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Gabrielle Giffords

Honorary Doctor of Letters
College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture
Gabby Giffords

From public office to advocacy work, Gabrielle Giffords has made a profound and lasting impact on Tucson, the state, and the nation.

A native Tucsonan, Giffords earned a degree in Latin American studies from Scripps College, where she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Chihuahua, Mexico. She then earned a master's degree in regional planning from Cornell University before returning to Tucson to run her family's tire company.

Giffords began her political career in 2001 when she won a seat in the Arizona State House of Representatives before serving in the Arizona Senate. In both roles, she championed education, public health, and economic development.  

As a state senator, Giffords was pivotal in preserving the U of A's urban planning program, which was facing elimination. Thanks in part to Giffords' support, the program has since conferred more than 250 professional graduate degrees and grown its research profile and educational offerings in critical areas of water, climate, transportation, and affordable housing.  

Giffords was elected to Arizona's 8th Congressional District in 2006. While in Congress, she was a member of the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology – and was the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.

On Jan. 8, 2011, Giffords' life changed forever when a gunman opened fire at a "Congress on Your Corner" event in Tucson, killing six people and critically wounding Giffords and 12 others. She stepped down shortly thereafter to focus on her recovery – returning to public life as an advocate for gun violence prevention. Giffords then co-founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, an advocacy and research organization later renamed GIFFORDS.  

In recognition of her work, Giffords was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential people in 2011. She also earned the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award from the JFK Presidential Library and Museum in 2013 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.