BOARD PRESIDENT

Tracy Mueller and her husband, Travis, originally moved to Tucson in 2009 from their hometown of Austin, Texas for Travis to attend graduate school, and they quickly fell in love with the city and the surrounding landscape. Tracy spent nearly two decades working in higher education communications for the University of Texas and the University of Arizona. Her most recent position was assistant dean for external communications and marketing at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, where she led a team of four in managing the college’s branding, public relations, recruitment marketing, website management and design, social media, strategic communications, print publications, fundraising communications, and more. In April 2022, Tracy stepped down to spend more time with her three young children and consider her next chapter professionally.

I’m excited and honored to join the Seeds Community Center Board of Directors because I want to see my community thrive, especially those who are already caring for others. My work has always been motivated by a desire to use storytelling to produce positive change and empowerment in individuals and communities, and I think Seeds is a great opportunity to continue that.

James Alvarez has lived in Tucson for over thirty years. Although born in South Korea, having spent most of his life in the Old Pueblo, he considers himself an honorary native Tucsonan. James studied Digital Film Arts at Pima Community College and Media and Mass Communications at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His film and media experience ranges from on-location and studio production to editing and animation. He currently works as a multimedia specialist for the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona, where he produces a wide range of digital media content.

Hello! I grew up in Kansas and moved to Tucson with my wife, Janice, and several friends to help start a church in 2005. We've grown to love living in this big small town with mountain views and Sonoran hotdogs.

As an educator, I've worked with students from all over the city. I taught and tutored writing at Pima Community College and taught Sophomore English and Creative Writing at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy. I'm also a sports writer who loves covering our local soccer club's summer season. I'm looking forward to working to putting my faith, values, and skills into action on behalf of the kinship families that we support.

SECRETARY

Melissa grew up in Rochester, NY and was always looking for new adventures. When looking forward at school, her passion was to figure out how to serve people in a "high needs" area, which was going to be in an urban center, or the rural US, and then ultimately, internationally. After completion of her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and subsequent residency in Pittsburgh, PA in Pelvic Health Physical Therapy, she had found a niche of Physical Therapy that made the whole world an underserved population and she opted for an adventure that brought her to Tucson, AZ. Through many fortuitous circumstances and after many years of being in Tucson, building her home here, Melissa decided to become licensed to do Foster respite and has decided to care for a group of wonderful, and underservered people. Now, Melissa works for BodyCentral Physical Therapy and oversees several of their educational programs. She is excited to join the board of Seeds Community Center to be involved in tangible ways to make others lives better.

Tyler is a native Phoenician, but after getting his law degree from the University of Arizona in 2020, he is in the Old Pueblo to stay. The bulk of his time both during and after law school has been spent in and around the juvenile court, including a stint with the Child and Family Law Clinic, clerking for the presiding judge of the juvenile court, and most recently, working in the juvenile division of the Pima County Attorney’s Office. Tyler is excited to help learn and meet the needs of Tucson kids and families, and to equip our neighbors to flourish.

Aluvia Escalante is a Chicana, born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. She is a lover of all music- from Mariachi to Lady Gaga- she loves live music especially. She is a University of Arizona Wildcat through and through, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science double majoring in Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics and Molecular & Cellular Biology, and then went on to receive her Doctor of Medicine. She is a Pediatrician working at TMCOne, a community based health care network. 

Aluvia strives to be an advocate for all children, especially those who are marginalized and in communities who are systemically disadvantaged. She is passionate about giving kids their best chance at leading happy, healthy lives and tapping into their resiliency. She looks forward to investing in kinship families in Southern Arizona by serving on the Seeds Community Center Board of Directors.

Hi, I’m Emily! I am from Tucson and have my Bachelors in Nursing from Grand Canyon University. I currently work as a nurse with a wonderful interdisciplinary team at Banner UMC Tucson in the Surgical/Trauma ICU. I love getting to help coordinate with other members of the care team to connect my patients and their families with services and resources that help make a traumatic, overwhelming time a little less burdensome. I currently reside on the northeast side of town where my husband, Bryce, and I are raising our four children. We are former foster parents and adopted two of our children through the foster care system. Our brief experience with the foster care system was often stressful and confusing, but having people in our corner who could help guide us on our journey, and who genuinely cared about our family’s success, made all the difference.

I am excited to join the Seeds Community Center Board of Directors and help this wonderful organization continue to connect kinship families with the multiple resources our community and Seeds have to offer, and invest in their families’ success just as others did for us!

Hi, my name is Esther Haynes and I have lived in Tucson the majority of my life.

I went to the University of Arizona for my undergrad in Nutrition and continued at the U of A, graduating with my Masters of Nursing in 2021.

I have grown a deep love for this city and the people that live here. Through my family’s experience of fostering four girls to my current job as a trauma nurse, I have developed a deep passion of advocating for the vulnerable. My desire is to use my skills and strengths to serve my community. I am excited for this opportunity to help kinship families.

FINANCE CHAIR

Howdy! My name is James Wiederstein and I'm a Southern Arizona native and I live in Tucson with my wife and our Pitbull rescue, Lola. I consider myself a snack/food/ice cold beverage connoisseur and love to try new food and drink spots!

I earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona and after college, I worked as a Parent Aid at a local non-profit ministry dealing with foster care and children's services. This experience grew my empathy and helped shape my understanding of the support families need to thrive. I now work as a Finance Business Partner for Roche in Oro Valley and have previous experience in various Finance/Accounting roles. Though my work focuses on processes and many, many spreadsheets, I love to have meaningful interactions with others and make people laugh. I am excited to bring my personal and professional backgrounds to Seeds Community Center to serve its mission of supporting families!