UA News

Philanthropist and former teacher Nadine Mathis Basha has been named the first winner of the biennial Vision Award.

The Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth and Families at The University of Arizona has named Nadine Mathis Basha as the recipient of the institute's first biennial Vision Award.

The award recognizes individuals whose efforts have improved the lives of Arizona children and families. Basha is the founder of the Children's Action Alliance and board chair of the children's program First Things First.

Basha will be recognized at a ceremony on Friday at 3:30 p.m. during the dedication of the Frances McClelland Institute at the UA John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences. The school is housed in McClelland Park, located at 650 N. Park Ave.

Basha, a former public school teacher, will speak about her involvement in early childhood research and education, which she says is as critical to the well-being of Arizona's communities as it is to the physical and emotional health of children.

The award presentation follows a two-day academic conference, "Adolescence in the 21st Century," with faculty, researchers, students and community leaders from the country examining recent advances and promising interdisciplinary research under way into the issues facing today's adolescents.

"As educators ourselves, the staff of the Norton School and Frances McClelland Institute can relate to Mrs. Basha's passions for learning, teaching and children," said Soyeon Shim, professor and director of the Norton School. "We were delighted to receive such overwhelming support from community and business leaders throughout the state for Mrs. Basha's nomination, and couldn't have asked for a better inaugural recipient of the Vision Award."

Basha and her husband, Eddie Basha, whose family founded Basha's supermarkets, have two sons. The Bashas have received numerous honors and recognition for their business, philanthropic and educational efforts in support of children.

Nadine Basha had planned to become a speech pathologist, but says she quickly changed her mind after she stepped into a classroom and realized she could make a difference in the lives of children.

"I am humbled by the comparison of my work to that of Frances McClelland, who was among the first in Arizona to recognize the relationship between the physical and emotional health of children, and the general well-being of our communities," Basha said. "And, I am pleased her legacy of service will be preserved through the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth and Families, and the important research being conducted here into the many issues facing our children and families today. Frances is an inspiration to us all, and I am honored to be the recipient of this first Vision Award."

First Things First is the nonprofit organization that oversees the use of state taxes collected on tobacco sales for early childhood development and health programs. Nadine Basha led a statewide initiative effort in 2006 that created First Things First. She also was, among other accomplishments, the founder and president of Summa Associates, one of the state's first consulting and management firms specializing in corporate child care and elder care services.

Basha serves on the boards of WestEd, a regional educational research and development organization, the Center for the Future of Arizona, and the Ellis Center for Educational Excellence. She also is a trustee of the Committee for Economic Development. She served as the chair of the Arizona State School Readiness Board from 2003 to 2006. In 1999, she was appointed by then-Gov. Jane Dee Hull to the Arizona State Board of Education, a position she held through 2005. Her work also has been recognized by Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.

Basha earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Kansas and a master's in early childhood education from Arizona State University.

The Frances McClelland Institute is involved in research that addresses the most critical social, emotional and physical issues facing families today. It focuses on collaborative, multidisciplinary research and community outreach involving three initiatives: Fathers, Parenting and Families; Adolescent Health and Development; and HER – an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students at the UA engaged in the scientific study of Health, Emotion and Relationships.