BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Berlin Loa (President)
Associate Professor,
University of Arizona-MA Library
& Information Science
Eula Liane Hernandez (Vice President)
Senior Program Manager,
The Oped Project
Dr. Robert Breunig (Treasurer)
Retired Museum Director &
Professor Emeritus of the Museum of
Northern Arizona
Maribel Alvarez, PhD (Secretary)
Professor & TMY Co-Director,
University of Arizona-College of
Social Behavioral Sciences
Estevan Azcona (Board Member)
Assistant Research
Social Scientist, University of Arizona-Southwest Center
Rhonda Bodfield (Board Member)
Director Corporate Communications,
Tucson Electric Power
Susan Chan (Board Member)
Executive Director,
Tucson Chinese Cultural Center
Alicia Nuñez (Board Member)
President and CEO,
Chicanos por la Causa
John Paul Jones III, PhD (Board Member)
Professor, School of Geography, Dev. &
Environment, University of Arizona-College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Neto Portillo Jr. (Board Member)
Public Information Officer for the City of Tucson’s Housing and Community Development Department
Judd Ruggill (Board Member)
UA Professor and Head, Department of Public & Applied Humanities
Autumn Van den Berg (Board Member)
Senior Vice President of
Operations, Tucson Botanical Gardens
The Southwest Folklife Alliance (SFA) is an affiliate non-profit organization of the University of Arizona, housed within the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The Jim Griffith Chair in Public Folklore at the Southwest Center and UA School of Anthropology serves as lead curator for SFA programs and activities.
We are the Arizona Commission for the Arts‘ designated State Partner for Folk Arts for the National Endowment for the Arts. We also work in partnership with traditional and folklife communities throughout the state.
STAFF & REGIONAL LEADERSHIP
Dr. Maribel Alvarez, Founder and Senior Advisor: alvarezm@arizona.edu
Maribel holds the Jim Griffith Chair in Public Folklore at the Southwest Center, University of Arizona. She has held positions at the University of Arizona as Associate Dean for Community Engagement in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences and as Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion. Maribel is the founder of the Southwest Folklife Alliance and has served as Senior Director of Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival since 2010. In 2018, the American Folklore Society awarded her the prestigious Americo Paredes Prize for “excellence in integrating scholarship and engagement with the people and communities one studies.” Maribel is currently serving as Secretary on SFA’s Board of Directors.
Jocelyn Retamoza Gonzvar, Managing Director: Jocelyn@SouthwestFolklife.org
Jocelyn Retamoza Gonzvar is a Tucson, AZ native with pure passion for all the cultural diversity Tucson and the region has to offer. Jocelyn comes from an entrepreneurial background with 12+ years business experience in the restaurant, hospitality & non-profit sector and a master’s in business administration (MBA) from University of Arizona. A foodie at heart, she has great appreciation and understanding for the city’s food, diversity, and cultural scene. She served as a Community Board Member for Southwest Folklife Alliance for 2 years and will now be the Managing Director for the organization as of February, 2025.
Bryan Falcón, Director of Programs, Bryan@SouthwestFolklife.org
Bryan is an award-winning director (MFA Directing, Western Illinois, 2001) and tech entrepreneur with a passion for both education and building and scaling successful organizations. At the Scoundrel & Scamp Theater Bryan has directed many plays including A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, for which he won the 2017 Arizona Daily Star Mac Award for Best Director. He served as Artistic Director for two Indiana-based theatre companies, New World Arts and the Backporch Theatre Company. He served as a director and set designer for numerous shows, including The Carthaginians, Lysistrata, Cloud Tectonics, Night Mother, Bug, Marisol, Love Letters, Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet. In Tucson he was recognized as Best Director (2012 Arizona Daily Star Mac Award) for the show The Night Heron.
Peter Cano, Administrative Associate: cano5@arizona.edu
Peter was born in Tucson, Arizona and raised in San Diego, California. He discovered a passion for art at a young age and by 14 years old was painting vibrant murals under the mentorship of Victor Ochoa, enriching their community of Balboa Park with beauty. Peter is dedicated to service and has over 24 years of administrative expertise ranging from data to personnel management, always striving to make a positive impact wherever he goes. As SFA’s Administrative Associate, he plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of SFA’s finance systems. He provides support to managers and employees, assisting in day to day needs, and managing SFA’s general administrative activities/tasks. In his free time he rebuilds his generational adobe home and contributes to the safety and beautification of his neighborhood, Barrio Hollywood.
Kimi Eisele, Folklorist/Communications Specialist: kimieisele@arizona.edu
Kimi is a writer, editor, folklorist, and multidisciplinary artist. She manages SFA’s communications, curates programs and exhibits, and writes for and edits BorderLore, an online monthly on culture and heritage of the borderlands. Her writing and arts-based work aims to illuminate kinship between people, cultures, plants, animals, and places. She is the author of THE LIGHTEST OBJECT IN THE UNIVERSE (Algonquin Books, 2019), and her essays have appeared in Guernica, Longreads, Literary Hub, Orion, Terrain.org, and elsewhere. She is a cohort member of Julie’s Bicycle’s Cultural Climate Leadership program.
Nelda Ruiz, Programs Manager in Cultural Organizing: nruiz33@arizona.edu
Nelda is a community organizer, cultural worker, and folklorist from the Sonoran borderlands. She manages SFA’s participatory action research (PAR) projects and community-based documentation projects. Nelda is a 2019 National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures (NALAC) Leadership Institute Fellow (NLI), a 2019 Adelita Del Año awardee presented by Las Adelitas AZ, and a 2017 Mujer En La Lucha awardee presented by the Arizona Cesar E. Chavez Holiday Coalition. Her first essay “Seeds Planted by Nana Tota” will be published in Nourishing Resistance: Stories of Food, Protest, and Mutual Aid by PM Press in Spring 2023.
Denise Uyehara, Programs Manager in Artist Services: duyehara@arizona.edu
Denise Uyehara is a writer, contemporary performance artist and director. She manages SFA’s services for artists, including the Master-Apprentice Artist Award and strives to make these services more accessible for all. A fourth-generation Japanese and Okinawan American, Denise is interested in how we shape identity, culture, and social movements. Most recently, she helped create the multi-discipline performance “Shooting Columbus” by the Fifth World Collective, a collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. More info at www.deniseuyehara.com.
Alisha Vasquez, Disability Cultures Folklorist xalishax@arizona.edu
As an historian and 5th-gen Tucsonense, Alisha Vasquez holds a unique perspective to analyze the socio-political landscape of these borderlands to push back against the metanarrative. She has taught all ages inside and outside the classroom, was nourished by punk rock, and is the co-director of the Mexican American Heritage and History Museum in Tucson. As a self-proclaimed Krip, Chicana mama, many of her personal experiences influence the way she authentically engages people and encourages them to be the agents in their own lives.
Kara Jones, Tucson Meet Yourself Production Director, production@TucsonMeetYourself.org
Kara Jones is a Senior Evaluation Associate & Research Manager at LeCroy & Milligan Associates with 15 years of experience in health and community development projects. Her work includes multi-year behavioral health, food systems, and economic development programs in Arizona, Central America, and the Pacific Islands, along with shorter-term strategic planning and design. Kara earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in International Development, and also served in Peace Corps Nicaragua. Kara has often been in a hybrid role of program director and evaluator, and appreciates the interaction between direction and discovery. She brings both detailed and systemic thinking to projects, and enjoys developing methodologies that are participatory, useful, and sustainable.
Thania Cota, Accounting Administrator, tcotadiaz@arizona.edu
Originally from Sinaloa, Mexico, Thania has been a proud Tucson resident for over two decades. During this time, she has immersed herself in the rich cultural folklore and vibrant community spirit of Tucson. With a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Thania brings extensive expertise to her work, having held various key accounting roles within the manufacturing and education sectors. Outside of her professional life, she is an eager traveler who treasures spending time with her family and enjoys listening to music.