Pima County / Tucson Women's Commission · 50th Anniversary Project

The PCTWC Archives — A Chronological Review

A digitized and organized review of 136 archival snapshots from the "PCTWC Archives" collection — capturing the Commissioners who served, and the events and issues they championed, from the Commission's founding through the late 1980s.

136items digitized
1976–1991core minute-book span
115+commissioners & staff named
4executive directors traced

A storytelling contribution toward the 50th · captured in the field by two Commissioners — Lucy Howell & Zoey Dzieman

Out in the Field How This Archive Came to Be

This review exists because two Commissioners went out and got the records. As part of the storytelling in preparation for the 50th Anniversary, Lucy Howell and Zoey Dzieman went into the City of Tucson Clerk's archives, pulled the original minute books and program files, and photographed all 136 pages so this history could be digitized, organized, and shared — two commissioners out in the field, doing their thing to help tell the Commission's story.

The photos below document that day — standing with the women-in-service artwork, and at the table in the records room with a stamped Commission memorandum open in hand.

Coach Lucy Howell and Zoey standing in front of the women-in-service artwork
PCTWC Commissioners Zoey Dzieman and Lucy Howell out in the field — in front of Ward 5 Council Member Selena Barajas's office, on their way to visit the City Clerk's storage facility behind it, off South Park Avenue.
Coach Lucy Howell and Zoey in the City Clerk's archives with a stamped Commission record open
In the City Clerk's archives — digitizing an original stamped Commission record.
The City of Tucson Archives box holding the Commission's minute folders, labeled February 1975 to May 1978
The very box — City of Tucson Archives — holding the Commission's minute folders, labeled "Feb 1975 – May 1978."
What this collection is. The 136 images are phone photographs of original records pulled from the City of Tucson Archives (City Clerk / Legislative Management series). They include Commission meeting minutes, membership rosters, event programs, proclamations, letters, and a handful of newspaper clippings — the paper trail of the body chartered in the mid-1970s as the Tucson Women's Commission (TWC) and known today as the Pima County/Tucson Women's Commission (PCTWC). A few contemporary photos in the album document the digitization session itself, and three show the physical archive boxes (one folder labeled "Commission on Improved Socioeconomic & Management, Minutes, Feb 1975 – May 1978" — a clue to the Commission's earliest organizational name).
The 1984 Women's Equality Day invitation depicting the 240 N. Court Ave. adobe building
The 1984 invitation announcing the building's grand opening.
★ Special Find

The Story Behind 240 N. Court Avenue

In Tucson's historic El Presidio neighborhood sits the adobe at 240 N. Court Avenue (Pima County parcel 117-10-1360, "Tucson Resub Block 179, Lot 6"). The Commission renovated it and threw open its doors on Women's Equality Day, August 26, 1984, celebrating what its own invitation called a "100-year-old adobe." Lewis "Lew" Murphy was Mayor. The grand opening paired a Southwestern Women's Art Invitational with the launch of "Friends of the Tucson Women's Commission."

Sixteen years later it became an outright gift. The City conveyed the building by Quit Claim Deed recorded November 6, 2000 (Pima County Recorder, Docket 11419/1063); Bob Walkup was Mayor. The Nov. 15, 2000 Executive Director's report put it plainly: "We have received the deed and the building now belongs to us." A corrective deed followed in 2008, and the property is today owned outright by the Pima County/Tucson Women's Commission.

1913County Assessor's construction year for the 3,557 sq ft adobe office building. It meets State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) historic standards.
1984The Commission moves in during Women's Equality Day; the building was carried only informally on value — no formal appraisal in the record.
2000Title conveyed to the Commission by Quit Claim Deed (recorded Nov. 6, 2000, Docket 11419/1063). Still no formal appraisal — insurers required one "beyond that which the City did informally."
TodayAssessor Full Cash Value $189,240 (2027 notice: $69,000 land + structure). Estimated replacement-cost-new: $601,210.

The Quit Claim Deed conveyed title; any use restriction or reverter clause would live in the authorizing City of Tucson Mayor & Council ordinance — the next record to pull. Note: "Women's Heritage Building" is not an official name on record — an opportunity for a formal naming or landmark designation at the 50th.

📜 Read the full Story & Strategy for the Gift →

On this page
  1. ★ Special Find: 240 N. Court Ave
  2. Founding & Origins (1975–76)
  3. Year-by-Year Timeline (1976–1988)
  4. Legal Actions & Legal Posture
  5. Later Snapshots (2000, 2013)
  6. Commissioner Service Index
  7. Executive Directors & Staff
  8. Signature Events & Programs
  9. Gallery — Faces of the Archive
  10. The Commission's Art & Logos
  11. Provenance & Accuracy Notes

Founding & Origins

The Commission organized itself in the opening weeks of 1976. On January 4, 1976, a Screening / Interviewing Committee convened in Council Chambers at City Hall — chaired by Lynn Harris, with Alison Hughes presenting the ordinance's history and Marcia Rochman outlining the interviewing process. By ordinance the committee had to "reflect parity" in ethnicity, age, and lifestyle, and would make eight appointments before Council Member Barbara Weymann added hers. Commissioners had to be seated by March 8, 1976.

The first seated Commission met through the spring of 1976 under founding Chairwoman Julieta Gonzalez, moving between City Hall conference rooms before establishing offices at 1515 East Broadway. An archive folder covering Feb 1975 – May 1978 suggests the effort traces back to a 1975 "Commission on Improved Socioeconomic & Management."

Milestone. At the September 28, 1977 meeting, new Commissioner Ann Boice (appointed by Mayor Murphy) was sworn in, and Chair Julieta Gonzalez noted it was "the first time the Tucson Women's Commission had a fully seated Commission."

Year-by-Year Timeline

Each year shows the events & issues documented in the archive, followed by the Commissioners of record (from that year's roster or meeting minutes). Chairs are marked in gold. Detailed meeting notes are tucked into the expandable panels.

1976The founding year
Events & Issues
  • Commission organized and seated (Screening Committee Jan 4; commissioners seated by March).
  • Established permanent offices at 1515 E. Broadway; adopted first 1976–77 budget and job descriptions.
  • Alison Hughes hired as the Commission's first Executive Director (effective June 16, 1976).
Commissioners of Record
Julieta Gonzalez — Chair Ellen Beth AdelsteinGrace BurruelCatherine "Cathie" Cravens Cecilia Cruz-BaldenegroRuth CrowSharon DayRosamaria Diaz Fran FarrellAnnie LaosAnn MannsMarcia Rochman Ella RumleyV. Carole SmithMarlys Witte, M.D.Carol Zimmerman
Staff
Alison Hughes — Executive DirectorSue Bedient — Secretary Phyllis Sugar — Legal AdvisorKathy Scott — Admin. Asst.
Meeting-by-meeting detail (Jan–June 1976)

Jan 4 — Screening/Interviewing Committee organizes (Lynn Harris chairing; Alison Hughes, Marcia Rochman, and committee members Mary Memedova, Pat Mullens, Ann Yellott, Carol Scott, Veronica Angel, Meredith Little, Mary Hanson, Gerry Norris, Rita Irwin, Gloria Feigenbaum, Terry Korn). March 30 & April 6 — early business meetings, City Hall; new members added with a budget and job-description committee. April 13 & May 4 — office-space subcommittee reviews rentals (1515 E. Broadway ~$300/mo). June 2 — noted Alison Hughes officially becoming Executive Director June 16. Summer — Rosamaria Diaz sworn in July 14.

1977First full slate & national engagement
Events & Issues
  • Women's Equality Day (Aug 26) — evening arts program & a month-long women's art exhibit at the Tucson Public Library, with a University of Arizona School of Music concert.
  • Employment Discrimination Law: A Substantive Seminar (Sept 29, Santa Rita Motor Inn).
  • Money Management Workshop (Dec 10, Pima College Downtown).
  • Voted to support a long-term shelter for abused women (backing Hazel Borshct's KTKT "Call for Action" project).
  • Engaged nationally: reported on the historic International Women's Year Conference in Houston; active in the National Association of Commissions for Women (NACW); began an ERA brochure project with the Arizona Women's Commission.
Commissioners of Record
Julieta Gonzalez — ChairAnn Manns — Vice ChairCarol Zimmerman — Treasurer Ellen AdelsteinAnn BoiceCarol ChamberlainRuth Crow Cecilia Cruz-BaldenegroMelva De SautelLillian Lopez-GrantMarcia Rochman Ella RumleyClara SotomayorMarlys Witte, M.D.Isidora Wright
Staff
Alison Hughes — Exec. DirectorEunice Redondo — Secretary Janie George & Jeanette Palimo — CompliancePhyllis Sugar / Mary Lou Moore — Legal
Meeting-by-meeting detail (1977)

April 13 (Special) — Annual Report adopted; discussion of a CETA grant proposal. May 18 — meeting at El Rio Neighborhood Center; approval of spring minutes. Sept 28 — Ann Boice sworn in ("first fully seated Commission"). Dec 7 — supported a long-term shelter for abused women; NACW national board report (censure debate over New Hampshire commission); ERA pamphlet project with the Arizona Women's Commission; incorporation study begun; endorsed Minority Women's Rights Day (Jan 21, 1978) and ERA Week; reported on the IWY Houston conference. New legal advisor Mary Lou Moore opined the Commission may be a charging party in EEOC / civil-rights complaints.

1978Chair Ann Boice; a tribute to a founder
Events & Issues
  • Women's Equality Day (Aug 26) — dedicated to Julieta Gonzalez, former Chair; proclamation by Councilmember Tom Volgy; UA School of Music concert & women artists' exhibit.
  • Workshops & conferences: Employment Discrimination Workshop, a Lesbian Workshop (~100 attended), Native American employment-prep workshop, Women in Religion & "Many Faces of the Family" conferences.
  • Rummage-sale fundraiser (raised $300+); ongoing sex-discrimination complaint hearings; planning of the 1979 Chicana Conference.
Commissioners of Record
Ann Boice — Chairperson Ellen AdelsteinJosefina AhumadaCarol ChamberlainMaria Cora Linda CoronadoRuth CrowMelva De SautelEdmund Kahn Sandi LarrivaLillian Lopez-GrantAnn MannsMary Mundy Ella RumleyClara SotomayorGloria ValenzuelaIsidora Wright
Staff
Alison M. Hughes — Exec. DirectorEunice Redondo — Secretary Winnifred Wallace — Newsletter EditorCarol Blackmon — BookkeeperJanie George; Khi Golinski
Meeting-by-meeting detail (Nov–Dec 1978)

Nov 15 — theology seminar proposal; program planning for FY1980; Employment Discrimination Workshop set (Dec 11, Home Federal); Lesbian Workshop reported successful. Dec 6 — 1979–80 Work Plan adopted; Native American Workshop (40 attended); Women in Religion Conference (March 17, 1979); Chicana Conference proposed (March 31, 1979) with an Arizona Humanities Council grant application; Arizona Women's Commission to meet in Tucson Dec 9.

1979Chair Gloria Valenzuela; the Conferencia era begins
Events & Issues
  • "Llego El Mañana Para La Mujer" — the first Conferencia; nearly 200 Hispanas met at Pima College's West Campus (cultural history, Chicana activism, folk medicine, law).
  • Women's Equality Day — keynote by UA planetary scientist Laurel L. Wilkening ("Women's Equality Day: What Does It Mean?"); Governor's & Mayor's proclamations; Commission Recognition Awards; performances organized via CETA-funded WOMANKRAFT.
  • Christmas party for women held at the County Jail (a tradition that recurs for years); planning for a National Hispana Feminist Conference (Dr. Sylvia Gonzalez) and a Conference on Differently Abled Women (Feb 1980).
  • Civilian-review-board advocacy (the Montenegro case); childcare-cost and apprenticeship-training (CETA) programs.
Commissioners of Record
Gloria Valenzuela — ChairJosefina Ahumada — Vice-ChairMary Mundy — Treasurer Ann BoiceMaureen Chaisson, Ph.D.Linda CoronadoMelva DeSautel Phyllis EddySandi LarrivaLillian Lopez-GrantJeanette Palimo Katharine Parker Riddle, Ph.D.Heidi TaylorCamilla WalkerDebbie Weissenberg
Staff
Alison Hughes — Exec. DirectorWinnifred Wallace — Editor, The Clarion Carol Blackmon — BookkeeperKathy Acedo; Joan DavisNative American Leadership Program staff
Meeting detail — Dec 5, 1979

Guests from community arts, childcare, and the YWCA presented; the Commission organized the December jail Christmas party, reviewed NACW conference resolutions, and wrote the President on the Women's Bureau, Social Security for homemakers, and apprenticeship tax credits. Chair Gloria Valenzuela was appointed to the National Apprenticeship Monitoring Committee (Washington, D.C.). The Commission adopted a strict attendance rule — three consecutive absences subject a member to removal by Mayor and Council.

1980–81Co-chair era; networking & a budget crisis
Events & Issues
  • Housing and the Older Woman mini-conference & hearing (Feb 5, 1981), tied to the White House Conference on Aging.
  • Tucson Women's Networking Conference (May 8–9, 1981) — keynotes by Chicago Tribune columnist Carol Kleiman and Seneca Faith Keeper Hazel V. John; networks in Art, Business, Health, Sports, Education, Labor, Law & Social Action.
  • 4th Annual Black Women's Awareness Conference — "Keeping It Together" (Nov 13, 1981).
  • Budget crisis: the Executive Women's Council contributed $700; the Commission requested an additional $8,000 from Mayor and Council; the YWCA weighed a rent reduction. Continued jail Christmas party.
Commissioners of Record (1981)
Katherine Parker Riddle, Ph.D. — Co-ChairCecilia Vindiola — Co-ChairDebbie A. Weissenberg — Co-Chair Frieda BakerConnie DueñasPhyllis EddyMary Lou Harris Nadine Hunt-DunnJo Anne KnoebelDee MuñozJean Paisano Penny SpicerRozina TaylorBarbara TsaoCamilla Walker Virginia ZeebPaula EdgarVicky Stromee
Staff
Alison M. Hughes — Exec. DirectorKaren Brennan / Janet Frakes — Admin. Asst.
Meeting detail — Dec 16, 1981

Chair Debbie Weissenberg presiding. The Commission thanked the Executive Women's Council for a $700 gift, voted to request an additional $8,000 from Mayor and Council for FY 1981-82, planned the jail Christmas party (Dec 22), and organized planning for the 1982 Tradeswomen and Hispana conferences. Estelle Hall (a Pima College volunteer) researched women's representation on City boards and commissions.

1982Trades, Hispanas & the cable consortium
Events & Issues
  • Southwest Conference of Women in the Trades (March 12–14) with Arizona Tradeswomen, Inc.; reception honoring Gwen Avery, Dr. Lenora Cole-Alexander, Crisco McCullough & Addie L. Wyatt.
  • 4th Annual Conference of Hispanas — "La Mujer: Su Desarrollo y Futuro" (April 2, Tucson Community Center), honoring El Día de la Mujer.
  • Employment Discrimination Law Seminar (May 27, Arizona Inn); 5th Annual Black Women's Awareness Conference — "You, Your Family and Finance" (Nov 5).
  • Launched the Women's Cable Consortium Project (grant-funded); reorganized The Clarion newsletter; planned a Comparable Worth public hearing; explored non-profit incorporation (advised against by the City Attorney).
Commissioners of Record
Debbie Weissenberg — Chair (early '82)Connie Dueñas — Chair (late '82) Frieda BakerJo BurtonMary Lou HarrisNadine Hunt-Dunn JoAnne KnoebelJean PaisanoNora SimmonsVicky Stromee Rozina TaylorCecilia VindiolaCamilla WalkerVirginia Zeeb Leslie Carlson (elect)Paula Edgar
Staff & leadership change
Alison Hughes → Shannon Davis — Exec. DirectorBarbara Schuessler — Admin. Asst.
Meeting detail — Dec 1, 1982 (budget & cable consortium)

Under Chair Connie Dueñas, the Finance Committee (analyst Geri Knoebel) presented a multi-year FY'84–'86 budget stressing fundraising; the Commission adopted the Women's Cable Consortium Project grant (a half-time organizer to help women's groups use Tucson cable TV); planned the Dec 20 jail party; and hired former Administrative Assistant Janet Frakes to prepare the '81–'82 annual report. Council relations were strained — Councilman Bejarano stated he was "not in support of the Commission."

1983Chair Nora Simmons; "…And Still I Rise"
Events & Issues
  • Women's Equality Day (Aug 26, Santa Rita Hotel) — guest speaker Laura Pendleton (E.F. Hutton), theme "…And Still I Rise"; ~150 attended. Arizona Daily Star coverage (Aug 27) reported critiques of the Reagan administration's record on women and the emerging "gender gap."
  • Adopted a slate of ten FY84/85 objectives — led by Equal Pay structures and "Stress among working and unemployed women."
  • Annual jail party continued (Dec 20/22).
Commissioners of Record
Nora Simmons — Chair Frieda BakerJohnona (Jo) BurtonLeslie CarlsonSusan Dubow Connie DueñasTeri (Jeri) FrancoDaisy JenkinsGuadalupe Olivas Linda PowersMartha PrestonLinda WashingtonElaine Wells Jean YoshinoVirginia Zeeb
Staff
Shannon Davis — Exec. DirectorBarbara Schuessler; Olivia Frison Carol Blackmon; Winnifred Wallace; Marie West
1984A permanent home on Court Avenue
Events & Issues
  • Grand Opening of the Commission's renovated 100-year-old adobe building at 240 N. Court Ave. — celebrated at Women's Equality Day (Aug 26), with City & State proclamations, the "Phenomenal Women" reading, and launch of "Friends of the Tucson Women's Commission."
  • Southwestern Women's Art Invitational (a multi-artist show); the Women's Vote Project voter-registration drive; and the Tucson Women's Cable Consortium's first cablecast on public access.
  • Comparable Worth: Issue of the 80's conference (Sept 22, Pima College West) with the Arizona Civil Rights Commission & Executive Women's Council.
Commissioners of Record
Sylvia CampoyLeslie CarlsonTeri FrancoBecky Gaspar Rosa Maria LaraJan LesherDiane MaddenCarol Noriega Guadalupe OlivasLinda PowersLola RaineyVirginia Romero Sherri SmithElaine WellsJean Yoshino
Staff
Shannon Davis — Exec. DirectorPatty Arthur; Teresa Cowgill Olivia Frison; Deborah Hunter; Ann Yellott
1985Chair Guadalupe Olivas; a leadership transition
Events & Issues
  • Executive Director transition: Shannon Davis departed (Feb 1985); Valerina Quintana came on as Acting Executive Director (April 8, 1985).
  • Adopted new By-Laws, Financial Policies, and a formal Management Review Study & Plan of Action.
  • Directory & newsletter branded as "Tucson Tallie" and TUCASA; participated in the BPW Trade Fair (May 30) whose auction raised $1,385.
  • Supported the OK Community Project, TUSD override (Props 6/7/8), and the Civil Rights Restoration Act; bookkeeping for the Arizona Women's Partnership (Sandra Day O'Connor spoke at its May 18 event). Debated — and rejected — a "Women's Stress Survival Kit" as a fundraiser.
Commissioners of Record
Guadalupe Olivas — Chair Sylvia CampoyLeslie CarlsonTeri FrancoBecky Gaspar Rosa Marie LaraJan LesherDiane MaddenCarol Noriega Linda PowersLola RaineyE. Virginia RomeroSherri Smith Elaine WellsJean Yoshino
Staff & leadership change
Shannon Davis → Valerina Quintana — Acting Exec. DirectorTeresa Cowgill — Receptionist/Secretary
Board-meeting detail (Jan–July 1985)

Jan 23 / Feb 6 — "Women's Stress Survival Kit" fundraiser proposed and then defeated (1–10); supported the OK Community Project. Mar 20 — authorized hiring an Acting Executive Director; Jan Lesher elected Community Relations Chair. Apr 17 — Valerina Quintana introduced as Acting E.D.; began an educational program on parliamentary procedure & Open Meeting Law. May 15 / June 19 / July 17 — adopted By-Laws and Financial Policies; Trade Fair auction ($1,385); adopted the Management Review Study & 1985–86 objectives. A July 8 letter from the Tucson Women's Foundation (President Hildy Gottlieb) sought repayment of a $250 loan for the postponed "Saguaro Sports Classic."

1987Chair Sylvia Campoy; women & poverty
Events & Issues
  • "Status of Arizona Women" forum (May 9) — featuring the Women in Poverty Report and former Office of Women's Services director Sandra Junck; a call for the Governor's Office of Women's Services to shape state policy.
Commissioners of Record
Sylvia Campoy — Chair Martha FimbresRebecca HillEthel LarsenLorraine Lee Kathleen MayerKrista NeisOphelia ParkerE. Virginia Romero Sonja SandersTice SuppleeChristine Van Nostrand
Staff
Valerina Quintana — Exec. DirectorBecky Sweet — Admin. Secretary Hermelinda "Tiny" Pellon Bravo & Edye Carter — AYUDA Program
1988Homelessness, the Yellow Pages & another transition
Events & Issues
  • Annual Meeting (April 13) with Mayor Volgy speaking; ongoing Tucson Women's Yellow Pages directory.
  • Advocacy on state legislation — SB 1458 (removing marriage as a defense for sexual assault) and SB 1286 (housing ordinance).
  • Homeless report and the "Just Us" cooperative-housing concept; grant-writing and fundraising strategy.
  • Executive Director transition: Valerina Quintana's tenure ends; Barbara Ketchum recommended as Interim Executive Director (effective June 13, 1988).
Commissioners & committee members of record
Jenette BedfordJoyce GarciaRebecca HillSara Andersson Kaufman Ethel LarsenLorraine LeeJanet MarcotteKathleen Mayer Krista NeisSonja SandersDiana SheldonTice Supplee Barbara Joy Tucker
Staff & leadership change
Valerina Quintana → Barbara Ketchum — Interim Exec. Director
Committee-meeting detail (1988)

Feb 24 (Finance) — lobbying/grant strategy; grants resource file established. Mar 14 (Community Relations) — planning the April 13 annual meeting; Yellow Pages sales; homelessness & women-in-poverty flagged as priorities. Mar 16 (Executive) — endorsed SB 1458 & SB 1286; updated the Commissioner Orientation Manual. June 1 / July 6 — Barbara Ketchum named Interim E.D.; "Just Us" homeless-housing concept advanced; new E.D. hiring criteria set (salary range $23–26K).

The physical minute book carries the spine label "Tucson Women's Commission Minutes 1980–1991," indicating the records run through 1991. The dated documents captured in this album concentrate in 1976–1988; the 1989–1991 minutes exist in the same series and can be photographed on a follow-up pass to complete the roster.

Later Snapshots

A few images jump forward, documenting the Commission's continuity under its modern name, the Pima County/Tucson Women's Commission.

2000

Executive Director's Reports record a landmark: the Commission received the deed to 240 N. Court Ave. — the historic adobe now belonged to the Commission outright. Publication of The Status of Women in Arizona (with the Institute for Women's Policy Research & UA Women's Studies); work with the Inter-Agency Council on Victim Advocacy. Commissioners named include Judy Browning, Lorraine Duron, Carole Begay, and Robin Harris.

2013

Full Commission minutes (Oct 16) show a robust, active body — and a "My Girl Power" committee on the agenda, with a $3,000 pledge noted. Commissioners of record include Hughes-Juan, Juan, Higgins, Martin, McSally, Tobias, Howell, Clark, Ottoboni, Johnson, Hughes, Goodman, Sykes, Boyle, Vindiola, and others — a direct link to the Commission's role as fiscal sponsor of the My Girl Power Legacy & Wingtappers work.

Commissioner Service Index

An alphabetical index of every Commissioner named in the digitized records, with the years they appear. Roles (Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer) are noted where documented. Years reflect the documents captured in this album, not necessarily a person's full term.

Commissioner Years in record Roles noted
Ellen Beth Adelstein1976–1978
Josefina Ahumada1978–1979Vice-Chair (1979)
Frieda Baker1981–1983
Jenette Bedford1988
Ann K. Boice1977–1979Chair 1978
Grace Burruel1976
Johnona "Jo" Burton1982–1983
Sylvia Campoy1984–1987Chair 1987
Leslie Carlson1982–1985
Maureen Chaisson, Ph.D.1979
Carol Chamberlain1977–1978
Maria Cora1978
Linda Coronado1978–1979
Catherine "Cathie" Cravens1976
Ruth Crow1976–1979
Cecilia Cruz-Baldenegro1976–1978
Sharon Day1976
Melva De Sautel1977–1979
Rosamaria Diaz1976
Susan Dubow1983
Connie Dueñas1981–1983Chair 1982
Phyllis Eddy1979, 1981
Paula Edgar1981–1982
Fran Farrell1976
Martha Fimbres1987
Teri (Jeri) Franco1983–1985
Joyce Garcia1988
Becky Gaspar1984–1985
Julieta Gonzalez1976–1978Founding Chair
Mary Lou Harris1981–1982
Rebecca Hill1987–1988
Nadine Hunt-Dunn1981–1982
Daisy Jenkins1983
Edmund "Ed" Kahn1978
Sara Andersson Kaufman1988
Jo Anne / JoAnne Knoebel1981–1983
Annie Laos1976
Rosa Maria (Marie) Lara1984–1985
Sandi Larriva1978–1979
Ethel Larsen (Larson)1987–1988
Lorraine Lee1987–1988
Jan Lesher1984–1985Community Relations Chair (1985)
Lillian Lopez-Grant1977–1979
Diane Madden1984–1985
Ann Manns1976–1978Vice-Chair (1977)
Janet Marcotte1988
Kathleen (Kathi) Mayer1987–1988
Dee Muñoz1981
Mary Mundy1978–1979Treasurer (1979)
Krista Neis1987–1988
Carol Noriega1984–1985
Guadalupe Olivas1983–1985Chair 1985
Jean Paisano1981–1982
Jeanette Palimo1979(also earlier staff)
Ophelia Parker1987
Linda Powers1983–1985
Martha Preston1983
Lola Rainey1984–1985
Katharine "Kittu" Parker Riddle, Ph.D.1979, 1981Co-Chair (1981)
Marcia Rochman1976–1977
E. Virginia Romero1984–1987
Ella Rumley1976–1978
Sonja (Sonya) Sanders1987–1988
Diana Sheldon1988
Nora Simmons1982–1983Chair 1983
Sherri Smith1984–1985
V. Carole Smith1976
Clara Sotomayor1977–1978
Penny Spicer1981
Vicky Stromee1982
Tice Supplee1987–1988
Heidi Taylor1979
Rozina Taylor1981–1982
Barbara Tsao1981–1982
Barbara Joy Tucker1988
Gloria Valenzuela1978–1979Chair 1979
Christine Van Nostrand1987
Cecilia Vindiola1981–1982Co-Chair (1981)
Camilla Walker1979–1982
Linda Washington1983
Elaine Wells1983–1985
Debbie A. Weissenberg1979–1982Co-Chair (1981); Chair 1982
Marlys Witte, M.D.1976–1977
Isidora Wright1976–1978
Jean Yoshino1983–1985
Virginia Zeeb1981–1983
Carol Zimmerman1976–1977Treasurer (1977)

Later-era commissioners named in the 2000 & 2013 records — Judy Browning, Lorraine Duron, Carole Begay, Robin Harris (2000); Hughes-Juan, Juan, Higgins, Martin, McSally, Tobias, Howell, Clark, Ottoboni, Johnson, Hughes, Goodman, Sykes, Boyle, Vindiola, and others (2013) — are listed separately, as full names/roles were not always spelled out in those minutes.

Executive Directors & Key Staff

Executive DirectorTenure (per records)Notes
Alison M. Hughes1976 – c.1982Founding Executive Director (effective June 16, 1976); the Commission's steady hand through its first six years.
Shannon Davisc.1982 – Feb 1985Led the Court Ave. building opening and the cable-consortium era; Feb 1985 was her last board meeting.
Valerina QuintanaApr 1985 – 1988Began as Acting E.D. (April 8, 1985); oversaw by-laws, the AYUDA program, and the "Status of Arizona Women" work.
Barbara KetchumInterim, from Jun 1988Recommended as Interim Executive Director effective June 13, 1988.

Long-serving staff who recur across the years include Eunice Redondo (Secretary), Carol Blackmon (Bookkeeper), Winnifred Wallace (Editor of the Commission newsletter The Clarion), Janie George and Jeanette Palimo (Compliance), Barbara Schuessler and Olivia Frison (administrative), and Phyllis Sugar then Mary Lou Moore (Legal). The volunteer art coordinator Joy Holdread appears across the 1977–1981 Women's Equality Day exhibits.

Signature Events & Recurring Programs

Annual traditions

  • Women's Equality Day (every Aug 26) — the flagship celebration, 1977 onward, with proclamations, art exhibits, and music.
  • The Jail Christmas Party — an annual gathering for incarcerated women, documented 1979–1983.
  • The Clarion — the Commission's newsletter (later TUCASA / "Tucson Tallie" directory).

Landmark conferences

  • Conferencias de Hispanas — "Llego El Mañana Para La Mujer" (1979) & "La Mujer: Su Desarrollo y Futuro" (1982).
  • Women in the Trades (1982) & the Networking Conference (1981).
  • Black Women's Awareness Conferences (annual, 1981–82+).
  • Comparable Worth: Issue of the 80's (1984); Status of Arizona Women (1987).

Enduring issues championed

Equal pay / comparable worthEmployment discriminationDomestic violence & shelters The ERAVoting rights (Women's Vote Project)Women in the trades & apprenticeship Older women & housingWomen in povertyHispana & Chicana empowerment Black women's advancementNative American womenMedia portrayal of women ChildcareHomelessness ("Just Us")

The Commission's Art & Logos

Across five decades the Commission commissioned or created striking artwork for its emblem, its event programs, and — above all — its annual Women's Equality Day celebrations. Several were drawn by Tucson women artists (Linda Coronado among them). Here is a display of that visual legacy, straight from the original covers.

The Tucson Women's Commission three-faces emblem
The EmblemThe Commission's mark — three women's faces within the female symbol, above its mission line.
Women's Equality Day 1977 program cover
Women's Equality Day · 1977The program cover for the Aug 26 celebration.
Employment Discrimination Law Seminar cover with scales of justice
Employment Discrimination Seminar · 1977Scales of justice framing the female symbol and two faces (Sept 29).
Women's Equality Day 1978 program cover
Women's Equality Day · 1978A pen-and-ink cover on blue-gray stock.
Housing and the Older Woman conference flyer 1981
Housing & the Older Woman · 1981A Feb 5 mini-conference tied to the White House Conference on Aging.
Black Women's Awareness Conference 1981 cover
Black Women's Awareness · 1981"Keeping It Together" (Nov 13) — two faces in profile.
Southwest Conference of Women in the Trades program cover 1982
Women in the Trades · 1982The Southwest Conference program cover (March).
Fourth Annual Conference of Hispanas bilingual flyer
Conferencia de Hispanas · 1982"La Mujer: Su Desarrollo y Futuro" (April 2), illustration by L. Coronado.
Fifth Annual Black Women's Awareness Conference 1982 cover
Black Women's Awareness · 1982"You, Your Family and Finance" (Nov 5).
Women's Equality Day 1984 program cover with two women and pueblo
Women's Equality Day · 1984Two women before an adobe pueblo — the year the Court Ave. home opened.

Provenance & Accuracy Notes

Compiled from the PCTWC Archives digitization · storytelling toward the Pima County/Tucson Women's Commission's 50th Anniversary.
Full-resolution JPEGs of all 136 images are saved in your Shared Folder with Claude → PCTWC-Archives-Export.