LD 18 legislators at DGT

by Carolyn Classen,blogger

“In a special evening presentation, the LD18 delegation will be joining us for an evening of discussion about the past session, and plans and hopes for the next session of the state legislature. Joining us will be State Senator Priya Sundareshan, and State Representatives Nancy Gutierrez (Minority Whip) and Chris Mathis.

Please Register in Advance for this event:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqf-itqT8qH9THKpmS5D15uE0qjJgqMvkQ

Senator Sundareshan

Priya Sundareshan was elected to the Arizona Senate in 2023 to represent Legislative District 18 and currently sits on the Elections, Government, and Natural Resources/Energy/Water Committees.

Born and raised in LD18, Priya loves Tucson and the opportunities she had for an excellent public education and exploring the outdoors. She teaches natural resources law at the University of Arizona, and previously advocated for sustainable resource management with the Environmental Defense Fund. As a voting rights advocate, Priya has led voter protection efforts and engagement on redistricting within the Arizona Democratic Party. Having studied engineering at MIT and law and natural resource economics at the U of A, she knows we need more science-based decision-making in politics, especially when it comes to preserving our beautiful state for future generations. As a mother of two small children, Priya wants her children and all children to inherit a sustainable world and sustainable Arizona.

Representative Gutierrez

Representative Nancy Gutierrez was elected in 2022, is the Minority Co-Whip.  She serves on the Education Committee and is the Ranking Member on Regulatory Affairs.  Nancy grew up in Arizona and attended NAU earning a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a math emphasis. She’s lived all over the state including Phoenix, Flagstaff, Sierra Vista and Tucson since 2007. Nancy and her husband, Andy, have raised their two daughters in Tucson.  Nancy began teaching in 1994 and has been teaching at Tucson High since 2013. She is a proud member of the Arizona Education Association.  Nancy is a certified yoga teacher and has taught at Yoga Oasis since 2008.  In 2018, she served as President of the Tucson NOW Chapter.  Nancy advocates for our public education system, teachers and students.  She fights for reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights and works to pass sensible gun legislation in order to keep our schools and community safer.  In August, she began her eleventh year teaching at Tucson High.

Representative Mathis

Christopher Mathis is a lawyer who teaches health care law at the University of Arizona and lives with his wife, Colleen, in Tucson. Chris was appointed in 2021 to the Arizona House of Representatives and he was elected in 2022 to a full term representing LD-18. Chris practices elder law, helping older Tucsonans and their families resolve issues related to long-term care, public benefits and estate planning. A Professor of Practice at the U of A’s James E. Rogers College of Law, Chris teaches classes on Health Care Law & Policy and Aging. He formerly served as Director of Policy & Communications at the Healthcare Markets & Regulation (HMR) Lab at Harvard Medical School and as Southern Arizona Coordinator for the Flinn-Brown Fellows Civic Leadership Program. Chris worked in the Illinois General Assembly, the U.S. House of Representatives, the British Parliament and as a Health Care Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel prior to moving to Tucson in 2001. He earned a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Master in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health as well as law and undergraduate degrees from the University of Illinois.”

Carolyn’s note: Priya and Nancy are in their first terms. House Rep. Mathis was appointed to LD 9 House in Dec. 2021,won election to LD 18 House in Nov. 2022. His wife is Colleen Mathis(I) , former Chair of AZ Independent Redistricting Commission for the 2010 Census.