Paloma Lopez Santiago is the Junior Achievement (JA) District Director for Southern Arizona and works with her team to increase funding and educational program reach for Southern Arizona students including the expansion of the JA Inspire program that focuses on career readiness for middle and high school students. Paloma has more than twenty years of professional experience in the nonprofit, business and media sectors. Paloma oversees strategic planning, corporate relations, relationship building, fundraising, marketing, public relations, and special events for JA. Paloma is well connected in the Tucson area with strong relationships to individuals, corporations and communities. A big believer in giving back, Paloma serves on the board for Social Venture Partners, is a member of the Foothills Club of Tucson, and a participant of the Greater Tucson Leadership Class of 2023. She is also a JA volunteer herself and enjoys teaching financial literacy skills to students kindergarten through high school leaving an impact on the future generation. Paloma received the 2018 award as Women of Impact through Impact of Southern Arizona and was a finalist as a Woman of Influence. In 2016, she competed in Social Venture Partners’, Fast Pitch, winning the Grand Prize and People’s Choice awards along with cash prizes for the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona. Honored with the Community Champion Award through the National Association of Women Business Owners, she also became a 40 under 40 recipient through the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2016. Paloma spends her free time traveling with her two sons around the world, walking her dogs and enjoys hiking, painting, reading and yoga.
Find out more about Junior Achievement of Southern Arizona
Host: Dr. Nadia Alvarez, Ph.D. Teaching and Teacher Education
Production and Engineering: Gwendoline Hernandez Nenny G of KXCI’s The Latin Connection
Music: Danza imposible by The Impossible Orchestra & Alondra de la Parra. Arturo Márquez, Composer.
Episode Music: Cu cu ru cu cu Paloma. by Dámaso Pérez Prado and His Orchestra. Tomás Méndez, Composer.
