A professional storyteller and urban planner, Anna Darian is the first executive director of the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA).
Darian joined PARA in July as its only full time employee. Carolyn Shafer, who served on the PARA board from 2012-2022 before taking on the role of PARA’s part-time mission coordinator from 2022 through June 2025, has stepped back from all of her volunteer work with the organization to let Darian take the leadership role.
“I’m not even slightly trying to fill her shoes,” said Darian, “but am building on the back of so much work that has been done here before me.”
Darian also acknowledged the continuing efforts of PARA’s board of directors. “We have a very active working board,” she said. “Giving tours, water monitoring, and fundraising: there is board participation every day. A lot of folks care, and I want to give them room to do their chosen work.”
PARA’s stated mission is to protect the environment, to hold companies accountable to follow all environmental laws, and to improve lax regulations. Darian’s current focus in her new job is on communications and coalition building, advocating for more policy reform at the state level, particularly regarding rural ground water.
Darian is focused on connecting with other people and organizations in the Patagonia area and Cochise County to put pressure on lawmakers to protect rural groundwater. PARA just joined the Rural Water Working Group as a starting place to make connections.
“It is not for the faint of heart to work against the interests of the mining industry,” Darian said. “They can out-budget us, and current laws favor them. We are learning a lot about coalition building, being a part of networks working closely together, giving us all more strength in numbers. There is a groundswell out there now regarding water protections and the lawmakers are starting to listen to us.
“I would also like to be a watchdog for the mines, especially regarding promises made about protecting our ground water and the promises made to our kids regarding jobs. They, the industrial mines, can say what they want, but there are no penalties if they don’t deliver.”
To meet Anna Darian is to meet Lily, her blue heeler mix. Lily is Darian’s best friend, constant companion and fellow nature lover. The two enjoy hiking and exploring the Patagonia Mountains area, except “when being chased by javelinas,” said Darian. “My therapy is taking long road trips with Lily.”
Darian was born to an Armenian father and an American mother from Tucson. Her great-grandparents met in Bisbee where her great-grandfather was working at the Copper Queen Mine. Her great-grandmother had come to Bisbee as an activist interested in the miners’ living and working conditions.
The first half of Darian’s childhood was spent in France, and the second in Tucson, where she earned her degree in political science at the U of A. In 2012-14 she attended the American University in Beirut for her Masters in urban planning.
Ironically, while in Beirut doing research on the history of mining in Arizona, she discovered that the Phelps family, owners of the Phelps Dodge Mining Company, had founded the American University. “That was a serendipitous coincidence,” she said.
In 2015, back in Arizona, Darian took classes to become a professional storyteller, a hobby she later turned into a coaching business. She also worked for the city of Phoenix, as well as other nonprofits, focusing on community development. Her most recent employment was with Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, working on outreach and advocacy opposing the Copper World Mine.
“My experience as a storyteller helps me to share the story of this unique place with a variety of audiences,” Darian said. “We need to be ‘story listeners.’ What do people care about? What are their stories? We want to encourage people to use their stories, which are much more compelling than facts and figures, to convince their fellow citizens and lawmakers to act in the right way.”
Darian feels very welcomed in Patagonia. She finds the community peaceful, tranquil, and filled with people who are passionate about being here. She feels deep respect for the folks who have been here for a long time, and feels some of the tension between the long timers and the new people who want to make changes.
“I want to acknowledge that there is a history of mining here and, as a newcomer, I want to be respectful of that legacy while fighting to protect this land,” she said.
“There’s a quirkiness in Patagonia—a good quirkiness. I feel so comfortable in myself here, and hope to be of service to the community.”