The Honorable Lt. Governor Diane D. Denish Chair
Santa Fe, NM
www.ltgovernor.state.nm.us

Diane D. Denish is the first woman to be elected Lt. Governor in New Mexico. A lifelong New Mexican, Ms. Denish was raised in Hobbs and has lived, worked and come to know residents throughout the state. She is the former chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico and for twelve years owned a successful small business. Named one of the Top 100 New Mexicans in honor of her community leadership, the lieutenant governor has served as Chair of New Mexico First, New Mexico Community Foundation, the state's Commission on the Status of Women and the New Mexico Tech Board of Regents.

During her time in office she has fought to improve education by expanding pre-Kindergarten programs across the state and getting stage agencies to band together to prepare the "Educonomy" of our future workforce. She signed into law bills creating the Children's Cabinet and the Next Generation Fund to support positive after-school activities. She led the Health Coverage for All New Mexicans Committee and will push to extend insurance to all of New Mexico's 400,000 uninsured in the 2008 session.

The lieutenant governor has held 25 small business forums throughout the state to connect businesses with public and private programs. She has successfully pushed for programs that provide microloans and other forms of capital to businesses. She brokered an agreement on new payday lending regulations and reform of the Regional Housing Authority. And she led the effort to provide home loan protection that has helped New Mexico consumers avoid high-cost mortgages.

She has cracked down on criminals who endanger children and successfully lobbied for Katie's Law, requiring DNA samples from anyone arrested for a crime.

Her numerous honors include PNM's Entrepreneur Advocate of the Year (2006); WesstCorp's New Mexico Entrepreneurial Advocate of the year (2006); Leadership New Mexico's Distinguished Alumnus Award (2006); the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award (2005); Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce's Excellence in Education Award (2005); the Women Impacting Public Policy New Mexico Legislative Leadership Award (2004); and the American Academy of Pediatrics' Child Health Advocate (2004).

This year, she is to receive the University of New Mexico's James F. Zimmerman Award for outstanding alumni.

In addition to her official duties, Diane also serves on the Daniels Fund Board of Directors and, as a niece to the late Bill Daniels, is the only family member currently on the Board. She is married to Herb Denish and has three children and two grandchildren.

Michael NuanesCo-Chair
Artesia, NM
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Kathy Abeles Santa Fe, NM
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In 2003, Kathy Abeles was appointed to be a commissioner for the New Mexico Commission for Community Volunteerism. Mrs. Abeles attended Cornell University, Wellesley College and graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Education. She worked for the IBM Corporation as a systems engineer, taught high school math and established a computer department at a private school in Chicago, then was an independent computer consultant before coming to Santa Fe in 1975. In New Mexico, she worked as a computer consultant, served as a bank director at the Bank of Santa Fe, was a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Vincent Hospital for 8 years and its Chairman for 2 years. Mrs. Abeles served on the Board of Directors of La Familia Medical Center, a community health center, and as its Board President. In 1990, Mrs. Abeles became a licensed Realtor with French & French Fine Properties, now Sotheby’s International Realty with which she is currently affiliated.

Over the years, Ms. Abeles has also been a volunteer on the Steering Committee at the Greer Garson Theater at the College of Santa Fe, a board member of the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, President of the Wood Gormley Parent Teacher Committee and a volunteer teacher there. She was a member of the Next Generation Fund Council in 2006 and 2007, a public-private state endowed fund supporting positive youth development in New Mexico. She served on the Governance and Nominating Committees of the Santa Fe Community Foundation from 2003-2006, and was Chair of its Nominating Committee in 2008. Effective February, 2009, Governor Richardson appointed Ms. Abeles to serve as a public member on the New Mexico Medical Board, the state’s medical licensing and disciplinary board. In her free time, Ms. Abeles enjoys travel, skiing, tennis and hiking. She is married and has one adult daughter.

Linda BarthAlbuquerque, NM
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Mark Bentley Santa Fe, NM
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Mark Bentley was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1946. He was raised there and numerous other western U.S.cities, graduating from Roy J. Wasson High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado in June of 1964. Following graduation, Bentley attended Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado for two years. From 1959 until after high school, Bentley worked in various radio and television stations, both on the air and behind the scenes. Bentley began in Radio in June of 1959 in Monte Vista, Colorado at KSLV – AM 1240 as an announcer. Since then, Bentley has worked in both television and radio both on a local and a national level with NBC News in New York.

Currently, Bentley is the host of “Dateline New Mexico” – a statewide syndicated political commentary as well as a series of daily New Mexico centric features also syndicated throughout New Mexico. He also is a recognized journalist covering the state Legislature and other political events.

Bentley serves on the Commission for Community Volunteerism and the Commission on Public Broadcasting.

Brenda BrooksHobbs, NM
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Brenda is a native New Mexican. In her role as the director of community affairs for LES, she works on building and maintaining partnerships with businesses, political leaders and citizens in the State of New Mexico. Prior to her employment with LES, she was the executive director for MainStreet Hobbs. Before moving back to Hobbs in 2003, she was employed by Odessa College in Odessa, TX as Director of Allied Health. Her responsibilities were the development, and marketing and management of allied health programs. As the Director of Oil Field and Safety Training at San Juan College in Farmington, NM, Brenda was instrumental in the development and accreditation of the San Juan Well Control Program through the United States Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service. Brenda started her career in the energy industry as a production operator for Conoco, Inc. in l977.

She has a BA degree in both political science and sociology from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

She serves as a commissioner for the New Mexico Commission on Volunteerism and the Commission of African-American Affairs. She has been a past trustee for the University of the Southwest and a board member for New Mexico First.

She and her husband Tommy reside in Hobbs and are the proud parents of two daughters, Aja and Jana.

Anthony Casaus Las Cruces, NM
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Anthony Casaus was born and raised in Roswell, New Mexico graduating from Roswell High School in 1983. Casaus attended New Mexico State University graduating in 1988 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism. Casaus spent two years in commercial television as a news reporter and sports anchor for KBIM-TV in Roswell.

Casaus then went off to work in the non-profit field working for the Boy Scouts of America in El Paso, Texas and Little Rock Arkansas as a scouting executive from 1990 –1996 conducting fundraising drives, coordinating scouting activities and volunteer recruitment. During this time he was also responsible for recruiting at-risk youth and their parents to participate in the scouting program.

Casaus then went back into broadcasting but for non-profit public broadcasting in radio and television in 1996. Casaus currently serves as the Assistant Executive Director of Development for Public Radio & Television station, KRWG in LasCruces. Under this position Casaus manages the station’s development department securing funding from businesses, corporations, grants and private individuals for both the public radio and television station on the New Mexico State University campus.

He has served in this capacity for thirteen years which serves southern, New Mexico and West Texas. In 2006, he earned his Masters Degree in Administration from New Mexico State University. Also, in 2008 Casaus enjoyed being selected to the Public Television System Leadership Diversity Program. The program selected ten individuals of diversity making strides in public broadcasting to participate in a one year leadership program.

Casaus has served on the New Mexico Commission for Community Volunteerism since 2002 offering leadership in marketing and participating in the annual peer grant review program including numerous other activities.

He is also a member of civic club, Las Cruces Sertoma Club of Las Cruces supporting individuals with speech and hearing needs and coaches youth in various sports that include baseball and softball. He is currently married to Annie Casaus from Dexter, New Mexico as they have three children, Anthony Jr., Alyssa, and Angel.

Renee ChavezAlbuquerque, NM
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Mrs.Chavez has 21 years of experience working with the senior community. Renee has been employed by the City of Albuquerque, Department of Senior Affairs since 1988 where she has served as manager of the Foster Grandparent Program, Senior Companion Program, and RSVP. Renee is an experienced Grant Writer, Peer Reviewer, and Grants Administrator. Renee represents the New Mexico National Senior Service Corps on the Commission.

Joel Raymond Hamilton Alamogordo, NM
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Born and reared in Kansas City, MO. Resident of Alamogordo, NM since 1971

Education:

- B.A. Psychology, NM State University

- M.A. Psychology Counseling and Guidance, University of Northern Colorado

Career:

- Owner – Inkpen Vintage Fountain Pen

- 25 years NM State Government - Corrections Department, Youth Authority, Children Youth and Families Department

- Adjunct Professor – NM State University, Pepperdine University, Park College

- Activities and Organizations(Present and Past)

- NM Criminal Justice Association,American Correctional Association, Western Correctional Association,NAACP, Otero County United Way, Otero County Counsel on Alcohol Abuseand Alcoholism, Pen Collectors of America

Frances RayAlbuquerque, NM
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Angela RomeroAlbuquerque, NM
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Angela Romero came to New Mexico at the age of three with her Dad and her brother. Living in the East Mountains, she attended Moriarty School’s from elementary through high school. After four years of living in California and attending California State University at Fullerton, she decided that New Mexico was where she wanted to be. She moved back to New Mexico and finished her BA in Mass Communications at the University of New Mexico and then went on to obtain her MBA from UNM’s Anderson School of Management.

Angela started in the employee benefits field 14 years ago working for FHP health plan, then Pacificare and Presbyterian Health Plan, after a series of mergers and acquisitions. As a licensed Health, Life, Property and Casualty Agent with a desire to begin her own business, Angela opened the Angela Romero Insurance Agency, or ARIA, Inc. in 2002 passionate about serving her clients with the respect and attention she feels individuals deserve no matter the size of the company. Angela belongs to many professional organizations locally and nationally including, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, the Hispano Chamber ofCommerce, Rio Grande Health Underwriters’ Association (where she has served as the Education chair), National Association of Health Underwriters’ and the National Association of Women Business Owners. She is also a commissioner for the Governor’s Commissionon Community Volunteerism.

Angela is married to Nestor Romero and has two beautiful boys, A. Quinn age 5 and R. Liam age 1.

Maria SanchezYouth Commissioner
Las Cruces, NM
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Ron Solimon Albuquerque, NM
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Ron Solimon is the President & CEO of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Inc., a state-chartered not-for-profit corporation, and Indian Pueblos Marketing, Inc., a federally-chartered for-profit corporation. Both corporations are owned & operated by the 19 Pueblo Indian tribes of New Mexico and headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Ron is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna Indian Tribe of New Mexico. Ron earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from New Mexico State University in 1973 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1976.

Ron serves on several national, state and local boards and commissions, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Board of Trustees (Washington, DC), the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (Mesa, AZ), Walking Shield (CA), the New Mexico Workforce Development Board (NM), the New Mexico Commission on Community Volunteerism (NM), the Tourism Association of New Mexico(TANM) (ABQ, NM), the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau(ACVB) Board of Directors (ABQ, NM) and the Laguna Development Corporation (LDC) (Laguna, NM).

Ron’s wife, Elaine, is the Executive Director of ARCA in Albuquerque, New Mexico – a not-for-profit organization that serves people with developmental disabilities. They have two grown children. Their daughter Kristin is a licensed physical therapist who lives and works in Tucson, Arizona with her husband Dr. Judah Pifer and their two year old son, Preston James Pifer. Judah is a third-year resident in orthopedic surgery at the University of Arizona Medical Center. Ron and Elaine’s son, Justin, is an attorney with the Wiggins Williams & Wiggins Law Firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico where his wife Lucy is a practicing attorney with the Public Defender’s Office. Justin and Lucy are expecting their first child in October of this year.

Ron and Elaine live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Thomas F. Stewart Alto, NM
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Thomas F. Stewart is a retired US Army colonel and, in addition to serving on the New Mexico Commission for Community Volunteerism, he currently serves as County Manager for Lincoln County. He is a graduate of New Mexico State University and received a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. An individual with extensive military command experience in a variety of assignments, he commanded an AH-64 attack helicopter battalion in Desert Storm, has served as Chief of US Army Aviation Officer assignments, commanded an aviation brigade in the Republic of Korea, and his final assignment in the military was as Chief, Western Hemisphere Operations Division, Operations Directorate, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, he coordinated military operations and advised the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the National Command Authority on counter-drug, domestic support, and conventional operations of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in the Atlantic Ocean and North, South, and Central America. He has been the County Manager for Lincoln County, New Mexico since 1998, is the Honorary Colonel for the NMSU Army ROTC Bataan Battalion, and has also been appointed a member of the State of New Mexico’s Disproportionate Minority Contact Blue Ribbon Panel.

Marcia MedinaEx-Officio
Corporation for National Community Service - State Director
Santa Fe, NM
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505.988.6577

Marcia Medina joined the Corporation for National and Community Service as the State Program Director in January 2008. Her professional experience includes 15 years with the Aging and Long-Term Services Department, where she oversaw the administration of New Mexico’s Senior Corps programs. Marcia, who hails from northern New Mexico, has extensive experience with aging networks throughout the state, Highlights of her experience include:

• Serving six years as an FGP/SCP Project Director in Rio Arriba County;

• Being called upon by the Governor’s Office of the First Lady to assist with the introduction and implementation of the AmeriCorps initiative and start-up of the State Commission;

• Managing contracted state funds directed to Pueblos, the Navajo Area Agency on Aging, and Indian Area Agency on Aging;

• Managing staff in state, nonprofit and volunteer settings;

• Conducting compliance monitoring, having program oversight, and managing interdepartmental collaboration and coordination;

• Analyzing legislative bills, legislative program planning and development, and managing appropriations and allocations.

Marcia’s experience with state appropriations, national service, statewide networks and the large network of Senior Corps programs support ongoing partnerships between the Corporation and New Mexico agencies, organizations and governments.

Steve PatrickEx-Officio
Albuquerque, NM