Boating Coordinator
City of Tempe

Born and raised in the city where she now works and still calls home, Alicia grew up in Tempe and spent her high school years playing varsity basketball.

Coming of age at a time when female athletes were finally starting to get the attention they deserved, Alicia saw first-hand how this recognition and the earlier passing of Title IX would come into play.  As colleges and universities were recruiting to fill spots on sports teams, San Diego State University came calling. They were adding a women’s rowing team to their collection of athletics and were recruiting female high school athletes.

Though she had never rowed before, Alicia was a respected athlete who jumped at the opportunity to move to San Diego and try out for their varsity rowing team. A year later, she was attending SDSU on a full ride rowing scholarship. She was the very first person in Arizona ever recruited to row at the collegiate level.

Meanwhile, Alicia’s hometown was undergoing some changes of its own. Discussions about the creation of an urban lake in Tempe had been going on for years and in 1999, during her freshman year at SDSU, Tempe Town Lake was filled.

Alicia enjoyed being out on the water and after graduating, she was brought on as an assistant rowing coach at SDSU. She spent two years in that position before becoming the director of rowing at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center in San Diego. The center, run by the State of California, gave Alicia her first taste of working with local government.

While she had come to fall in love with the City of San Diego, Alicia returned home to attend law school. In the midst of applying, she found a job posting as an assistant boating coordinator for the City of Tempe’s Tempe Town Lake. It was the perfect position.

Continuing her passion for boating and finding a newfound passion for working in local government, Alicia went on to receive her Master of Public Administration. After four years working as the assistant boating coordinator, Alicia moved on to work for four years as an assistant events coordinator in the city, followed by the position of senior boating coordinator, which she has now held for two years. Alicia is the third boating coordinator the city has seen since the lake’s inception.

As the senior boating coordinator, Alicia is essentially responsible for any activity that happens “on top of the water.” She oversees the boat house at Tempe Town Lake, which provides private storage for people to keep boats at the Lake. The City of Tempe offers recreation classes on the lake and Alicia manages rowing, kayaking and stand up paddling, in addition to hosting corporate, youth and teambuilding events. The lake also hosts three major regattas, which Alicia oversees. She also supervises junior rowing, which brings together students from all over the Valley. They row five days a week and travel across the country to participate in competitions. Many of these junior rowers hope to find success at the collegiate level, just as Alicia did.

And like Alicia, maybe one of those junior rowers will find their own perfect job someday. One where they can stay on the water all day, interact with the boating community and volunteers, and serve the city that they call home.

Iconic Mill Avenue serves up a collection of local businesses, new restaurants and nightlife that brings students and residents together in community. Photo from the City of Tempe.

Right in the heart of Arizona State University sits the eclectic and unique downtown of the City of Tempe. Boasting an iconic nightlife, an array of unique local businesses, tech companies, lakefront property and an unparalleled history, downtown Tempe is truly the place to be.

Downtown Tempe is home to the iconic Mill Avenue, a street marked with local businesses, new restaurants and nightlife that bring students and residents together in community. Just north of Mill Avenue sits Tempe Town Lake, a top attraction in the state of Arizona, drawing visitors to its water and waterfront parks for community events and recreational activities.

The newest location of Postino is housed in the former ASU Art Annex. Along with Snooze AM Eatery, this restaurant has led to a new crowd of visitors along College Avenue, expanding the idea of the Tempe Downtown. Photo from the City of Tempe

As Tempe continues to grow and evolve, the definition of downtown is changing. New businesses are coming to make the city home and development is continuing to change the blueprint of Tempe Town Lakefront. Up-and-coming local restaurants are claiming territory in Tempe, forever changing the landscape of downtown, like Culinary Dropout at Farmers Art District and the Postino Art Annex on College.

With new projects taking place daily and an eye towards a bright future, the Tempe Downtown will always be at the center of it all.

Tempe Town Lake light rail bridge connects the Phoenix-area METRO Light Rail with the downtown Tempe area. Behind, sits the Tempe Town Lake Pedestrian Bridge. Photo from the City of Tempe.

Tempe Town Lake and the Tempe Beach Park serve as the main gathering place in downtown Tempe, with concerts, festivals and events like Fourth of July Tempe Town Lake Festival occurring throughout the year. Photo from the City of Tempe.

As monsoon season continues to hit the Valley and other parts of our state, many cities and towns are offering programs and services to residents to help them prepare, stay safe, and clean up any damage caused by the storms.

The storm that hit Monday evening, August 31, hit the City of Tempe and caused downed power lines, transformer fires and damage from fallen trees and flooding.

Tempe Center for the Arts

To help residents continuing to clean up from storm damage, the city is offering a special green organics collection beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8 to remove storm debris and fallen trees in the hardest hit areas.

If you are a resident of one of these hard-hit areas and would like to find out how to schedule your pickup, please click here. 

For more information on staying safe in monsoons or preparing for the next big storm, visit www.tempe.gov/monsoons or your local city or town’s website.

Tempe Town Lake Pedestrian Bridge suffered damage during Monday evening’s storm. The bridge will be closed for several days for repair.

Photo Courtesy City of Tempe

Right in the heat of the Valley sun lies a desert oasis that serves as a recreational hub and gathering place. Tempe Town Lake, which was initially opened in 1999, offers 25 acres of recreation space and is the only place in the Valley where one can bike, run, picnic, boat and paddleboard just within minutes of downtown areas.

The venue is a top Arizona tourist attraction; some saying it only rivals the Grand Canyon in number of visitors annually. Each year, the lake sees thousands of participants enjoying local charity runs and competitive races, and many triathlons, including the Ironman Arizona call it home.

                      City of Tempe Glow Paddles –                         Photo Courtesy City of Tempe

Early morning or evening visitors can enjoy a stroll along the water’s edge, taking a 2-mile trek from the Mill Avenue to Rural Road bridge or strolling across the new pedestrian bridge, located just adjacent to the Tempe Center for the Arts. Daytime water adventurers can cool off on the lake’s surface, enjoying kayaking, rowing and stand-up paddleboarding activities, among others. Tempe Beach Park is also home to a 1-acre splash playground, where children can cool off and parents can enjoy some respite.

Come on down – the water’s great!