Undergraduate Alumni: Jean England Neubauer, '71

Feb. 12, 2020
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Jean England Neubauer

Jean England Neubauer with Bill Neubauer and dog, Rex

 

Jean England Neubauer is the owner of the Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co. The company, founded by her parents in 1943, produces and sells chili products, including chili powder, chili paste, and four salsas. The company is also home to one of the oldest spice stores in Arizona. She and her husband Dr. Bill Neubauer also operate the Rock Corral Ranch in Tumacacori, AZ.  

Jean attended boarding school in La Jolla, California at the Bishops School and graduated in 1971 from the University of Arizona with a degree in Anthropology and a minor in Biology. After college she began a banking career with the Union Bank in Tucson, Arizona. She retired in 1993 as Senior Vice President then spent five years on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Bank (now BBVA Compass Bank). Today she has two stepsons and five grandchildren and lives in Tumacacori on the family ranch with her husband and dog Rex.

Jean, who was featured in the February issue of Tucson Lifestyle, recently reflected on her Anthropology studies at UArizona:

When I began college I was encouraged to focus on a strong liberal arts education.  It was said any data you would learn would be obsolete in three years. Today that obsolescence is three months!  Learning to research, write, and communicate is the key to any career. Having biology as a minor taught me about many of the human genetically selected traits. To survive as a species we were required to band together. Individuals who had empathy and altruistic qualities helped the group to survive. Understanding another’s point of view and putting the group’s interests before his/her own meant survival. Critical creative thinking is the foundation of success but working together is how big things get achieved. These are the lessons I learned in college. It is why a University of Arizona Anthropology degree it one of the most respected and valuable diplomas available today.