Congrats to our Southern District Director, Paloma Santiago, on receiving the Greater Tucson Leadership Alumni Excellence Award as part of the 72nd Annual Community Impact Awards! She will be honored at a ceremony in April. We are so proud of her and the incredible impact she is making in the Tucson community and beyond.
The Community Impact Awards have been a cornerstone of Tucson’s leadership community since 1952, celebrating individuals whose dedication and service have made a lasting impact. This year, GTL received a record number of nominations from across the community. A panel of sixteen diverse judges representing business, government, nonprofit, and education sectors carefully reviewed each submission and selected the four honorees. The honorees will be celebrated at GTL’s largest annual fundraising event on Friday, April 11, 2025, at Casino Del Sol Resort.
The Tucson Man and Woman of the Year awards are presented to those who have distinguished themselves for active support of community projects that demonstrated excellence in leadership and are a source of positive influence and inspiration for others. Man of the Year: Ted Maxwell, Southern Arizona Leadership Council. Woman of the Year: Calline Sanchez, IBM.
The Founders Award, established in 1985, is a lifetime achievement recognition honoring an individual who has demonstrated significant long-term community involvement and accomplishments and who has helped to shape the community in a positive manner with merit and dedication. Founders Award: Jonathan Rothschild, Former Mayor of Tucson, Mesch Clark Rothschild.
The GTL Alumni Excellence Award was established in 2017 and recognizes an alum of the GTL program who is positively impacting the Tucson community by actively utilizing the leadership skills learned during their time in the GTL program. GTL Alumni Excellence Award: Paloma Santiago, Junior Achievement of Arizona, GTL Class of 2023.
For more information on the Community Impact Awards Event on Friday, April 11, 2025 at Casino Del Sol, visit www.greatertucsonleadership.org. Email jamie@greatertucsonleadership.org for Sponsorship and Tribute opportunities.
To get involved with Junior Achievement of Arizona, consider volunteering, donating, or attending an event.
About Greater Tucson Leadership
The Mission of Greater Tucson Leadership is to recognize, develop and engage driven leaders to be catalysts for change. Founded in 1980, Greater Tucson Leadership (GTL) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, non-partisan leadership organization dedicated to providing leadership education, community development and civic engagement for the overall care of and commitment of our Tucson community for over 40 years. GTL hosts three annual leadership classes; our flagship program, Lead Tucson (1980), our Civic and Political Leadership Academy (2020), and our Tucson Youth Leadership Academy (2021), in which class participants expand their knowledge of our region and become strong community leaders. Participants are inspired to lead as they engage in relevant and immersive experiences; meet local political, community, and business leaders; and take an in-depth look at the regional issues most relevant to our community. Graduates take their new knowledge, visionary thinking, motivation, and personal leadership development training into our community, making our community stronger, more vibrant, and innovative. GTL also offers consulting, coaching, and teambuilding services for businesses, non-profit organizations, educational, and social groups. GTL is a proven leadership organization with a network of alums who have become change agents and are inspired to be community, political, and business innovators.
About Junior Achievement of Arizona
Junior Achievement of Arizona (JAAZ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that equips Arizona students to succeed in work and life by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to manage their money, plan for their future, and make smart academic, career, and economic choices. Since 1957, JAAZ has taught kids kindergarten through high school about financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship. The organization’s hands-on, age-appropriate programs are delivered by more than 8,000 corporate and community volunteers. Despite educational obstacles during the pandemic, JAAZ reached approximately 190,000 students in the 2023-2024 school year. Follow @JAArizona on social media or visit https://www.jaaz.org/our-programs/resource-repository/ for more free online educational tools.
