Emerge Arizona

Brenda has a background in community and labor organizing having worked as an organizer for Arizona Leadership Institute and SEIU Local 5. Brenda has also worked with the Refugee Resettlement Program with Catholic Charities and was an Advocacy Graduate Intern with AARP Arizona. Brenda has a Master of Social Work from Arizona State University. She currently works as the Director of Community Outreach at Children’s Action Alliance. 

After earning her B.S. Degree in Family Studies from the University of Arizona in 2001, Tory began her professional career with families and children in crisis as a Crisis Counselor for Our Town Family Center in Tucson.  In 2001, Tory began work for Child Protective Services in Phoenix.  Tory worked with families and children in many different roles; including a case manager, investigator, unit supervisor, and hotline specialist.  
 
Tory earned her MPA from Arizona State University in 2004.  She completed an internship with Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon’s Office prior to graduating.

Alexandria Bassett is a native Phoenician and graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcasting from Arizona State University. Prior to 2003, Bassett interned within the media and hosted the entertainment news then entered the field of marketing and publicity. Bassett sold print and radio advertising before relocating to California where she became the Assistant to the Director of Publicity at Paramount studios. After years in Hollywood, Bassett re-focused and moved home to Phoenix in 2007. With her return to Arizona, she became actively involved in politics.

Lindsay Bell retired from full time employment in 2008 after working 30 plus years in the non profit sector. Ms. Bell’s work experience was primarily in the administration of publicly funded human service programs including employment programs, disability services and behavioral health programs. Currently, she is volunteering part time with a small non profit transportation company (Territorial Transit, Inc.) that is working with other agencies in the area to establish a regional public transit system.
Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Masters in Public Administration.

Diandra D. Benally is an Assistant General Counsel for the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation in Fort McDowell, Arizona. Her current practice encompasses civil litigation, tribal law, Federal Indian Law, water law and environmental law. Previously, Ms. Benally worked for the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, where she served as the staff attorney for the Navajo Nation Division of Health made up of more than 1,000 employees.

Susan is a second generation Arizona native. She has worked as an R.N. at the community hospital level as well as at a major teaching hospital in Texas. After working as a nurse for several years, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Government, Summa Cum Laude from The University of Houston, Clear Lake. She then attended law school at South Texas College of Law. Susan graduated from Law School in 1987 and began litigating medical malpractice lawsuits.In 1993 Susan returned to Arizona and served as Dean of Paralegal Studies for two years at a private school in downtown Phoenix.

Randella Bluehouse is a life long Arizonan and a member of the Navajo (Diné) Nation. Her maternal clan is the Black Streak through the Woods People and paternal clan is of the Red House People. She was born and raised on the Navajo Nation and now lives in Mesa, Arizona.
Ms. Bluehouse is employed with the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. – Area Agency on Aging Region 8, a non-profit consortium of 21 tribes in Arizona. Ms.

Caitlin Brady has Arizona's democratic politics in her blood. She is a fifth-generation Arizonan and her great-great grandfather, Peter R. Brady, served in the Territorial Legislature, was Pima County's first elected sheriff, and helped found the Democratic Party in Arizona. Caitlin's first interest in politics came while researching her great-great grandfather for a school project. Since then, she has worked to learn as much as possible about politics, from participating in Girls State in high school to, most recently, working for the Democratic Party 2010 Coordinated Campaign.

In my former life, I was a teacher. I have taught elementary age students and community college students.  In the Glendale Elementary District, I taught K-8 physical education, coached all the girls’ sports and taught 6th grade classroom. I was the athletic director for the last 2 years that the district funded an after school program.  At Glendale community College, I was adjunct faculty for 12 years, teaching physical education, health and recreation lecture classes. I have a BA and MA in Education.
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Judy Brown has worked for AT&T and has been a union member for the past 26 years. Through her leadership in the union, Judy became a Union organizer for the past 12 years for the Communications Workers of America (CWA) to help organize union members and improve their lives in the workplace. Judy has been a political coordinator for CWA with the Arizona AFL-CIO during the political season for the past 6 years and has been instrumental in increasing union turnout in the union movement for elections. Judy has been a member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) and served as President.