Sarah Hanna, Director of the Kino Sports Complex and head of the Kino Stadium District, brings a uniquely diverse professional background to one of Pima County’s most dynamic public assets. A Tucson native and Sabino High School graduate, Hanna’s early life revolved around competitive swimming—an experience that led her into lifeguarding and eventually into the water‑park industry. Director Hanna was able to make her way through leadership roles at major facilities in Arizona, Louisiana, and Connecticut.

Her return to Tucson in 2011, prompted by family needs, shifted her career trajectory. With no large water parks to manage locally, she leaned into her passion for risk management and joined Pima County as a loss control officer. Over 12 years in the county’s Risk Management Department, she became deeply familiar with the stadium district through inspections, event oversight, and safety evaluations. That experience eventually led to her appointment as Deputy Director and, later, Director of the Kino Sports Complex.

Today, Hanna oversees a 300‑acre, multi‑complex operation that functions not as a park, but as a sports‑tourism engine for Southern Arizona. The North Complex houses FC Tucson, public parks, and the Kino Environmental Restoration Project (KERP) recreation path. The Main Complex includes the 11,000‑seat stadium, ten baseball fields, administrative offices, and vast parking areas that support major events such as the Tucson Gem Show. The South Complex—opened in 2020—features 12 soccer fields and 20 pickleball courts and sits adjacent to the emerging Mosaic Quarter development.

Kino hosts events 363 days a year, from local birthday parties to international tournaments like the World Baseball Classic Qualifier. The Kino Sports Stadium is supported by 56 full‑time staff and roughly 70 event workers.

Hanna emphasizes a philosophy of flexibility and partnership. Whether accommodating professional soccer, building a 30,000‑gallon dock‑diving pool for a world‑class dog‑agility championship, or helping families plan small gatherings, she strives to “say yes” whenever possible.

Above all, Hanna sees Kino as a community hub that has evolved far beyond its former identity as a spring‑training baseball site. With graduations, festivals, league play, international sports, and cultural events filling the calendar, she and her team continue to shape Kino into one of the region’s most vibrant public spaces.

Pima County’s Office of Community and Workforce Development is one of the region’s most ambitious, human‑centered engines for economic mobility, housing stability, and opportunity. At its helm is Director Dan Sullivan, a lifelong Tucsonan whose personal history is woven tightly into the fabric of the county he now serves. Director Sullivan’s father not only worked for the county, but the Sullivan Jackson Employment Center, is named after him.

Sullivan’s own path to leadership was shaped by journalism, political work, and years advocating for trade unions before joining Pima County nearly a decade ago. His tenure has spanned homeless services, workforce development, and dislocated worker programs, culminating in more than five years as director. Under his leadership, the department has grown into a broad, interconnected network of programs that touch tens of thousands of residents each year—from the Kino One Stop and youth workforce initiatives to rent and utility assistance, home repair, weatherization, and the nationally recognized Emergency and Eviction Legal Services (EELS) program.

The department’s mission, as Sullivan puts it, is prosperity. “It is our mission to bring prosperity to this community”. That mission is reflected in CWD’s innovative navigator model that ensures “there’s no wrong door” for residents seeking help, and its commitment to meeting people where they are—literally and figuratively—during some of the hardest moments of their lives.

Youth services have become a cornerstone of this work. The Pima County Youth Center now sees roughly 6,000 young people annually, offering a trauma‑informed, welcoming environment where teens and young adults can pursue GEDs, pre‑apprenticeships, and career pathways that lead not just to jobs but to long‑term stability. Early childhood education has also emerged as a defining priority, with the PEEPs program reducing barriers to high‑quality preschool and laying the foundation for lifelong success.

Across all these efforts, Sullivan’s leadership philosophy is unmistakable: honor the people doing the work. Sullivan emphasized that his role is to empower staff, nurture internal talent, and foster a culture grounded in “heart and urgency”.

Pima County’s commitment to digital equity has accelerated dramatically in recent years, and at the center of that effort is Michelle Simon, Director of the Office of Digital Inclusion. With 15 years of service to the county and a professional background spanning workforce development, nonprofit administration, public administration, and even network and database administration, Simon brings both technical expertise and deep community experience to the role. As she explains, her journey began in the public library system, where she taught residents how to use computers—“It’s funny how life comes full circle”. That early work eventually helped lay the foundation for the county’s digital inclusion strategy and the creation of the office in 2023.

The Office of Digital Inclusion was formed to ensure that every resident has access to high‑speed, affordable internet, the devices needed to get online, and the skills to use technology safely. Simon describes the mission succinctly: the office “is the driver of the strategic efforts behind making sure that all of the county residents have access to high speed affordable internet, devices… and that they understand how to use it safely”. This work is tightly connected to Pima County’s broader economic development and prosperity initiatives, recognizing that digital access is now essential infrastructure.

A major component of this effort is the Middle Mile project, funded through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Pima County secured a $30.3 million grant to build a 134‑mile fiber‑optic ring that will serve as the backbone for future broadband expansion. The route spans every municipality in the county and reaches into rural and remote areas where private providers have historically been unwilling to build. Simon emphasizes that the Middle Mile “is the backbone… that connects the Internet to an Internet service provider so they can reach people’s homes”.

The county’s digital inclusion strategy also includes Connect Pima, a comprehensive plan developed with community input, and a network of more than 120 public Wi‑Fi hotspots installed after residents were forced to access library parking lots during COVID‑19 closures—“people were attempting to use the internet in our parking lot”. Digital navigators further support residents through one‑on‑one assistance, warm handoffs to other county services, and personalized help with devices and digital literacy.

These efforts have earned national recognition. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance named Pima County a Visionary Digital Inclusion Trailblazer in both 2024 and 2025. As Simon notes, Pima County is the first county in Arizona with a dedicated digital inclusion office and among the first with its own digital equity plan.