Tucson has a new Doña.
Each year a group dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Tucson gives a respected woman in the community the Spanish courtesy title.
Los Descendientes del Presidio de Tucson gives this title specifically to a woman who is influential and has bettered the Old Pueblo.
This year's Doña is Nelba Chavez, a mental-health activist, who will be officially introduced this afternoon, during the group's annual gala.
The gala is part of a series of festivities in August to celebrate Tucson's 235th birthday.
Chavez is Doña No. 18 and joins a list of other well-known names. Doñas go to events related to Tucson's culture and history and raise funds for charities.
"These are women that I've known and read about, women I have a great deal of admiration for," Chavez said. "They have the most fascinating histories and stories. Every time I'm with them I learn so much."
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In 1994 Chavez, a native Tucsonan, was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the post of administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She was the first Hispanic woman to head a U.S. public health agency.
"It was challenging," she said, "because of all the political land mines you have to go through."
Chavez consulted for the U.S. State Department on mental health and substance abuse issues and has received numerous awards and national recognition from the American Medical Association and the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services. Former Arizona governor Janet Napolitano named Chavez deputy director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
Despite her storied career, Chavez said the most exciting job was here in Tucson, at the behavioral health agency La Frontera Center, 504 W. 29th Street.
She had just earned her master's degree at UCLA when she started out as a therapist - one of only two bilingual and bicultural therapists in Southern Arizona. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in social welfare and policy from the University of Denver.
Back then, the center was in a three-bedroom house and had a $250,000 budget. When she left 17 years later after serving as executive director and chief operating officer, La Frontera's budget had grown to $13 million.
Today the institution is a statewide corporation with 25 sites and a budget of $80 million, said President Dan Ranieri.
The center was recognized and visited by first ladies Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford and Hillary Clinton. And it was part of the surgeon general's report on mental health under Clinton.
Contact reporter Natalia Lopera at nlopera@azstarnet.com or 807-8029.
