Extreme Weather Impacts on
Latina Maternal and Children’s Health

OCTOBER 25, 2024

Noemi Emeric-Ford

Noemi Emeric-Ford is the Director of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Southern California Field Office and oversees the day-to-day operations representing Region 9 as the place-based senior-level manager among Southern California communities, local elected officials, and organizations, and is an active member of the Senior Management Team.

Noemi has 30 years of experience at the US Environmental Protection Agency working in Washington DC and Chicago, IL and leading the City of Los Angeles’s Brownfields program through an Intergovernmental Personnel Act assignment. She has extensive experience serving as a Regional Brownfields Coordinator, Regional Team Manager and Community Involvement Coordinator addressing environmental justice and cumulative impacts across the Pacific Southwest with an emphasis on Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Noemi has repeatedly shown outstanding dedication to improving the climate of equity, inclusion, and belonging in region 9 and was recognized with the Vivian Malone Jones Legacy Award for more than 20 years of contribution to social justice in the EPA and the communities EPA works with.

Noemi has a B.A. and M.A. from University of Illinois at Chicago and lives with her husband and twins in Pasadena, CA.

Anna Tovar

Anna Tovar is a proud native of Tolleson, Arizona, where she began her career as a teacher and later served her community as a city council member and Vice Mayor. She continued her public service in the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate, where she was a strong advocate for underserved communities, serving as Senate Minority Leader and Latino Caucus Chair.

In 2016, Anna became the first female Mayor of Tolleson, where she focused on quality education, job creation, and sustainable economic development. In 2020, she made history again as the first Latina elected to the Arizona Corporation Commission. A two-time cancer survivor, she has also dedicated her efforts to raising funds for cancer research and patient support.

Anna remains committed to transparency, integrity, and putting consumers first in her role at the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Dr. Eugene Livar

Dr. Eugene Livar currently serves as Arizona’s first Chief Heat Officer, appointed in 2024 to lead the implementation of Governor Hobbs’ Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan. With a career in public health that began in 2012 as an epidemiologist at the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Dr. Livar has played a key role in addressing border health and unexplained deaths.

Before taking on his current role, Dr. Livar held several leadership positions, including Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program Manager, Office Chief of Disease Integration and Services, and Bureau Chief of Epidemiology and Disease Control. Most recently, he served as the Assistant Director of Public Health Preparedness, where he oversaw six critical public health bureaus, including Emergency Medical Services, Environmental Health, Infectious Disease, and the State Laboratory.

Dr. Livar’s innovative leadership continues to shape public health policies and initiatives aimed at protecting the well-being of Arizona’s residents, especially as the state confronts rising temperatures and extreme weather challenges.

Yadira Sánchez

Yadira is the co-founder and Executive Director of Poder Latinx. She has been an active advocate for immigration and environmental justice for over 15 years. Her broad experience in the non-profit and advocacy sectors includes serving as Development Director for Mi Familia Vota, where she helped raise over $20 million and expanded the number of strategic partnerships with major organizations and allies to increase year-round civic participation within the Latinx community. She has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Master’s degree from George Washington University.

Dr. Kacey C. Ernst, PhD, MPH

Dr. Kacey Ernst is the Department Chair and a Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Arizona. Joining the faculty in 2008, Dr. Ernst specializes in infectious disease epidemiology, with a focus on environmental determinants of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria. Her research spans global projects in Kenya and local studies in southern Arizona, where she examines the impact of climate change on disease transmission.

Dr. Ernst is also actively involved in studying the effects of extreme heat on maternal and child health. As part of the Southwest Center on Resilience for Climate Change and Health (SCORCH) Southwest Center on Resilience for Climate Change and Health (SCORCH), she contributes to research investigating how heatwaves during pregnancy affect infant health and childhood neurodevelopment. This project explores connections between heat exp, she contributes to research investigating how heatwaves during pregnancy affect infant health and childhood neurodevelopment. This project explores connections between heat exposure, lower Apgar scores, and potential neurological outcomes like ADHD. The work also focuses on promoting climate resiliency through the built environment and policy interventions.

Emma Viera

Dr. Emma Viera is the Executive Director of Unlimited Potential, where she is deeply connected and respected in the health community. With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Viera has dedicated her career to improving the social determinants of health and promoting integrated health services. Under her leadership, Unlimited Potential delivers top-quality community health worker outreach and education services, maintaining the highest standards of care and impact.

In addition to her role at Unlimited Potential, Dr. Viera is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Arizona’s Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Her extensive experience and leadership have helped shape community health initiatives at the international, national, and local levels.

Paloma Greenwald RN, BSN, MA

Paloma Greenwald, RN, BSN, MA, is a public health professional with 25 years of nursing experience, specializing in Spanish-speaking populations and health policy advocacy. Her work encompasses school nursing, elder care, and climate health initiatives.

With a Master’s in Public Leadership and certifications from Harvard’s National Public Leadership Institute, Paloma addresses social determinants of health through voting rights advocacy, food security efforts, military quality of life, personal financial counseling, and climate initiatives at local, state, and federal levels.

Paloma’s global perspective is shaped by extensive hiking experiences, a 1000 KM pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, and a medical mission to rural Jamaica. She has also completed immersion training in crisis communications in Rome, Italy and United Nations operations.

Passionate about equitable health policy, Paloma combines compassion with expertise to drive positive change. Professional collaborations are welcome.

Catherine Anaya

Catherine Anaya is a three-time Emmy award-winning journalist and the host of Horizonte on Arizona PBS, a weekly series focusing on Arizona issues and topics of special interest to the Hispanic community. With over 25 years of broadcast experience, including 12 years as a news anchor at CBS Phoenix, Catherine has earned a reputation for journalistic excellence. In 2017, she was inducted into the prestigious Silver Circle by the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her contributions to the industry and community.

Her career highlights include interviewing President Obama at the White House and co-anchoring a post-presidential debate with the legendary Walter Cronkite. Catherine has received numerous awards, including ‘Anchor of the Year’ from the Arizona Associated Press Broadcasters Association.