Meet the Women of Haury

Ms. Barnett served as a Trustee of the Haury Estate and on the Haury Program DAF Board since its formation. She is an Arizona native who was born in Flagstaff and moved to Tucson as a child. She attended Santa Rita High School, Pima College, and the University of Arizona. Ms. Barnett married Robbie Barnett, and together they raised a blended family. She has worked in retail and pipeline construction, and owned a long-haul trucking company and a construction company.

SVP Fleischer had held multiple positions at the University of Arizona. Since 2015, she has worked for the University of Arizona Foundation (UAF) as the Senior Vice President for Development. She received her Juris Doctor  from Notre Dame Law School, and holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

As a trustee of the Haury Estate, and long-time friend of Mrs. Haury, Mary Mangotich Grier has brilliantly, tirelessly, and joyfully worked with representatives of the UAF, UA, and the Haury Program to carry-out the legacy of Mrs. Haury. She has been instrumental in every step of the Program’s development -- from creating the bequest to the UA for the Haury Program, to representing and leading on the DAF Board.

Nancy Petersen joined the Haury Program in 2015 shortly after the Program was established at the University of Arizona, when she retired from the City of Tucson after a 25-year career in environmental management. Ms. Petersen has helped frame and implement the vision of the DAF Board, and of the Haury Program, and has served throughout the years as the Haury Program’s chief financial officer. 

Dr. Anna H. Spitz was the original Executive Director of the Haury Program, hired in 2014 to create and lead the Haury Program. Working closely with the DAF Board over the initial years, she developed and implemented the program, setting up a framework based on community-university partnerships to address the “wicked problems” in environmental and social justice. Dr. Spitz led with a strong vision that to achieve environmental and social justice, communities must be given the opportunity to share leadership with university experts.

VP Jonelle Vold has served as the UAF representative on the DAF Board since 2019, first in her role as a Vice President for Development and as of 2024, the Sr. Vice President of Alumni Engagement and Prospect Development. Bringing a unique skill set in legal, professional development, and higher education advancement. VP Vold works with deans and development professionals across campus on fundraising strategy and pipeline development.

Ms. Whisman served on the DAF Board, representing the University of Arizona (UA), from 2015 to the summer of 2020, when she retired from the UA. As the Senior Associate Vice President and Chief Budget Officer for the University of Arizona, she contributed her vast depth of knowledge of UA financial policies and programs to leverage the Haury Program funds for maximum impact. Additionally, she lent her expertise to develop fiscally responsible reporting structures for the new program. She set a tone of fiscal intelligence and dedication to excellence.