To transform our streets into vibrant public places that bring people together and provide safe, accessible, and attractive transportation options.
Our Vision
We envision streets as living public spaces that connect people to places and to each other; a Tucson where people move through the city with dignity and ease, no matter who they are or how they get around.
Strategic Goals
Community-led policy adoption and implementation.
Advocating for policy adoption and implementation rooted in inclusive and meaningful community engagements that elevates voices, copowers people, and centers local knowledge
Partner with City of Tucson to develop a Complete Streets Policy
Convene a Complete Streets task force with diverse community representation to guide the policy and drafting process
Demonstrate and pilot different models of inclusive community engagement
Ensure a robust Complete Streets policy is adopted by Tucson Mayor & Council
A thriving, inclusive, and sustainable organization.
Fostering a holistic organizational culture; growing a diverse board, staff, and membership; securing resources to ensure long-term stability and success.
Diversify funding streams and double unrestricted gifts
Build the capacity of the Board of Directors
Cultivate organizational culture and professional development
To make the possible
visible.
Removing barriers to mobility and using lighter, quicker, cheaper projects and open streets events to imagine and try-out street transformations with the community.
Engage schools and families through Safe Routes to School
Complete a “tactical urbanism” demonstration project
Partner with Tugo Bike Share and local businesses to host fun, inclusive events
Reclaim Las Calles with neighborhoods along 8th Avenue
Host Cyclovia events twice a year; double that within two years
Roll out Play Streets/Block Party lending kit
Visionary local leadership and dedicated funding.
Cultivating and attracting the next generation of courageous, innovative leaders and advocating for transportation funding that prioritizes biking, walking, transit, and quality public space.
Advocate for a visionary new Director of Tucson’s Dept. of Transportation
Get Tucson biking/walking projects on the ballot
Mobilize to get Proposition 407 passed
Ensure RTA reauthorization is focused on multi-modal, complete streets priorities
Our Values
Equity
Transportation equity means eliminating the disparities in how the benefits and the burdens of transportation investments are distributed and that one’s identity—such as race, gender, income, and ability— doesn’t determine their access to safe, comfortable, affordable, reliable multimodal transportation options. It seeks to rectify historical injustices created by transportation policies and practices, and in doing so, to authentically engage marginalized communities/populations in transportation decision-making processes.
We commit to listen and to be accountable to our communities, being vigilant of the injustices that have long been systematized and institutionalized.
We pledge to develop our work in a way that builds upon the movement towards racial, social, and economic justice.
Integrity
We act with transparency and honesty among our staff, board, with our partners and community members.
We move with intention and thoughtfulness, remaining mindful of the impact of our actions and open to changing course if and when necessary.
In being deliberate in our actions, we commit to investing in long-term outcomes, even when that strategic work is less recognizable in the short term.
We lead with curiosity and affirmation of diverse perspectives and experiences, entrusting that we are most effective when engaged through respect and acknowledgement.
Community
We cultivate an organizational culture that values a diversity of voices, communities, and partners through inclusive processes that lead to the co-creation of ideas, shared decision-making, and co-powerment.
We believe that through practicing inclusivity in our everyday work, we are better able to lay the foundation for a new public decision making process that truly centers the needs of the community.
We listen to and value the knowledge and histories of each community and honor the process of building authentic relationships in which we are accountable to them.
We value the collective joy achieved when we strengthen our bonds and deepen our commitments to care for one another as a community.
Collaboration
We practice collaborative processes as part of our internal organization culture as well as with partners and community members. Collaboration is not simply a means to an end, but rather integral to a shared power structure that is required for challenging mainstream engagement and decision-making.
We are mindful of strategic collaborations and partnerships to ensure that those relationships lead us in alignment with our mission, vision and values
Creativity
We employ creativity in reimagining what our streets can do for us and as we work to make the possible visible.
We are learning-oriented and prioritize powerful questions over immediate answers.
We divest from the status quo in order to disrupt complacency and a ‘one size fits all’ approach in favor of unique approaches tailored to specific contexts and circumstances.
We are reflective, iterative, and adaptive, embracing experimentation informed by practices of collective debrief and observation.
Our approach
Envision
We are committed to centering the communities in which we work. That means getting clear on the needs and ideas that people have for the place they call home. We support people in envisioning a future where they can get to where they need to go safely, conventiely, affordably, and with dignity. We explore the details and nuances of what that future looks and feels like.
Demonstrate
In a city built for cars, it can be challenging to reimagine a city created for people. We work to demonstrate people-centered places by creating temporary and semi-permanent spaces and environments where people can experience their neighborhoods and city in new and different ways on foot and on bike.
Advocate
We advocate with communities to make their vision of safe, dignified streets and transportation a reality, knowing that public policies and funding priorities are essential to permanent, equitable, and inclusive transformation of our public streets over time.
Support our work. Donate.
Together, we can create a Tucson that provides accessible and dignified ways of moving and being in the city, for every one of us. Join us in this work!
Our Team
Emily Yetman
Executive Director
Emily (she/her) is originally from Prescott, Arizona, and moved to Tucson in 1999 to complete a BFA in Studio Arts from the University of Arizona, where she later went on to receive her Masters (MA) in Landscape Architecture - with a focus on bicycle and pedestrian network design and integration. In 2011, Emily spearheaded the establishment of Living Streets Alliance to provide a voice for sustainable, healthy, and equitable transportation options and neighborhood-level planning and decision-making in Tucson. In 2012, Emily was named one of Tucson’s “40 Under 40” for her visionary leadership and dedication to creating a better quality of life for all Tucsonans, including through her role in policies and programs like Complete Streets, Safe Routes to School, and the popular open streets event - Cyclovia Tucson.
Evren Sönmez
Director of Strategic Policy & Practice
Evren (she/her) has an M.S. in Urban Planning from the University of Arizona and a B.S. in Sociology from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey where she's originally from. Evren is passionate about streets that bustle with public transit, foster social connections at their sidewalk cafés, and invite serendipitous encounters at their public benches, parklets, and bus stops. She co-led LSA’s Complete Streets initiative and was the principal author of Tucson’s Complete Streets Policy, which was adopted by Tucson Mayor & Council in 2019 and recognised as one of the best Complete Streets policies in the nation. When she’s not on the ground working with Tucsonans or “nerding out” with collaborators, Evren loves traveling, gathering with friends around a dinner table, and watching a movie at the Loft Cinema.
Kate
Community Engagement Specialist
Kate (she/they) is a Community Engagement Specialist with experience in performing arts, community organizing, cultural event production, workshop facilitation, and trauma-informed community engagement. Kate received their Master’s degree in Justice Studies at Arizona State University (ASU) where they deepened their artistic and social research practices specializing in Critical Race Theory and archival practice. At LSA their work is centered on community-based world building with diverse communities, intersectional analysis, tending to relationships, and The Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership pushing for the shift from community voice to community power. Kate calls the Sonoran Desert home and enjoys time with the mountains, their loved ones, and their inner world by trying out new creative pursuits.
Benji Rouse
Safe Routes Manager
Benji Rouse (he/they) - Anishinaabe, citizen of the White Earth Ojibwe nation, Ottertail Pillager band - is trained as a youth educator and bicycle mechanic. Born in Seattle, he worked for 13 years as a crisis intervention worker with street-involved and unhoused youth and young adults, eventually getting the bike-mechanic bug when he started a bike-building and repair project to support youth experiencing urgent transportation issues. Since 2014, he’s worked at community bicycle education nonprofits in Oakland, Minneapolis, and Tucson, coordinating Safe Routes to School programs, training people in bicycle mechanics, and facilitating bike trips with youth. For fun he enjoys mountain biking and gravel riding, gardening, playing Magic: The Gathering, playing with his dog and two cats, and camping.
Sofía Moraga Franco
Bike Initiatives Coordinator
Sofía (she/her) received her BA in journalism and French from the University of Arizona where she was awarded a grant to take on an ambitious project focusing on spotlighting individuals from underrepresented communities working in and visiting our National Parks; she interviewed, photographed, and documented their stories so that others could see themselves represented in the Parks and feel more welcome. Representation, equity, and accountability are of the highest importance to Sofia, and working with LSA she hopes to help make Tucson a safer space, where people of all abilities and backgrounds can feel comfortable in their streets. Born in Chile, Sofía moved to Arizona in 2005, and though always Chilean at heart, she has grown deep roots in Tucson. When she isn’t biking, you can find her cooking, painting, attempting to write a book, enjoying time with her family and friends, or like a lizard in the sun, basking in the beauty of our Sonoran Desert.
Madeline McClure
Operations Manager
Madeline (she/her) came to LSA in 2023 and brings over ten years of nonprofit working experience to her role, in which she aims to center collective care and fostering sustainable systems. The values Madeline carries have been shaped by experiences in immigration rights, racial justice, popular education, and crisis counselling. As a rider of bikes, motorcycles, and frequent walker of dogs, Mads, as she is known to friends, values the safety and creative potential of Tucson’s streets . Also a lover of language, Madeline teaches community ESL and Spanish courses, and in her free time enjoys writing poetry, screenplays, and short fiction.
Board Members
Elliot DuMont
Board President
Elliot is a native Tucsonan who loves exploring Tucson, the Sonoran Desert, and the wider world on two wheels. Elliot graduated with a BA in environmental studies from Pitzer College where he rode for his collegiate cycling team, was a bicycle mechanic educator at his local bicycle co-operative, and worked in various local bike shops. Upon returning home, Elliot worked in his family's bicycle shop - Roadrunner Bicycles - where he has stayed for the last twelve years, and taken ownership of it. During his time at the family's business, Elliot utilized the shop and industry connections, a love of Tucson, and desire to get more people on bikes to help provide local organizations and programs with bicycles and labor to educate and equip our community with bicycles. Elliot looks forward to contributing his experience on two wheels to LSA's vision of creating great streets for everyone.
Albert Elias
Vice President
Albert is a native Tucsonan and University of Arizona graduate with local roots. Professionally, Albert is a city planner and former public administrator committed to the vision and mission of the Living Street Alliance.
Energized by being part of an effective, outcome oriented team, Albert contributes using his communication skills and experience with a variety of people, projects and resources. As a recent grandparent, Albert has reinforced his focus on implementing solutions that build resilience for future generations. Albert enjoys hiking, biking and traveling with his wife Sarah, family and friends.
Alejandro Angel
Treasurer
Alejandro Angel grew up in Medellin, Colombia before moving to Tucson for graduate school over 20 years ago. He holds a PhD in traffic engineering from the University of Arizona and is a Registered Professional Engineer in multiple states. Alejandro currently is Vice President and Director of Engineering for Psomas, a Civil Engineering design firm with 750 employees that has been serving Southern Arizona since 1986. Under his leadership Psomas has completed the planning and design of major infrastructure projects in the Tucson region including multiple Bicycle Boulevards; major corridors such as Grant Road, Tangerine Road and Houghton Road; various segments of the Loop; the Caterpillar Headquarters building; and a handful of I-10 projects. He has also completed projects in Colorado, Utah, California, Washington, the Middle East and South America.
Other professional activities include being a past member and Chairman of the Arizona Board of Technical Registration; serving as president of the Arizona Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers; and being part of Board of Directors for the Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC) and Psomas. Alejandro is married and has one son and one daughter. The entire family loves traveling, watching movies and going on bike rides. Having obtained his PhD on a full scholarship from the UA, Alejandro believes in the value of volunteering and giving back. Volunteer activities he is passionate about include Living Streets Alliance, the University of Arizona Civil Engineering Alumni Industry Council, The Loop Advisory Committee, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), AYSO and the Cub Scouts.
Darío Andrade Mendoza
Dario (He/Him) is a former DACA Recipient, a bus rider, software developer, cyclist, storyteller and transit/housing advocate.
Dario has lived in Arizona for over 20 years where he grew up Undocumented. He became involved locally and nationally in advocacy for access to higher education for immigrant youth through his 6 years of leadership at ScholarshipsA-Z.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and currently works as a programmer analyst.
Dario believes that better cities are possible; cities that center people, not cars or property values.
Dario currently volunteers as a group mentor with Code The Dream. Don't be surprised if you find Dario competing at local Super Smash Bros. tournaments on Wednesday nights!
Madeleine DeBlois
Madeleine has been a resident of Tucson for a decade, originally hailing from Richmond, Virginia. Her dedication to alternative modes of transportation and vibrant urban streets grew from her years in Philadelphia and Boston, where she taught middle school and completed an Sc.D. in public health, respectively. Now, regardless of the weather, she enjoys her bike commute to her job at the University of Arizona as a Research Scientist with the Community Research, Evaluation & Development (CRED) Team. Her cargo e-bike is her favorite possession, and she loves exploring Tucson & the natural areas beyond with her family. She’s thrilled to further engage with the Tucson community through serving on the board of Living Streets Alliance.
Sara Feld
Born and raised in Tucson, Sara serves as In-House Counsel at Community Investment Corporation (CIC), a financial empowerment nonprofit focused on giving all members of our community access to the knowledge and financing they need to pursue new opportunities.
Sara earned her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, where she studied criminal law and animal law. She also holds degrees in Psychology and Creative Writing from the University of Arizona where she was extensively involved in the development of campus-wide sustainability initiatives still in operation today.
Recently, Sara served as Policy Fellow for the Center for Contemporary Sciences, whose mission is to utilize science and technology to improve the health and well-being of humans, animals, and the planet. She also volunteered as a Board Member and Vice Chair of Care About Climate, a global climate action nonprofit focused on training and empowering young people to be effective climate justice leaders.
Sara is a member of Tucson Young Professionals and the Pima County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. In 2022, she was recognized as one of Tucson’s “40 Under 40″ by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Jennifer Flores
Jennifer is a native Tucsonan; lifelong walker, bus rider and cyclist; as well as a 30 years plus educator in the Sunnyside Unified School District. Currently she is the teacher-librarian and Walk 'N' Roll coordinator at Los Amigos Tech Academy and a member of the Complete Streets Coordinating Council and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
Logan Havens
Having moved frequently and regularly until ending up in Tucson, Logan has spent his life building community and observing what makes the character and networks of people in spaces. He spent the majority of his life walking, cycling, and riding transit. Currently, Logan works as a commercial photographer, participates in the Feldman's Neighborhood Association, and advocates for a wide range of causes in the City of Tucson. His largest priorities are the cross section of green infrastructure, mobility, and housing.
David Longoria
David is a lifelong, native Arizonan from Cochise County with a background in Grassroots Organizing, Neighborhood Revitalization, and Public Policy; and has 20 years of public service at the County, City, and Federal government levels throughout the State. Since 2021 David has been a Program Officer for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Phoenix and the Arizona Partnership for Healthy Communities. In this role, he is responsible for statewide economic development efforts of the local LISC office through building capacity for BIPOC, minority, women, and veteran entrepreneurs; and coordinating and managing Transit-Oriented and Community Development efforts for underserved and disadvantaged areas along key urban business corridors. He also leads the Partnership's statewide efforts toward addressing challenges around the Social Determinants of Health through its network of community-based, non-profit, governmental, and healthcare organizations. He received both his BA and MPA from the University of Arizona, and wishes he had more time to spend exploring the history and landscape of this beautiful land of his parents and ancestors.
Maass
Maass was born, raised, and educated in Tucson. She received her BS in Sustainable Built Environments and MS in Planning at the University of Arizona. In collaboration with LSA and the City of Tucson, she served as project lead for an award winning interdisciplinary graduate capstone project that provided a framework and recommendations for a complete streets policy in Tucson. She currently serves on the Regional Transportation Authority's (RTA) Citizens Advisory Committee to develop a RTA Next plan. Maass is passionate about civic engagement and can often be found canvassing for progressive local and state leaders.
For her day job, Maass works in the energy industry as a Managing Consultant at ILLUME Advising, which provides human-centered and equitable research, evaluation, market assessment, and technical advisory services. Maass’ topical experience ranges from HVAC and water heating technologies to transportation electrification, new construction programs, and the water-energy nexus. Her background in sustainability and urban planning inspires her data-driven recommendations that provide practical solutions that contribute to more resilient communities.
Maass loves to bop around Tucson with her wife, Miranda Schubert, and their little white puppy named Lionel.
Hailey Thoman
Secretary
Hailey is originally from Michigan and came to Tucson in 2007 as an AmeriCorps Vista. She has worked for non-profits her entire career and in disability rights since 2011. Most of Hailey’s work has been focused on eliminating barriers to employment for people with disabilities while Executive Director for Linkages. She expanded her advocacy efforts when joining Direct Advocacy & Resource Center as their Associate Director in 2019.
She is ADA Coordinator Certified and her community involvement includes Board Member for Living Streets Alliance, Arizona Disability Advocacy Coalition, and the Statewide Access and Functional Needs Task Force.
She is happily married to Jacob and they have 3 children. She enjoys being outside with her family to walk their dog, mountain bike, and cheer on her children at soccer games and cross country meets.
Devon Underwood
Board Development Committee Chair
Founder and Principal at The Talent Store, a Recruiting Services, and Talent Strategy firm. She has provided Executive Search, Recruiting, and Talent Acquisition strategy consulting for clients in 40+ states for 17 years. Additionally, she is the Subject Matter Expert at UArizona’s Center for Innovation, supporting team and Board development for 50+ start-ups incubating there.
Devon is a third generation Tucsonan and proud alumnus of the University of Arizona. After leaving Tucson for nearly 15 years, she returned home, bringing with her new experience and best practices, with the goal of having an impact on Tucson’s ability to thrive.
Active Affiliations include: Board President, Tucson Young Professionals, Board Member, Tucson Metro Chamber, Associate Board Member, SALC, Board Member, Living Streets Alliance, Member, SHRM and SHRM-Greater Tucson, Member, AZ Local First
Jay Young
Jay Young, the Executive Director of the Southwest Fair Housing Council, is a passionate civil rights advocate. He co-authored five Analyses of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, The American Nightmare: Foreclosures and their Impact in Metropolitan Tucson, and the Northeastern Arizona Fair Housing and Equity Assessment. He served on the Grant Road Citizens Task Force for nearly 8 years. Currently, Jay serves on the City of Tucson Planning Commission, the City of Tucson Commission on Equitable Housing and Development, the Southern Arizona Prosperity Alliance, and the National Fair Housing Alliance board. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, where a library bears his name. He drove thousands of miles and filled thousands of water stations in the borderlands for Humane Borders. Jay holds a BA in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a Peace Corps Fellow at the University of Arizona, where he earned an MS in Planning. He enjoys remodeling houses, playing tennis, traveling, and live music. He is married to the love of his life, Rani Olson, who he met in the U of A Planning Degree Program.