Honorary Advisory Board

LUIS A. OCHOA

Attorney, Quarles & Brady LLP

Legal Advisor

Luis A. Ochoa is a partner in the Tucson office of the law firm of Quarles & Brady, LLP. He is a member of the firm’s real-estate practice group. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in 1983, and his law degree from the UA in 1986. His practice focuses on Indian law, not-for-profit organizations, and business clients in all phases of corporate operation – including business-entity formation, commercial transactions, and tax- and real-estate matters. Luis is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America” for Indian law, gaming law, and nonprofits/charities law. He serves as a senior advisor to the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation, and on the boards of the Blair Charity Group, and the University of Arizona Intercollegiate Athletics Compliance Committee. He is a member of the Tucson Jewish Foundation’s Professional Advisors Group and the Volunteer Lawyers Program’s Advisory Group. Luis has also served on the boards of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, Tucson Centers for Women and Children, William Morris Foundation, 88-Crime, and the Tucson Crime Prevention Council. He has been recognized for his pro bono legal work as the recipient of the 2002 American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award, the 2001 William E. Morris Pro Bono Service Award, and numerous awards from the Southern Arizona Legal Aid/Volunteer Lawyers Program. They include the 2000 Arizona Community Legal Assistance Attorney of the Year, 1999 Attorney of the Year, 1998 Bankruptcy Clinic Attorney of the Year, and 1997 Bankruptcy Clinic Attorney of the Year.

JAMES GRASHAM

Division Chief (Ret.), Northwest Fire District / Assistant Chief (Ret.), Tucson Fire Department

Grant Consultant

Jim Grasham is a 42-year veteran of the Tucson-area fire service. He served 28 years with Tucson Fire Department, and 14 years with Northwest Fire District. He earned an associate degree in fire science from Pima Community College, and is a member of the Arizona Fire Service Hall of Fame. Jim served as a division chief of code administration for Tucson Fire for nearly 15 years. Following his retirement, he served as fire marshal for Northwest Fire District for almost eight years, before becoming the district’s special-project division chief – where he worked in the areas of strategic planning, accreditation, health and safety, and grant writing. Jim has helped area fire departments acquire grant funds in excess of $10 million, enabling them to acquire additional firefighters, equipment, and training. Since retirement, Jim has continued to provide grant-writing services to area departments and is working with area nonprofit organizations to pursue much-needed funding.

SHOSHANA ELKINS, LCSW

Owner and Director of Sequoia Springs Counseling

Mental Health Advisor

Ms. Elkins has been working clinically in the mental health field, specializing in trauma-related therapies, for over 20 years. She is a graduate of both the University of Arizona (UA) and Arizona State University (ASU) and has her Masters in Social Work. She has worked as a clinical therapist, a clinical supervisor, and in executive leadership. One of her core goals and passions in the field has been focused on creating environments where the clinical services that are being provided are done with care and compassion focused on growing clinical development. She focuses on creating healthy clinical environments for clients and clinicians – ensuring that counseling support is provided by skilled, impassioned practitioners. This focus is based on creating healthy clinical environments not only for her clients but also for the clinicians. Her partnership with the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation stems from a project she helped develop as Vice President of Programs and Services at Jewish Family & Children Services (JFCS) of Southern Arizona. This program is designed to engage first responders and their families in counseling services quickly and smoothly, and help engage first responder leadership in understanding the impact of mental health support for their employees.

DR. RICHARD CARMONA, MD, MPH, FACS

17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006)

Chief of Health Innovations, Canyon Ranch

Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona was sworn in as the 17th Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service on August 5, 2002.
Born and raised in New York City, Dr. Carmona dropped out of high school and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967. While enlisted he received his Army General Equivalency Diploma, joined the Army’s Special Forces, ultimately becoming a combat-decorated Vietnam veteran, and began his career in medicine.
After leaving active duty, Dr. Carmona attended Bronx Community College, of the City University of New York, where he earned his associate of arts degree. He later attended and graduated from the University of California, San Francisco, with a bachelor of science degree (1977) and medical degree (1979). At the University of California Medical School, Dr. Carmona was awarded the prestigious gold headed cane as the top graduate. He has also earned a masters of public health from the University of Arizona (1998).
Dr. Carmona has worked in various positions in the medical field including paramedic, registered nurse and physician. Dr. Carmona completed a surgical residency at the University of California, San Francisco, and a National Institutes of Health-sponsored fellowship in trauma, burns and critical care. Dr. Carmona is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and is also certified in correctional health care and in quality assurance.
Prior to being named Surgeon General, Dr. Carmona was the chairman of the State of Arizona Southern Regional Emergency Medical System, a professor of surgery, public health and family and community medicine at the University of Arizona, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department surgeon and deputy sheriff.
Dr. Carmona has also held progressive positions of responsibility as chief medical officer, hospital chief executive officer, public health officer, and finally chief executive officer of the Pima County health care system. He has also served as a medical director of police and fire departments and is a fully-qualified peace officer with expertise in special operations and emergency preparedness, including weapons of mass destruction.
Dr. Carmona has published extensively and received numerous awards, decorations, and local and national recognition for his achievements. A strong supporter of community service, he has served on community and national boards and provided leadership to many diverse organizations.

 KARL ISSELHARD, FIRE CHIEF

Rural Metro Fire Department

Chief Isselhard is a 25-year veteran of the Fire Service and is currently the Fire Chief for the Rural Metro Fire Department serving numerous unincorporated communities in Pima County, Catalina Foothills, the Town of Sahuarita, and the following four fire districts: Hidden Valley, Sabino Vista, Tanque Verde, and Tucson Country Club Estates. Chief Issel holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Eastern New Mexico University. Chief Isselhard began his career as a paramedic/firefighter with the Bernalillo County Fire Department near Albuquerque, NM in 1996. He served as a lab and field clinical instructor at Eastern New Mexico University before joining the Albuquerque, New Mexico Fire Department in 2001 as a driver/engineer paramedic. From there, he progressed through the ranks to Assistant Chief of Human Resources and EMS before joining Rural Metro as their Fire Chief in June of 2017. His insight in the areas of strategic planning and development have enabled him to provide the visionary leadership necessary to for Rural Metro to pursue its vision of becoming the industry leader in providing emergency services while exceeding the expectations of the communities they serve.

 CHUCK RYAN, FIRE CHIEF

Tucson Fire Department

Charles (“Chuck”) Ryan was appointed as Tucson’s 28th Fire Chief on September 30, 2019. He comes to Tucson from Fairfax County, Virginia, where he retired as an Assistant Fire Chief in September 2019 after nearly 26 years of career service. Prior to his service as a Fairfax County employee, he was a volunteer firefighter and EMT in the department for just under 3 years, bringing his cumulative public safety service time to almost 30 years. While in Fairfax County, Virginia’s largest fire department with 1400 sworn personnel serving 1.1 million full-time residents from 39 fire stations protecting 400 square miles. Chuck served in every rank in the department spending the majority of his career in Operations. culminating with a 3-year leadership role as the Deputy Chief of the Special Operations Division. Chuck also served as a Task Force Leader with the USAR team for more than a decade engaged in domestic and international disaster response. He was appointed as an Assistant Fire Chief in 2016, and retired from Fairfax County as the Assistant Chief of the Business Services Bureau.

Chief Ryan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (cum laude) from Siena College in Loudonville, NY, and he also holds a Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law. He holds certification as an Executive Fire Officer (EFO) from the National Fire Academy, and he also is credentialed as a Chief Fire Officer (CFO) through the Commission of Public Safety Excellence’s Commission on Fire Accreditation International. He is also a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Executive Leadership Program.

Chief Ryan has served on boards of charitable organizations in the past. He was a board member (and the head coach) for the Centreville (VA) Ice Hockey Club which raised funds for a high school co-ed ice hockey team for its operations and also performed community events managed by the players and their families. He also served as a board member for the Fire Fighters Fund of Fairfax County from 2015-2019, a 501(c)(3) entity which provides financial assistance to struggling current and former employees of the Fairfax County, VA Fire & Rescue Department.

Chuck is married and has two adult children. He and his wife, Suzanne, and their two Bernese Mountain Dogs live in the City of Tucson. They are acclimating to their new life in southern Arizona and the beautiful Sonoran Desert. Chuck is a former collegiate ice hockey player (and competed with Fairfax County’s ice hockey team in two World Police & Fire Games competitions), and he is an avid cyclist. He also is a certified Spin instructor, and he leads a weekly “virtual” spin class for friends back in northern Virginia.