Our Mission: We advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.The AAUW Tucson branch has over eighty (80) members residing in Greater Tucson, Oro Valley, Corona de Tucson, and Sierra Vista. We proudly partner with AAUW College/University Partners Pima Community College and the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Our History: The AAUW Tucson Branch originated from the Collegiate Club that formed in 1909 under the stewardship of a small group of women. One of them was Clara Fish Roberts, the first person to have registered at the new University of Arizona in September 1891 and the first women elected to the Tucson School Board in 1917.
The second member of the Collegiate Club was Clara Ferrin (Bloom) who graciously opened her home for the organizational meeting held in her parlor. That parlor now part of the Coronet Restaurant on Cushing Street in Tucson.
Check out the October Newsletter!
Let’s Celebrate the Holidays! Join us on Tuesday, December 10
Register Today — Click HERE
Highlights from November 9, 2024
The “Now We Lead” program featured
Ana and Melissa La Duke, AAUW National
Ana and Magdelena Verdugo, CEO YWCA
Listening Activity
Linda Alepin
speakers: Melissa La Duke, AAUW Board ofDirectors, Ph.D, Air Force Officer, and Magdelena Verdugo, CEO of YWCA.
October Branch Happy Hour 🍷
A good time was had at the Arizona Wine Collective Happy Hour on Tuesday, October 8.
Thanks, Mindy, for sharing information about the Education Forward Arizona, an organization seeking to change the way people think about and support education in Arizona.
^ AAUW Tucson’s Advocacy Group GOT OUT THE VOTE at the University of Arizona mall on Wednesday, September 18, 2024.
2024 Running & Winning at Pueblo High School
On Tuesday, September 24, AAUW Tucson with the League of Women Voters from Greater Tucson, and the YWCA were at Pueblo High School faciliating the annual Runnning & Winning workshop for junior and senior girl high school students.
With twelve elected officials from local communities, county commissioners, state legislators, and the mayor of Tucson, the event shared inspiring stories from leading women, encouraging the next generation to get involved and make a positive difference.
See more details by clicking here.
Our Year-End Celebration Luncheon was held on Saturday, May 11
- Click here to see the pictures
- We had a good time connecting with branch members and new members
- New officer installation completed
- Some members renewed their 2024-2025 membership
- Thanks to our keynote speaker, Lea Marquez Peterson
We did it again the BRING…SWAP…& DROP a BOOK
BRING a BOOK … used or new 
SWAP a BOOK … take you pick of any book(s) and keep for yourself
DROP a BOOK … all 27 unclaimed books will be donated to any of the Tucson Little Free Libraries
AAUW National called on all members to vote on the AAUW Bylaw changes. The amendments, recommended by the AAUW Board of Directors and Governance Committee, aimed to open membership and bring fresh perspectives to our organization.
The votes were tallied and the open membership initiative did not pass. Changes to AAUW’s Bylaws require 2/3 majority (66.6%) to pass. AAUW members voted 65.1% to approve the measure, just shy of passing. Click here for more information.
AAUW Tucson Co-Sponsored Our 1st Women’s Safety Forum on April 17
Experts in mental and physical wellness, finance, community safety, and self-defense were on hand to share their expertise and promote programs available in Tucson.
The panel moderator was Kiki Rogers from KVOI 1030 the Voice. AAUW Tucson President-Elect, Dawn Armstrong, founder of
ThinkSafe Seminars, shared women safety techniques, importance of situational awareness, and inspiring confidence. Joining Dawn on the panel was Kandy Kirsch, of Leaders Edge and Chapter Chair of the Women Presidents’ Organization, who discussed emotional and mental fitness. Kandy is a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor. Mental Health First Aid teaches how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health challenges and substance abuse.
The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson were on hand for voter registration, too.
Thanks, Dawn, for coordinating this successful event. See everyone next year!
. . . is officially recognized on Friday, March 8. We celebrated the day on Thursday, March 7, sharing IWD information and talking about AAUW Tucson at Pima Community College’s Downtown Campus.
We look forward to partnering with Pima again in March 2025.
February Program
AAUW Tucson was excited to have Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, Pima County Recorder, as our speaker on Saturday, February 10.
Ms. Cázares-Kelly was elected Pima County Recorder in November 2020 and began her administration in January 2021. She leads an office that oversees voter registration, early voting and document recording for Pima County and was inspired to run for office after encountering many systemic barriers preventing people from simply registering to vote.
Ms.Cázares-Kelly is one of four women who co-founded Indivisible Tohono, a grassroots, community organization that provides education and civic-engagement opportunities for members of her tribe, the Tohono O’odham Nation.
She is a proud product of Pima Community College, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.