Forty of Tucsonโ€™s brightest young leaders and business professionals were honored Tuesday as part of the annual 40 Under 40 celebration.

This yearโ€™s event, hosted by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Daily Star, was held at the Pima Air and Space Museum.

The top two honors โ€” 2018 Woman and Man of the year โ€” went to the University of Arizonaโ€™s Cheree Meeks and BFL Venturesโ€™ Isaac Figueroa.

For a full list of winners, head to tucne.ws/40under40

Meeks is the director for the First Year Experience in The Honors College at the UA. She is responsible for creating and developing inclusive programs to assist students with the transition to college.

Meeks serves as chair of The Honors College Diversity and Inclusive Excellence committee and chair emerita of the UA Commission on the Status of Women. She values mentorship and developing meaningful relationships that empower individuals to achieve their goals.

Meeks has been the recipient of campus and community awards, including the SafeCats Difference of One Award, the Peter Likins Inclusive Excellence Award and the Black Girl Vibranium Woman of the Year 2018 Award.

Figueroa is the director of real estate development for BFL Ventures โ€” the real estate investment and development arm of BFL Construction. He manages in-house leasing and sales, development project management and deal sourcing and structuring. He is also the designated broker for the company.

Prior to joining BFL Ventures, Figueroa served as a residential buyer representative, leading a sales team that collectively closed more than $50 million in residential real estate transactions in one year. He later joined Cushman & Wakefield Picor as a commercial broker.

Figueroa has been awarded the Fast Start Award for his performance in the office sector. He was also named a 2016 and 2017 CoStar Power Broker for closing the highest leasing transactions in his market.

He is involved in several community organizations, including the Imago Dei Middle School board of directors and the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. He is a 2019 Rookie for the Centurions and was a graduate of the Greater Tucson Leadership Class of 2017, where he sits on the board.


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