New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association Spare Change

Someone once said to me, “Everyone loves the idea of change, but they don’t like the reality of it.” I’ve never forgotten this, because it is usually true. Not because we don’t want change, but because change is hard, though inevitable.

My predecessor spent 26 years leading our statewide cooperative association. He was a wizard at representing our 15 New Mexico electric cooperative members through annual legislative sessions, changing regulatory requirements and collaborating through diverse objectives to arrive at the best solutions for all. I am honored to take the helm and continue our mission to serve our co-ops and their members.

This is a change for me, but I am already enchanted with New Mexico. I grew up in rural America and am committed to understanding the unique challenges of our rural cooperative communities. I have been in the utilities industry for approximately 18 years, serving both public power and electric cooperatives in multiple capacities. While I am a change from Mr. Groenewold and bring new ideas to the table, I will honor what my predecessors have done before me. Sometimes keeping that rearview mirror intact is the best way to navigate forward when forging a new path.

I am grateful to work for a supportive board of directors. I could not succeed without the invaluable insight and knowledge of our cooperative CEOs and managers. I also get to work with a highly dedicated team who work hard every day to support our mission. all about love Affection, said bell hooks, is only one ingredient of love. “To truly love, we must learn to mix various ingredients: care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment and trust, as well as honest and open communication.”

We will always have new challenges, whether economic, regulatory or finding innovative ways to deliver services. With this comes change. Our goals at the statewide association are to seek new solutions to obtain economies of scale across our cooperative footprint, improve our service model to gain efficiency, and increase communication and education content and methods.

I look forward to spending time in all our communities, collaborating with community partners and with all of you. I will be a change from what you are used to, and it is my hope you all might have some change to spare for me as we embrace the opportunities ahead. I am excited and dedicated to serving our rural New Mexico electric cooperatives. Thank you for your support.

While “all about love”—an enduring meditation on one of the most confounding of human themes—was first published in 1999, in the wake of hook’s death, her most popular title has perched itself on The New York Times Best Sellers List for more than 60 weeks.

By bell hooks

William Morrow & Company

Available at Amazon.com

The Best Peace Fiction: A Social Justice Anthology

This is a stunning collection of 14 short stories holding space for the intimacies of tragedy that befall regular people in the unlikeliest of places. Consider this collection an antidote for the headlines that wrench your heart but cannot even begin to offer catharsis. “The Best Peace Fiction” was named Peacemaker of the Year in the 2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards and Gold Winner for Anthologies in 2021 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards.

Edited by Robert Olen Butler and Phong Nguyen

University of New Mexico Press unmpress.com

Available at Amazon.com

At the Precipice: New Mexico’s Changing Climate

Acclaimed environmental journalist and producer Laura Paskus offers a close look and uncomfortable conversation about the exacting toll climate change is having on the Southwest. Paskus offers a call to action for those living where the havoc is happening faster—often twice as fast—than the global average.

The book was named 2021 New MexicoArizona Book Award Winner for Nature/ Environment and 2021 Best of Santa Fe third-place winner for Best New Book by a New Mexico Author.

by Laura Paskus

University of New Mexico Press unmpress.com

Available at Amazon.com

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