Eight Tucson Leaders Selected as 2020 Flinn-Brown Fellows
The Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation has selected 31 civic leaders from around the state, including eight from Tucson, for its 2020 Flinn-Brown Fellowship seminar series. Here is a look at the Tucson fellows this year:
Dennis Barger
Principal
Vail Academy and High School
Vail
Dennis Barger is a career public school educator who has been an administrator for the past 19 years in the Vail School District. He currently serves as the secondary division president of Arizona School Administrators and has been recognized for his leadership skills by multiple organizations, including being named Arizona’s 2016 High School Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Dennis is passionate about public education and its role within our state. The desire to get involved prompted him to run for the state legislature and be a voice for public education at the state level.
Nicole Barraza
Director of Governance and Outreach
Southern Arizona Leadership Council
Tucson
LinkedIn | Twitter
Nicole P. Barraza is from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. She received her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Wellesley College, and her master’s degree and doctorate from Stanford University in sociolinguistics and peninsular literature.
After living in different geographic regions in both the United States and Mexico, Nicole moved to Tucson and taught at Pima Community College.
She is currently the director of governance and outreach at the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, a public policy organization that works to improve the economic climate and quality of life in Tucson and the state of Arizona. Nicole is passionate about civic engagement and wants to serve where she can have the most impact.
Sean Goslar
Regional Manager of Immigration Services
Chicanos Por La Causa
Tucson
Sean Goslar was born in Tucson. He lived in Guadalajara, Mexico, with his family between ages 9 and 16 before returning to Arizona to finish high school. Sean holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a minor in government (2015) and a Master of Public Administration (2018) from the University of Arizona.
Sean worked as a congressional caseworker for Rep. Raul Grijalva in 2010; Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2011; and Rep. Ron Barber from 2012-2014. In 2018, Sean became the program coordinator of immigration services at Catholic Community Services. For the past year and a half, Sean has worked for Chicanos Por La Causa as the regional manager of immigration services overseeing offices in Tucson and Somerton.
Ashley Hullinger
Research Analyst
University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center
Tucson
Ashley Hullinger is a research analyst at the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, dedicated to creating pathways for Arizona stakeholders to develop sustainable water management strategies, especially in rural watersheds. She manages the Water RAPIDS Program (Water Research and Planning Innovations for Dryland Systems), which extends through several counties in Arizona.
Ashley works directly with communities to evaluate issues that span beyond physical water resources, considering the people and history that make local water challenges and solutions unique. Her work has been based primarily in Graham, Greenlee, Gila, and Pinal counties, with goals to fortify rural water management strategies and policy options throughout the state.
Brendan Lyons
Executive Director
LOOK! Save A Life
Tucson
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Brendan Lyons holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Arizona, focusing in collaborative governance. While serving as a firefighter, Brendan became concerned about distracted driving after responding to far too many crashes. So, he launched the nonprofit LOOK! Save A Life to create awareness. A year later, he became a statistic of the very epidemic he advocated against. Throughout his recovery, he threw himself into fighting for tougher laws. He set aside partisan politics to work with Republicans and Democrats in local and state government.
With overwhelming bipartisan support, in 2019 Gov. Doug Ducey signed Arizona’s Hands-Free, Distracted-Driving Law. Now, Brendan’s building upon his experiences, campaigning to be the next state representative in Arizona’s 9th legislative district.
Yvette-Marie Margaillan
CEO and Clinical Director
ABA Consulting Group-Autism Pediatrics
Tucson
Yvette-Marie Margaillan is the founder and CEO of ABA Consulting Group-Autism Pediatrics, a business consulting firm and private medical practice focused on improving client performance metrics and increasing skills for children with special needs to thrive.
A first-generation Arizonan, Yvette-Marie is bilingual and bicultural. An advocate of STEM, she supports organizations seeking innovative solutions to local problems through the use of evidence-based practice and scientific inquiry.
Her primary areas of focus outside of STEM are financial literacy development, access to quality health care, and access to a competitive education.
Stefanie Murphy
ATF Advisor
Raytheon Missiles and Defense
Tucson
LinkedIn| Twitter
Stefanie Murphy is an ATF Compliance Advisor at Raytheon Missiles and Defense in Tucson.
Stefanie joined Raytheon in May 2018 in global trade and supports the application of U.S. Government export/import regulations. Prior to joining Raytheon, Stefanie worked for Maricopa County Supervisor Denny Barney as the deputy administrator for District 1. She also held positions at the state of Arizona, including director of constituent services in the Governor’s Office and board administrator to the Arizona State Liquor Board.
Stefanie studied business administration and received a bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and a MBA from Western International University.
Zachary Yentzer
Executive Director
Tucson Young Professionals
Tucson
LinkedIn | Twitter
Zach Yentzer’s been intentional to work at the intersection of neighborhood and housing policy, and workforce and economic development to shape an inclusive, innovative future for Tucson.
He’s the executive director of Tucson Young Professionals and serves on the Tucson Metro Chamber’s Talent Taskforce. Zach’s the president of the Menlo Park Neighborhood Association, a member of the Barrio Neighborhood Coalition, and serves on the Downtown Neighborhoods and Residents Council and the Downtown Tucson Partnership (DTP) board.
Zach hosts the daily talk show “Tipping Point” on AM 1030 The Voice, and was named Tucson’s 2019 40 Under 40 Man of the Year.
