2025 Proposed SAVMA Leadership
The Governance and Administration Committee of the Board of Directors is presenting the 2025 proposed SAVMA Leadership. The link to submit interest in a leadership position is perpetually open, as all members are encouraged to take up leadership.
The annual meeting is December 12th. If you still need to register, please do so here so we have enough food and beverages.
Board of Directors
Officers (terms end 12/2025)
Jennifer Lohse (President)
Jennifer has served in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years in various leadership positions. She holds a Certified Nonprofit Professional credential from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. As the Vice President and External Relations of the Tucson Foundations, she works with more than 70 grantees annually and administers $3 million to the local community. Leadership for volunteer engagement professionals is near and dear to Jennifer’s heart, and she is proud to support the community in a SAVMA governance role.
Micaela Varela (President-Elect)
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She moved to Tucson for a post college volunteer program with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in 2017. She served as a volunteer with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona for a year. This quickly turned into a love for Tucson and desire to continue serving her community. After earning her master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Arizona, Micaela returned to the Community Food Bank, where she currently serves as the Volunteer Coordinator.
Lizzy Studstill, (Treasurer)
Lizzy first started in the field of non-profit community organizing as a volunteer herself, as an AmeriCorps Volunteer placed with Literacy Connects. Through that opportunity, she fell in love with adult education and language teaching and returned to the University of Arizona for her Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language. Through what feels like the stars aligning just right, Lizzy was able to start working for Literacy Connects right after graduation, returning to the volunteer-driven organization that sparked her love for this work in the first place.
In her role as the Program Manager for the English Language Acquisition for Adults program, Lizzy onboards, trains, and supports a wonderful team of volunteer teachers who are in turn providing free English language classes for adult immigrants and refugees in Tucson, AZ. A transplant to Arizona originally from Atlanta, GA, in addition to the work itself, Lizzy loves this opportunity to connect with the community.
Jill LaBrie (Secretary)
Jill LaBrie had 38 years of experience working with delinquent youth with the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections, as well as foster children through the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program at the Pima County Juvenile Court Center. At least 15 of those years involved recruiting, training and supervising volunteers. While Jill retired in April of 2022 she has served on the SAVMA Board in past holding positions of Membership Committee Chair, President Elect, and President. We simply could not let her retire, when she loves volunteers this much. Jill is an avid reader, likes to craft, and is a reality tv fan.
Directors At Large
Jennifer Brown, (term ending 12/31/2025)
Jennifer Brown, born in Shawnee Mission Kansas, raised in Tucson since she was four. She attended Flowing Wells district schools, kindergarten to 12th grade. After graduating high school, she joined the Navy where she served five years in San Diego aboard the USS PELELIU. After returning home she attended the University of Arizona, where she received a degree in education with an emphasis in Deaf studies. She has been married since 2016 and has a 5-year-old daughter. When she’s not wrangling volunteers, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, riding horses, playing cards, and going to concerts.
Stephanie Goetz, term ending 12/31/2026
Originally from the Midwest, I have found my happy place in the desert of the Southwest. I love to travel and discover new places, meeting the people that make their communities special. When it’s not too hot, I enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, sand volleyball, reading a book by the pool, and taking care of our animals on the ranch. I have over a decade of experience in the food & beverage industry, most of that time spent in the world of craft beer. The lessons learned from that time are being translated to my recent career move to the non-profit sector at United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, bringing people together to build a stronger community.
Gina Hansen, term ending 12/31/2026
Gina Hansen is the Volunteer Resource Manager at Habitat for Humanity Tucson. She has over 10 years’ experience in all aspects of volunteer engagement. Her experience includes: overseeing various volunteer programs, implementing new programs, outreach, event planning, public speaking, and training. Gina is a Service Enterprise Trainer, active on two nonprofit boards. She has a small side hustle, crafting business. When she’s not working, Gina enjoys time outdoors with her family and friends!
Caitlyn Keefe, term ending 12/31/2025
Caitlyn is am an accounting student at The University of Arizona. In addition, she works as an accountant at the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. She moved to Tucson in December 2021 from Gurnee, Illinois to pursue an accounting degree and to get out of the cold! Her dog, Mickey, came with her and they have enjoyed all the hiking and outdoor activities available here. She has loved getting to know the area and the people residing here. While she does not have much experience in the nonprofit industry, she is ready to dive right in with SAVMA! She enjoys contributing to this organization and getting to know more about Tucson and the volunteer organizations here.
Pi Poletta, term ending 12/31/2025
When she first moved to Tucson she worked as a Marketing Manager for a national manufacturing company. Pi enjoyed the challenge of reaching across different market segments and different states to engage people. She learned what was most important to them, what they needed most and worked to meet those needs. Feeling abundantly grateful, she decided to take her experience and use it to help others. Shifting from a business to a nonprofit mindset. People claim you have to have a passion for the mission of an organization. Pi believes you have to have a passion for the type of work you do.
Now, with 15 years in nonprofit development, 25+ years of experience in marketing and communications, having held the role/s of Director, Manager, Associate Director and Executive Director, BOD member for TROT and Friends of Ironwood Forest she is ready to serve as Leadership to SAVMA.
Veronica Saiz, term ending 12/31/2026
Veronica is the Director of Marketing and Corporate Relations at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona. She is a passionate fundraiser, community advocate, youth mentor, event planner, wife, mother, and nana! In her professional role she works with community leaders to advocate for volunteerism to change the lives of youth for the betterment of society. With SAVMA she would be stretching her leadership muscles in new ways to support the growth of a professional association.
Rebecca Simpson, term ending 12/31/2026
Rebecca has volunteered since she was 10 years old with organizations such as the YMCA Christown, One-N-Ten, The Salvation Army and Angel Tree. Her strong belief in the importance of volunteerism led to a career as a Volunteer Coordinator at Stillwater Hospice. She volunteers as a school board member for the Girls Leadership Academy of Arizona, a Charter School of Chicanos Por La Causa.
Carissa McGrath, term ending 12/31/2026
She is passionate about volunteer engagement and program management because she recognizes the huge impact that volunteers can make on an organization. As an avid volunteer herself, she brings a unique perspective to program management. She strives to create a volunteer program that she would be proud to be part of as a volunteer. She has helped coordinate large scale events of over 300 people at her current position. She was previously the events coordinator on the board of a local organization, Arizona Women’s Climbing Coalition, and hosted an event of over 250 people.
Stephanie Chavez, term ending 12/31/2026
Stephanie Chavez, a native Tucsonan, loves working with CASA volunteers who represent and advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children during a dependency case. Stephanie received her Master of Arts in organizational management from the University of Phoenix and her Bachelor of Arts & Sciences in communications from the University of Arizona. She serves on Board of Directors for Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona as well as Father’s Day Council Tucson.
2025 SAVMA Committee Leadership
Membership (Chair – Gina Hansen)
- Rebecca Simpson- Director
- Melanie Hover – Member
- Jim Marten- ALIVE Liaison
- Jill LaBrie – Secretary (Ex-Officio)
- Jennifer Lohse – President (Ex-Officio)
Governance and Administration (Chair – Jill LaBrie)
- Lizzy Studstill – Treasurer
- Caitlyn Keefe – Immediate Past Treasurer
- Micaela Varela- President Elect
- Jennifer Lohse – President (Ex-Officio)
Communications (Chair – Stephanie Chavez)
- Veronica Saiz- Director
- Mikay Wright- Member
- Micaela Varela- President Elect
- Jennifer Lohse – President (Ex-Officio)
Programs and Events (Chair – Pi Polletta)
- Carissa McGrath- Director
- Stephanie Goetz- Director
- Jennifer Brown- Director
- Cathy Starr- Member
- Jennifer Lohse – President (Ex-Officio)
- SAVMA Awards 2026 Event Chair- Diana Charbonneau and Jennifer Brown
- VMHC 2025 Event Chair- Cathy Starr
- SAVMA Fair 2025 Event Chair- Gina Hansen