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AWC StaffKevin Gaither-Banchoff , Executive Director
Kevin came to Arizona 12 years ago from Michigan, where he worked in politics for a state representative. He has since worked on conservation issues for a variety of local, regional, and national conservation organizations, including Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, Native Seeds/SEARCH, and the Wildlands Project. Read more about Kevin's goals and hopes for the Arizona Wilderness Coalition here. Kevin lives in Tucson with his wife and two little girls. They enjoy hiking, camping, and gardening. Kevin is an avid runner and raquetball player, and we also hear he's tough to beat at the bowling alley. To contact Kevin, call 520-326-4300. Kate Mackay, Communications Director
Kate previously worked on public outreach and media strategies as communications manager for Clean Air-Cool Planet, a NH-based organization working on climate change solutions in the Northeast. She has also worked in several capacities for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). From their Boston field office, Kate helped safeguard the natural resources at Cape Cod National Seashore by educating and mobilizing Massachusetts citizens, legislators, and the National Park Service to protect the seashore from damaging jet ski use. She also spent three years in NPCA's Washington, D.C., headquarters as news editor and journalist for their award-winning bimonthly magazine National Parks. In 2001, Kate received her Master's degree in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School and in 1995, received her B.A. in English and American Studies from the University of Virginia. She misses Red Sox games at Fenway Park and New England seasons, but is enjoying exploration of wild lands in the Southwest with her family. To contact Kate, call 602-571-2603. Sam Frank, Central Arizona Director
Growing up in Connecticut, Sam felt the irresistible lure of the high mountain west and sensed the best way to experience that part of the country was to move there. After two years of living and exploring Wyoming, he took his reverence for the west and headed back east where he began working for the American Wilderness Coalition in Washington, D.C. It was during his two years in D.C. that Sam gained valuable knowledge of various conservation efforts around the country as well as skill in lobbying, grassroots organizing, and fundraising. Sam received his Bachelor of Science degree from Susquehanna University in 2001. While in DC in 2005, Sam was offered the fellowship with Prescott College where he is currently working towards his Masters Degree in Environmental Studies. He now lives in Prescott, AZ with his fiancee and two dogs in the Prescott National Forest. To contact Sam, call 928-717-6076. Alison Iaso Isenberg, Membership Coordinator
As a long-time friend of the big wild, Alison brings a passion for connecting people and communities with the wild places that sustain us—as well as a background in environmental education, technical writing, and event coordination/outreach work. Alison coordinates our membership activities, plans educational and fundraising events, and manages our database. Most of all, she enjoys having the opportunity to support Arizonans in advocating for the protection and restoration of our wildlands and rivers. Before happily making her home among the saguaros in Tucson, she managed an herbal business on a 600-acre retreat center in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. Previously, her wilderness-related work adventures have included leading teens at a therapeutic wilderness program in Idaho's sagebrush steppe, working as a park-ranger naturalist in the high country at Glacier National Park, and driving a 27-foot fiberglass salmon down the West Coast in support of wild free-flowing rivers and the salmon who swim in them. Alison holds a B.A. in Physical Geography from the University of California, Davis, and an M.Ed. in Environmental Education and Nonprofit Leadership from the North Cascades Institute and Western Washington University. To contact Alison, call 520-326-4300. Danica Norris, Community Organizer
As an eighth-generation native of north Florida’s coastal estuaries and pine uplands, Danica was born into a family that was deeply connected to the land. Danica studied Environmental Science at the University of Florida and split her extra time between leading the student Environmental Action Group in local and national campaigns, volunteering for the Gainesville municipality’s Recycling Department, negotiating with University staff and faculty on a plan to “green” the university, and researching the effects mercury in the medical waste stream. In 1997, Danica brought together activists from around the southeast and Washington, D.C. at the first Southeastern Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) Conference. Danica was awarded the President’s Leadership Award and the Golden Trash Can Award in 1997 for her environmental work at the University of Florida. After graduating from college in 1997, Danica was invited to participate in Green Corps training and quickly put her enthusiasm for campaigns to use in the Washington, D.C. area as a Canvass Director for the PIRGs, the Sierra Club, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation doing grassroots fundraising, lobbying, public outreach, and media work. She worked on several campaigns including reauthorizing Superfund clean-up monies, guarding the Endangered Species Act from attacks, and protecting publicly owned forest lands from more below-cost timber sales. Danica moved back to Florida in 1998 to work with PIRG on a campaign to stop drilling off the coast of Florida. Danica moved to the Phoenix valley in 2002 and continued working in the education field for several years as an academic coach and tutor with the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona State University, and several private clients. For the last three years, Danica has worked with several groups doing environmental education and outreach including Cartridges for Kids, Salt River Project’s PowerWise department, and the Desert Botanical Garden. Danica enjoys leading tours of the Botanical Garden to share her enthusiasm for the Sonoran Desert’s native plants and animals. She is excited to bring her experience in education and environmental campaigns to the Sonoran Desert Protection Project in hopes that this unique area of the world can be preserved for generations to come. She lives in Tempe with her partner Robert and their three cats. Danica will be working out of our new office in Phoenix. To contact Danica, call 602-710-9981.
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Kevin is a strong wilderness advocate who is no stranger to AWC’s work. A long-time member, he has contributed his time and energy as a volunteer, and has served as a development consultant to AWC for the past several years. Kevin brings with him over 10 years of experience working in the land and wildlife conservation realm, and has extensive experience in helping build strong and sustainable organizations. 
Kate
develops and implements media and communications strategies, including the website and newsletter, from AWC's office in Phoenix. She also works as a faculty associate at Arizona State University, where she teaches The History of Parks and Wilderness in America for the School of Community Resources and Development in the College of Public Programs. 
Sam is the most recent recipient of the Prescott College graduate fellowship and is working as AWC’s Wildlands Planning Coordinator. As one of the two AWC employees based out of the Prescott office, Sam’s efforts are focused on inventorying roadless areas, hosting volunteer events, and monitoring and participating in Forest Service planning processes.
