Board Leadership That Makes Impact Possible.
Our dedicated board of directors provides visionary leadership, creativity, and stewardship—representing our Sonoran Desert community while guiding ITE’s mission, growth, and lasting impact.
Activities of Ironwood Tree Experience are governed by our dedicated, creative and influential board of directors – a selected group of individuals representing the best of our human community here in the Sonoran Desert.
To ensure proper oversight, the Board of Directors is required to meet quarterly in July, November, February and May. In addition to quarterly meetings, Board of Directors chair board committees and meet as is necessary to fulfill the goals of that committee. Interested in joining our Board of Directors?
Meet the Board
AXHEL MUÑOZ
Axhel is a naturalist and dynamic environmental educator from the Sonoran Desert. His fieldwork spans pollination biology, plant-animal interactions, and conservation research, including work in Puerto Rico that contributed to the creation of Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge.
In Arizona, he has worked with Oracle State Park, The Nature Conservancy, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Pima County Natural Resources, creating science-based environmental curricula and teaching students and educators of all ages. He remains an avid camper, snorkeler, birder, musician, and salsa dancer. Axhel is a founding board member of Ironwood Tree Experience.
INGRIQUE “Q” SALT
Łók’aad Dine’é from Black Mesa, is Project Coordinator for UA ITEP, where she advances tribal community leadership and Nation-building. Grounded in traditional stories, prayer, lifeways, and healing practices, Q brings Indigenous perspectives to environmental health, education, and community-based research.
Previously, as Tribal Liaison for the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, she expanded outreach to Arizona tribal communities and helped establish collaborative research agreements between tribes and researchers. Q holds degrees in Psychology and Cognitive Science and American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona and is pursuing law in Indigenous Peoples’ Law and Policy and the Environment.
CORINA TERESA ONTIVEROS
is a Southwest native, public school educator, wife, and mother with 26 years of experience in New Mexico and Arizona. As a teacher and principal in both urban and rural communities, she has championed student empowerment and culturally responsive education.
Corina holds a B.S. in Secondary Education (History & English) from New Mexico State University and a Master’s in Education Leadership from Prescott College. She currently serves as a Master Teacher with Tucson Unified School District’s Department of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy & Instruction, where she values collaboration, creativity, innovation, and the energy youth bring to their communities.
ELENA PRECIADO MARTIN
is an oceanographer in the desert and lifelong Tucsonan who believes everyone is connected to the ocean. For more than 25 years, she has inspired youth through scientific inquiry, field exploration, art, and community action, encouraging students to observe, question, and discover their world. With a PhD in Biological Oceanography, Elena has taught marine science, biology, and environmental science from Biosphere 2 to Tucson High Magnet School.
Elena also nurtures traditional desert foods at Mission Garden and celebrates her Mexican-American and Irish-American roots through food, dance, and playing flute with Grupo Tradiciones.
JEFF HARTMAN
moved to Tucson from Minnesota in 1998 and has spent decades supporting students and the community as an educator, school administrator, mediator, and community leader. He served as Dean of Students at Biosphere 2 and taught and administered at City High School and Nosotros Academy. Jeff has served on community boards, including CEDO, and co-led ITE trips to Costa Rica. He holds degrees in biology and public administration and has published two novels and a children’s book on coral reefs. Though no longer working full-time, Jeff continues to mediate, write, contribute to Tucson, and look forward to his next adventure.
YAJAIRA GRAY
originally from Trujillo, Venezuela, is a conservation biologist, environmental educator, and lifelong champion of desert landscapes and communities. With degrees in Forestry Engineering and Tropical Ecology, she has spent decades connecting people with the Sonoran Desert—from conserving native seeds and restoring the Santa Cruz River to leading pollinator, bat, and citizen-science programs across the region.
For more than 13 years with Pima County Natural Resources, she inspired youth and families through environmental education, art, and community programs. Today, Yajaira volunteers at Mission Garden and with the Tucson Buffalo Soldiers, travels, stays active, and continues exploring new ways to connect people with place.