Roberta Bracker Memorial Civic Leadership Award

Evan Kory is a community organizer and nonprofit leader dedicated to revitalizing downtown Nogales, Arizona. Alongside a determined group of local artists, he has spearheaded transformative community initiatives including La Linea Art Studio, the Wittner Museum, and numerous public mural projects. In 2022, he united a coalition of ten nonprofits to establish the Morley Arts District — breathing new life into historic buildings and cultivating a vibrant, consistent rhythm of cultural programming along Morley Avenue through concerts, art exhibitions, public talks, festivals, walking tours, and more. The Morley Avenue nonprofit programs have generated far-reaching ripple effects, attracting new organizations to downtown Nogales, including the Santa Cruz County Justice Project, 0S3 Movement, and We Love Nogales/Santa Cruz County Public Media.

In 2024, Evan was selected as a Fellow in the inaugural cohort of the Economic Recovery Corps, joining 65 other fellows chosen from nearly 1,400 applicants nationwide. Working with his host organization, the Santa Cruz Community Foundation, he connected Nogales to a broader national conversation in economic development, focusing on fostering nonprofit collaboration and expanding public art funding and capacity downtown. Last February, he presented his capstone project, How Nonprofits Became Drivers of Downtown Revitalization, in Washington, D.C.

His dedication to Morley Avenue is both personal and generational — his family has owned and operated retail stores La Cinderella and Kory's in downtown Nogales for nearly 80 years, and it is this deep history of community and adaptability that drives his work as a steward of downtown. A classically trained pianist and harpsichordist, Evan holds a Master's in Historical Performance from The Juilliard School and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. He has served as Art Director of the Santa Cruz County School Superintendent's Office, a board member of Santa Cruz Advocates for the Arts–Mingus Project, and Artist-in-Residence of the Santa Cruz Foundation for the Performing Arts in Patagonia. He currently serves on the boards of La Linea Art Studio, Nogales Community Development, and the Pimeria Alta Historical Society, and was most recently invited to join the Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.

Dr. Eladio Pereira completed medical school and Internal Medicine residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He joined Mariposa in 1986, when it was a small community health center that had just begun providing medical care to adults. His work has emphasized teaching, mentoring, and supporting new programs to keep health care local. The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most significant challenges in the organization’s history. Working with a dedicated team, he helped reduce the morbidity and mortality of the illness. He is especially grateful to his wife, Yolanda, who has supported him for many years.