From The Publisher
Women Leading The Region Awards
We are proud to present our sixth annual Women Leading the Region Awards, honoring the extraordinary women who advance Southern Arizona with their vision and dedication.
It’s interesting to note, that with the addition of this year’s dynamic list, we’ve spotlighted more than 80 accomplished women over the past six years, with a selection process grounded in integrity. The number of industries thriving with C-suite, female leadership across the region continues to grow.
The 2026 Women Leading the Region honorees represent accomplishment and dedication in aerospace/defense, space sciences, medicine, public service (our fire chief!), hospitality/tourism management, Downtown entertainment venue, communications/media, medicine, commercial construction, business organization leadership and non-profit management, that are so vital to our community. They also lead strongly with their devotion to charitable endeavors, boosting causes that move Southern Arizona forward.
Recent news reports provide recognition to University of Arizona as the No. 1 university in the U.S. for Space Sciences. So it’s fitting that this year, the photo sessions for the cover and the individual honoree profiles were taken at the University of Arizona Space Institute, which is housed in the UA Applied Research Building. In fact, one of our 12 stellar honorees is Erika Hamden, the director of the UA Space Institute and a professor of astrophysics!
Journalists Jay Gonzales, Tara Kirkpatrick, Tiffany Kjos, Steve Rivera, Valerie Vinyard, Rodney Campbell and Loni Nannini share their stories and accomplishments in this summer edition. Kudos to our creative director and photo journalist Brent Mathis, who conceived and created a dynamic look for the cover photo and portraits at the Space Institute.
Our special report features Rancho Sahuarita, “Building Better Lives for 25 Years,” reported by Loni Nannini and Tiffany Kjos. In the mid 1990s, 3,000-acres of vacant land just south of Tucson began an epic transformation into Rancho Sahuarita, a master-planned community with a simple but ambitious vision: Create a community where families can build better lives. That vision is being realized by more than 25,000 residents. Twice-ranked among the Top 10 selling master-planned communities in the U.S. by Robert Charles Lesser & Co., a prominent real estate consulting and advisory firm, Rancho Sahuarita has garnered numerous local, regional and national accolades over the past quarter century.
Reporter Tom Leyde reports on El Rio Health’s newest campus. Leyde writes – El Rio Health has done it again. The nonprofit has opened another comprehensive clinic – the new Stone Health Center. It is El Rio’s largest facility, at 94,569 square feet. The building, vacant for 14 years, formerly housed Tucson Heart Hospital. After a May 12 preview event, with speeches and tours of the facility at 4888 N. Stone Ave., the center officially opened its doors to patients on June 1. El Rio is the largest provider of medical and dental services for the uninsured and Medicaid populations in Pima County. It serves more than 130,000 patients annually and employs more than 1,900 people with an annual budget exceeding $400 million.
In closing, we are grateful for our loyal readers, the tremendous support of our advertisers and our exceptional editorial team, our innovative creative director/photo journalist and their unwavering high standards of journalism.
Steven E. Rosenberg
Publisher & Owner
BizTucson
