Join us for our 2025 Southern Connection in Tucson — a lunch-and-learn event featuring circular economy speakers from Southern Arizona! Lunch will be provided by Circular Arizona.
Then, take a tour of Manzo Elementary’s award-winning School Garden Program in partnership with the University of Arizona, a nationally recognized model for hands-on sustainability education. The program integrates gardening, composting, aquaponics, and rainwater harvesting directly into classroom learning — inspiring the next generation to care for both their community and the environment.
Select your membership below and register now, or scroll to meet our speakers! Registration closes on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Meet the Speakers
Fátima Luna, the City of Tucson's Chief Resilience Officer, leads the implementation of Tucson Resilient Together, the city's climate action plan. With a background as Mayor Romero's Climate and Sustainability Policy Advisor, she spearheaded the Climate Emergency
Declaration and EV Readiness Roadmap and oversaw the development of the Tucson Resilient Together plan. Formerly, Fátima served as an environmental economist at the Sonoran Institute, focusing on conservation initiatives in the Colorado River Delta. Raised
in a rural Mexican town, she holds degrees from UC Berkeley and the University of Arizona. Fátima also serves as a Board Member for High Country News and is an advocate for racial and climate justice.
Natasha Winnik has a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami and a MArch from the University of Arizona. She has worked in natural building materials, particularly strawbale construction since 1997, continuing her education in natural building materials through hands on classes ranging from earthen plasters, natural paints, earthen floors, and Japanese plasters.
Natasha managed the construction operations of Franklin Court, the first small scale totally green development within the City of Tucson which won the 2006 Building from the Best of Tucson ‘Urban Infill Development Small Scale’ Award.
Natasha founded Originate in October 2003, a natural building materials showroom, in downtown Tucson, as a local and regional resource to foster conservation and sustainability in construction.
Katie Gannon is the Executive Director of Tucson Clean & Beautiful and has worked for TCB for the last eleven years. She takes seriously our human obligation to protect and steward the environment, which in turn nurtures us. She is motivated by the urgent need for environmental action and the joy of working with youth, volunteers, and neighbors to plan and care for community greenspace. She is an ISA Certified Arborist and has master’s degrees in landscape architecture and a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Arizona.
Tucson Clean & Beautiful is the community platform for engaged environmental action. Through zero waste and recycling education, urban forestry, green stormwater infrastructure, community clean-ups and invasive species removal, TCB has partnered with government, businesses, community groups, and volunteers for 40 years, transforming simple acts into meaningful environmental improvements. By working together, we create healthy, vibrant, and environmentally just communities.
Vanessa Gallego is from the lands of the Tohono 'O'odham and Pascua Yaqui currently known as Tucson, Arizona. An alumni of The University of Arizona, Vanessa is an environmental and mobility advocate, serving as Chief Operating Officer of her family’s business, Recyco, Inc., recognized by the City of Tucson as a Legacy Small Business metal recycling company celebrating 40 years this October 2025. Vanessa’s community investment includes serving as commissioner & advisor for the City of Tucson Climate, Energy and Sustainability, Climate Action Advisory Committee, and Vice Chair of the Sierra Club Nopales Group, Grand Canyon Chapter.
Vanessa is a founder & currently serves as Executive Administrator for FUGA Tucson, Families United Gaining Accessibility | Familias Unidas Ganando Accesibilidad, a mobility justice group using the bicycle as a tool for change in historically disinvested areas on the south and west side of Tucson. Through the preservation and protection of lands, Vanessa is committed to pushing for collective changes that address systemic barriers to a safe and secure quality of life.
Karen Wilhelmsen has been working in Outreach & Education for Pima County Department of Environmental Quality since 1999. As an Environmental Education Program Manager, she develops, provides, and facilitates youth and adult education programs regarding air quality, climate change, alternate modes of transportation and related environmental topics. She also leads the Green Stewards program for Pima County employees, a collaborative working group driving sustainability efforts within County operations through informative presentations and workshops, creating and maintaining intranet resources, highlighting policies and procedures, and creating activities for workforce engagement.
Karen earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies incorporating Environmental Sciences, Marketing and Fine Arts, both from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Ilse Rojas-Hamilton is the Associate Director of the University of Arizona’s Office of Sustainability, providing strategic leadership to advance institutional sustainability and climate action goals. She guides departmental strategy, aligns team efforts and budgets with University priorities, and fosters data-driven decision-making across campus and beyond.
Dr. Rojas-Hamilton oversees sustainability performance reporting and data management, including the AASHE STARS process and the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability. She also directs the Compost Cats Program and leads experiential education and engagement initiatives that cultivate a culture of sustainability across the campus and Tucson communities.
Since joining the Office in 2019, Dr. Rojas-Hamilton has leveraged over 15 years of strategic leadership to advance solutions to the interconnected sustainability and climate challenges faced locally and globally. A Fulbright alumna, she holds a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Chile and a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from the University of Arizona.