Rowene Aguirre-Medina

Rowene Aguirre- Medina is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a BA Degree in Secondary Education and a major in Speech Communication.  She came to the University of Arizona from her home in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. Her family ties to the U of A go back to the founding of the university. Her great-grandmother, Mary Bernard Aguirre, taught the first Spanish classes and English History classes given at the U of A and another family member, Mariano Samaniego, was on the Board of Regents which established the U of A. 

She is a founding partner of Polydrive Industries, Inc, a firm involved in the engineering and manufacturing of precision urethane coated capstans and rollers. She serves as the Corporations Financial Officer.

Her lifelong avocation has been to work for equity and education for women and girls. To address this issue, she and her husband Roy have established endowed scholarships for Women Spanish Majors and Women Music Majors. They also support an endowed Professorship in Gender and Women’s Studies.  Her recent volunteer life has been involved with concerns for water and cross-border issues. To address these issues, she has served on the Board of Directors of The Sonoran Institute and is now serving as an Ambassador for Planet Women, a woman lead conservation nonprofit. Both of these conservation organizations work cross border.