Tohono Chul
7366 North Paseo del Norte
Tucson, AZ 85704
ph: (520) 742-6455
fax: (520) 797-1213
Quick Links
General Inquiries: info@tohonochul.org
Donation Requests: philanthropy@tohonochul.org
Membership Inquiries: membership@tohonochul.org
Event Inquiries: eventdept@tohonochul.org
Retail Inquiries: museumshops@tohonochul.org
Education/Tour Inquiries: education@tohonochul.org
Gallery Inquiries: exhibits@tohonochul.org
Media Requests: marketing@tohonochul.org
Staff
Administrative Offices
Jamie Maslyn Larson
President/CEO x. 212
executivedirector@tohonochul.org
Danielle Sombati
Director of Guest Experience
dsombati@tohonochul.org
Katy Shaw
Human Resources Manager x. 221
humanresources@tohonochul.org
Denise Wiscount
Accounting & Payroll Manager x. 216
accounting@tohonochul.org
Hailey Cheek
Marketing & Communications Manager x. 222
hcheek@tohonochul.org
Events & Event Rentals
Sylvia Verbais
Public Programs/Events Manager x. 227
sverbais@tohonochul.org
Visit our Private Events page for more information!
Exhibits, Education & Volunteering
James Schaub
Director of Arts x. 218
exhibits@tohonochul.org
Karen Hayes
Associate Curator & Collections Manager x. 217
exhibits@tohonochul.org
Luke Takata
Engagement Manager x. 235
ltakata@tohonochul.org
Volunteer & Docent Program
volunteer@tohonochul.org
Guest Services & Retail
Linda Wolfe
Director of Retail & Admissions x. 213
museumshops@tohonochul.org
Philanthropy & Membership
Frank Vidal
Development & Membership Manager x. 261
fvidal@tohonochul.org
Doreen Wolf
Development & Membership Coordinator x. 246
dwolf@tohonochul.org
Gardens & Nursery
Jack Dash
Gardens Manager x. 247
jdash@tohonochul.org
Jakob Heitkamp
Nursery Coordinator x. 239
jheitkamp@tohonochul.org
Juliana Ahumada
Living Collections Coordinator
jahumada@tohonochul.org
Location Shooting
Tohono Chul is a stunning location for photography and filming, showcasing the natural beauty and cultural richness of the Sonoran Desert. We welcome inquiries from photographers and filmmakers seeking to capture the unique landscapes and vibrant flora of our gardens.
Please note that we receive many requests, particularly during our busy seasons, and while we strive to assist everyone, our resources are limited. If you are interested in scheduling a shoot, we encourage you to reach out with details about your project at your earliest convenience.
During your visit, we kindly ask that you respect the environment by avoiding disturbance to plants and wildlife and ensuring that paths remain unobstructed for other visitors. Drones are never permitted on the premises without prior authorization.
Each member of your party will be required to pay the admission fee and you may be subject to additional fees based on the scope of your project.
Thank you for considering Tohono Chul as your filming location!
Board of Directors
Koren Manning | Board Chair
Koren is Deputy Director for the City of Tucson Department of Planning and Development Services, where she helps advance community goals of sustainability, equity, and economic vitality. She graduated from Catalina Foothills High School and the UA and returned to Tucson in 2018 after living in Brooklyn, NY for over a decade.
Expertise: Sustainability, equity, development
Affiliation: City of Tucson Department of Planning and Development
Rodney Pond
Rodney has a 30+ year career as an ecologist, horticulturalist, natural resource manager, and educator. He holds an MS in Forest Resources from the University of Washington and has approached his life work with a passion for nurturing mutual healing between people and our ecosystems through hands-on restoration and sustainable gardening and farming. Rodney is currently working on an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Prescott College to refocus his life work on alleviating human trauma through meaningful reciprocal healing relationships with the land.
Expertise: Ecology, environmentalism, mental health
Affiliation: Tohono Chul Planning Committee and Governance Committee
Lesah Sesma
Lesah Sesma holds a Bachelor’s degree in Recreation and Tourism Management and is a proud member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. Lesah currently serves as General Manager of Casino Del Sol. She is a true pillar in the Tucson community, actively serving on several boards dedicated to building connections and better serving tribal nations.
Sergio Cossio
Sergio is a Tucson resident, raised in Douglas, AZ, and a graduate of Cochise Community College and the University of Arizona. He has been in banking for 25 years, most recently serving as the VP of Commercial Finance for First Citizens Bank. He has been married to his wife, Jazlee, for ten years, and in his spare time he enjoys the outdoors, golf, and attending all dance recitals/events for his daughters Valentina (9) and Alessandra (7). He is also an active board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona.
Sasha Case | Immediate Past President
California native and world traveler, Sasha has called Oro Valley home since 2011. As an artist, educator, and environmentalist, she has always found solace and sanctuary in the exquisite, complex beauty of nature. Being a part of the TCP team, bringing the Wilsons vision to an ever-growing audience is both an honor and a delight.
Expertise: Arts, community outreach
Affiliation: Independent artist and Arts Educator
Penny Crutchfield
Penny moved from North Carolina to an older home near Tohono Chul Park in 1979. She often went to the Haunted Book Store and walked around the area regularly. She was one of the first members of TCP and later became a docent. Her professional career was as a CPA, first for a public accounting firm and later at the University of Arizona and retired in 2004 as the Associate Controller after 18 years.
Expertise: Finance
Affiliation: Retired from the University of Arizona in 2004 where she served in Financial Services for 18 years as Associate Controller.
Gayle Mateer
Gayle is originally from Michigan but has lived in Wisconsin, New Jersey, Florida, and Washington State, where she still spends her summers. Gayle has over 35 years of experience in information technology and was a global head of information systems for several Fortune 500 companies, including Pfizer, Microsoft, and eBay. She fell in love with our beautiful Sonoran Desert the first time she visited. After realizing that Tohono Chul was her happy place, she became a volunteer and is now a docent and a mentor to new docents in training. Gayle serves on the TCP Finance and Philanthropy committees. She is also the President of Preserve Vistoso, a non-profit organization that was formed to protect a former golf course in Oro Valley from development. The organization raised over $2M to purchase the property, which is now under a conservation easement through the Town of Oro Valley.
Expertise: technology systems, Sonoran Desert plants and animals, fundraising
Affiliations: Tohono Chul docent and mentor, Preserve Vistoso
Jacquelyne Mingle | Secretary
Jacquelyne is an estate planning attorney at Moeller & Conway, PLLC. Her J.D. is from the University of Arizona and her undergraduate degree is from the University of Kansas. Before law school, she was a journalist at USA Today. She and her spouse Stephen live in Oro Valley in a house evenly divided between dogs and cats.
Expertise: Estate planning, law
Affiliation: Fleming & Curti, PLC
Stephan Donovan
Stephan has lived in Boston, Manhattan, Madrid, Mexico City, and Chicago and now resides in Oro Valley, AZ. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese. He spent twenty years in computers and banking in Massachusetts, New York, and Chicago. In Chicago, he later spent 20 years in Development and Fundraising. He was the founding Executive Director of AIDS Walk Chicago in 1990, raising a million dollars for education and services for people living with HIV. Moving to Tucson in 2019, Stephan is also a Docent at Tohono Chul and serves on TCP’s Philanthropy Committee.
Expertise: Fundraising, philanthropy, volunteering
Affiliation: Current Tohono Chul Docent
Lesli Pintor
Lesli is a retired financial and nonprofit leader, working 30+ years in banking, including 15+ in commercial real estate construction lending. She taught business communication at UA’s Eller College (overseeing 13 nonprofit student consulting projects) and led Growth Partners Arizona, a nonprofit loan fund. Lesli serves on the UPI Loan Fund’s board and is a committee liaison for the Tucson Festival of Books.
Expertise: Finance
Affiliation: Tohono Chul Governance Committee and Finance Committee
Mission & Vision
Mission Statement
The mission of Tohono Chul is to create a community oasis where reverence for the cultural and natural ecology of the Sonoran Desert region inspires responsible stewardship so that future generations may thrive.
Vision Statement
We envision a Tohono Chul that is:
- An immersive environment — celebrating the wonders of the Sonoran Desert
- A commons — integral to the community, meaningfully engaging with the diverse histories and cultures of the region
- An ecological leader — championing actionable, nature-based solutions to the core environmental challenges facing arid lands