Four employees make this year's list of '40 Under 40'
Paloma Boykin
Lysette Davi
Charlinda Haudley
William Lainhart
Four University employees are among this year's "40 Under 40," an honor given to Tucson professionals under the age of 40 for "significant achievements and contributions to their profession and community."
The list is presented by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Daily Star. The honorees will be recognized Dec. 15 during a virtual event that will feature a keynote address from Adia Barnes, head coach for the women's basketball team.
Read more about the honorees below.
Paloma Boykin
Senior Academic Advisor, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Boykin, a third-generation alumna, has worked for the University since 2009. She has helped enroll thousands of Wildcats and says she is passionate about helping students achieve their academic and professional goals.
Boykin has been a member of the Junior League of Tucson Inc. since 2012 and serves as co-chair of the Greater Phoenix National College Fair, which attracts Arizona high school and community college students pursuing higher education. She actively volunteers with organizations including Bag It, Ben's Bells and the Pima Council on Aging.
Lysette Davi
Director, Honors Online and Experiential Learning, Honors College
Davi helps oversee civic engagement, study abroad and service trips for the Honors College. In honoring Davi, the chamber cited her work toward "addressing social issues including homelessness, immigration, poverty and public health," as well as leading projects such as Alternative Spring Break, designed to give students a deeper sense of understanding, empathy and compassion by taking part in weeklong service trips during spring recess.
Davi has worked at the University since 2013. She previously served in the U.S. Peace Corps as an English teacher and is currently working on her doctorate in higher education.
Charlinda Haudley
Senior Program Coordinator, Office of Multicultural Advancement
Haudley, a member of the Navajo Nation, helps oversee the office's efforts to "develop community-based programs and initiatives to create global citizens." She has worked for the University since 2017 and is a doctoral candidate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education.
Haudley serves on the executive board for the University of Arizona American Indian Alumni Club and participated in the 2020 Valle del Sol Hispanic Leadership Institute in Tucson. In 2019, she won the Dr. Maria Teresa Velez Diversity Leadership Scholarship for her commitment to furthering diversity in education and the community at large.
William Lainhart
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Medicine, College of Medicine – Tucson
In his positions as medical director of the Clinical and Molecular Microbiology Laboratory at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson and as clinical director of infectious diseases for Sonora Quest Laboratories/Laboratory Sciences of Arizona, Lainhart is on the front lines in the effort to strengthen testing for pathogens, including influenza and COVID-19. The chamber praised Lainhart's role in developing and implementing one of the first COVID-19 tests available in Tucson and Pima County.
Lainhart joined the University in 2018. His research interests include new diagnostics, antimicrobial resistance, bacteriology and automation.
Two other members of the campus community also were named to the "40 Under 40" list.
- Felina Cordova-Marks, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Arizona Cancer Center – Cordova-Marks is a chairperson for the Hopi Education Endowment Fund board and has established an emergency fund and scholarship for American Indian students at the University.
- Michelle Ennabe, Graduate Student, Cellular and Molecular Medicine – In addition to her academic work, Ennabe co-founded Checkmate Disparities – a refugee support program – and helps distribute food to homeless and low-income families through Borderlands Produce Rescue.