Community Ambassadors
Who are the Community Ambassadors? 
Community Ambassadors are an integral part of the Tucson Norte-Sur Phase I community engagement efforts to help ensure that community voices are centered in guiding the plan. They have deep ties to their various communities across the study-area. They have been recruited based on their breadth of knowledge, community involvement, and valuable perspectives in order to carry out a variety of on-the-ground engagement activities. The group is representative and reflective of this corridor.
Community Ambassadors literally meet the community where they are. Instead of asking people to come to public meetings, the Ambassadors go to them and engage community members in conversations about the Tucson Norte-Sur Plan. They host diverse community dialogues with small groups of residents at times and places that are convenient for them. They meet community members at places where they already congregate such as transit centers, grocery stores, or neighborhood events. They also bring their own talents and creative connections to this project whether it’s getting people to fill out surveys while serving them out of a food truck or hopping on a bus and engaging the riders about the plan.
These engagement activities are focused on hearing from the people who live, work, travel and have history in the study area to make sure that the Tucson Norte-Sur reflects their vision and priorities.
Community Ambassadors have completed a series of trainings, including background information on Tucson Norte-Sur. They are working closely with Selina Barajas, the Lead Community Ambassador, who's overseeing the program and supporting the ambassadors in their outreach and engagement efforts.
Come share with the Community Ambassadors at one of our upcoming events!
- 12 pop-up events with information about the project and activities to share ideas (April - May) – Check out the upcoming pop-up events on the right to get involved!
- 12 Community Dialogues with community stakeholders (May - June) – Interested in hosting a community dialogue? Contact Selina Barajas at sbarajas@azplanningcenter.com or (520) 209-2636, ext. 7118.
Community Ambassadors play a crucial role in making public engagement more approachable, inclusive, and accessible. Through community dialogues, pop-ups, and other creative outreach/engagement activities, they gather thoughts, ideas, and concerns from community members and share them with the rest of the project team to guide the Tucson Norte-Sur strategic plan. The first phase of their engagement work will wrap up at the end of June 2022.
Click on an image below to learn more about our Community Ambassadors!
What We've Been Hearing
Check out what the Community Ambassadors have been hearing so far here.
Ambassador Bios
Learn a little bit more about our Community Ambassadors and why they care about their community!
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Share Lucy LiBosha on Facebook Share Lucy LiBosha on Twitter Share Lucy LiBosha on Linkedin Email Lucy LiBosha link
Lucy LiBosha
Bio: Lucy LiBosha is a community organizer and has vested interest in projects with Tucson, specifically in improving and expanding the current transportation infrastructure in our city - a less car-centered system that is inclusive of all forms of transportation (to include walking, biking, wheelchair accessibility, etc). As a former member of Complete Streets Coordinating Committee, Lucy currently serves as a Commissioner of Tucson Parks and Recreation (Ward 5, Richard Fimbres). Lucy was also a public school educator, former candidate for Tucson City Council and served as a Move Tucson Ambassador. Lucy was instrumental in getting feedback from the community... Continue reading
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Dolores Maria Estrada
Bio: Dolores Estrada is very familiar with the proposed route as she is a native Tucsonan. Having grown up on the southside and attended SUSD schools, Dolores now commutes from the westside to the southside to work and to take care of others. She signed up to be a Community Ambassador to gain experience and knowledge in transportation and mobility and also to help educate the community about their resources. Dolores defines equitable mobility as an opportunity for easier access for individuals to have transportation to get to their desired destinations.
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Viri Acosta
Bio: Viridiana ‘Viri’ Acosta moved to the City of South Tucson at 11 years old and still resides in the area. Viri’s family sold produce at the Tanque Verde Swapmeet for over 20 years now and today, Viri is a business owner of Viri Viri Bomb Bomb, a mobile business that makes fresh limonadas to ceviche. For Viri, equitable mobility is a community in which people have the resources available they need to reach their goals and succeed in life.
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Selina Barajas
Bio: Selina Barajas, a native Tucsonan alum from both Sunnyside and Tucson Unified School Districts and the University of Arizona. She holds a master’s degree in Urban Planning from UCLA and has experience advocating for social, cultural and economic development initiatives for the community. While in Los Angeles, Selina worked for both the nonprofit and government sector and enjoyed planning community building events with the Pico Neighborhood of Santa Monica and City of Inglewood. Now residing back in her hometown with her family, Selina has worked on transportation and mobility projects, such as the 12th Avenue Street Improvement Project, Proposition... Continue reading
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Jenny Granados
Places I call home: Tucson's THRIVE 05 area (85705 zip code)
What I love to do: Reading, making music, arts and crafts
My favorite place along the corridor and why: The loop entry point at River/Campbell Avenue and Downtown Tucson
Organizations I belong to: THRIVE in the 05, ASU Office of Community Health, Engagement and Resiliency
Bio: Yo quise ser promotora comunitaria de este proyecto porque historicamente, las poblaciones de residentes no han sido consideradas o incluidas en los planes de la ciudad. Quiero asegurar de que nuestras voces se oigan y que este proyecto sea lo que nosotros <<... Continue reading -
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David Garcia
Places I call home: South side Tucson
What I love to do: Gardening and farming
My favorite place along the corridor and why: Rodeo grounds, it’s where i live
Organizations I belong to: Barrio Restoration
Bio: Cleaning up streets, adding native plants, using my landscaping skills to encourage my neighborhood to keep our streets clean and build relation ships along the way -
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Brittany Martinez
Places I call home: My apartment, my mom's house
What I love to do: Sewing and making pillows
My favorite place along the corridor and why: My favorite place is a beautiful mural downtown, right next to the transit center. It is of a Mexican mariachi woman and represents my culture.
Organizations I belong to: I love going to the Downtown Library and I am active resident at the Housing Authority in South Tucson.
Bio: I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona and have lived in Southside, South Tucson, Rita Ranch and east side. Now I live in the... Continue reading -
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Alexis Walters
Places I call home: Southside Tucson, Downtown Tucson
What I love to do: DJing, planning parties, taking pictures, community events
My favorite place along the corridor and why: Irvington & Park. My grandma and I would always take the bus here as a kid. I grew up in the area and it where I feel most at home.
Organizations I belong to: Downtown community, Hotel Congress, radio producer
Bio: 1st Gen American
• I grew up with my handicap grandmother and would always take public transportation to get around.
• I love music and have a passion for organizing and... Continue reading -
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Elijah M. Garcia
Places I call home: Tucson, AZ. and the New Pascua
What I love to do: My interests are art, cinema and music
My favorite place along the corridor and why: I spend a lot of time shopping and running errands on Oracle Rd. I live near Grant and Oracle and like that there are lots of businesses in this area. I like to people watch at the Circle K and Jack in the Box on Grant and Oracle.
Organizations I belong to: Avenidas Inc.
Bio: I like staying home, most of the time. I also like being involved with my... Continue reading -
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David Contreras
Places I call home: Desert, south Tucson, West Tucson
What I love to do: Art making, cycling, teaching art, hiking, mountain biking
My favorite place along the corridor and why: South Tucson, art studio
Organizations I belong to: Sunnyside Unified School District, Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop, FUGA (Families United Gaining Accessibility)
Bio: Tucson artist and educator. I love teaching the youth how to make art and have their voices heard. I love to ride my bike to work, art studio, and mountain biking.
Photos
Community Ambassador Radio Interview
Elijah Garcia, a Tucson Norte-Sur Community Ambassador, was interviewed by the Yoeme Radio Morning Show host Gabriel Otero on KPYT 100.3 Yoeme Radio, "The voice of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe." The live broadcast took place on May 2, 2022 where Elijah shared information about the Tucson Norte-Sur initiative and invited the Pascua Yaqui community to take the survey and to join an upcoming pop-up engagement event to share their thoughts about the project. You can listen to Elijah's segment here.
Correction: The interview references Barrio Libre as being located in Ward 1. Barrio Libre Pascua Yaqui Community is in the City of South Tucson.
