Staff and Board

Thank you NOVA® Home Loans for supporting CEP through your 2021 Giving Campaign!

Our Staff

Bill Walther

Victoria Cook, Ph.D.

Lindie Hunter

Executive Director

520-965-8199

Bill has served as a CEP Board Member, Transition Coordinator and now, as the Executive Director. Mr. Walther has enjoyed a long tenure at CEP and is committed to furthering our aim to become one of Tucson’s significant philanthropic, nonprofit organizations.

Lindie Hunter

Victoria Cook, Ph.D.

Lindie Hunter

Office Manager

520-965-8298

lhunter@cep-az.org

Lindie currently serves as the Operation and Facility Manager at CEP. Ms. Hunter has been a member of the Community Extension Programs administrative staff for 31 years. She feels privileged to have served in six different positions within the company gaining valuable experience and knowledge along the way. Ms. Hunter is excited to see where the future takes CEP in its new iteration.

Victoria Cook, Ph.D.

Director of Development

520-965-8222

vcook@cep-az.org

Victoria is our newest staff member at CEP, joining the organization in June 2021. She has extensive experience in writing grants, fundraising, and creating and maintaining local partnerships. In addition to her work at CEP, Dr. Cook teaches in the University of Arizona’s School of Art.

Our Board

Rebecca Nuckolls

President

Retired educator

I worked for over thirty years in the public schools in the Tucson area because I wanted to help kids reach their full potential in my subject area. Regrettably, my experience showed me that not all students had the resources they needed for that to happen, no matter how hard they tried. I am excited to be part of an organization that wants to provide relief and resources to families who need help.

Cris Cisco

Vice President

Retired educator

My family has been in Arizona for several generations, and as a previous educator I want to use my strengths and expertise to support and strengthen my community.

Ian Brannon

Treasurer

Vice President / Branch Manager Nova Home Loans

I joined CEP to help give back to the same community that raised me. I believe the responsibility of a thriving community falls on the hands of us all.

Joene Ames

Board Member

Retired: Vocational Agriculture Teacher, School Administrator

Having worked with Community Extension Programs I have been aware of the outstanding benefits they made for many students in the Amphitheater School District. The positive history and reputation of the program enticed me to want to join the board and help our community.

Marco Dominguez

Board Member

Secondary School Administrator and Athletic Director

The issues facing The Greater Tucson Area are many, and I would like to be part of a team that brings solutions to those issues.

Brenda King
Board Member
Teacher, Amphitheater Public Schools

I am committed to giving back to a community I have lived in and worked in for the past 40 years.

Sarah Mencke

Board Member

I am a local business owner and an avid volunteer at my children's school.

As a native Tucsonan, I believe in helping those in need through opportunity and resources to ensure a resilient and better future for our community.

Stanley Muller

Board Member

Teacher, Real Estate Agent

As a child I was fortunate enough to be a beneficiary of CEP. Having seen their impact first hand, it has become a priority for me to pay it forward. I’d like to help continue to grow the CEP outreach and assist those in need.

Our motivation

Message from our Executive Director

I believe that all children in our community should have an equal opportunity to do well, prosper and actively participate in their civic duties as they grow up and raise their own families. However, this is not a reality for large numbers of children throughout the nation, and it is not true for children living in the Tucson metro area. Did you know that children who grow up in Tucson have less opportunity in adulthood than kids who grow up elsewhere? Recently, the effects of the pandemic have put additional pressures on Tucson’s working families, which in turn, puts their children even further behind, perpetuating a cycle of poverty for future generations of Tucsonans.

There are many factors that are putting financial, physical and emotional stress on our community’s families; leaving them vulnerable to the prolonged negative impacts of poverty. Your support of CEP to empower people to overcome hardship and create a community where all people reach their full potential will have generational impact on families right here in Tucson. Please consider making a financial gift that will allow us to advance our mission and help keep Tucson’s families from experiencing poverty today and in the future.

Bill Walther, Executive Director

Message from our Board President

Message from our Executive Director

At CEP we believe that there is often a crucial point in people’s lives where targeted help and support can make a life-changing difference in the direction their life is headed. We want to provide assistance at that pivotal point to help people overcome the obstacles that would hold them back and keep them from reaching their full potential. We want to offer them financial assistance, resources, and connections in order for them to live stable and dignified lives.

CEP is a local organization made up of members who have worked and lived in the parts of our community where the need is greatest. Because of that, we have first-hand experience with the depth of the need in Tucson. Please consider donating to your own community to help change lives here in Arizona.

Rebecca Nuckolls, Board President