6 minute read

BOARD MEMBERS

from Land Water People Time 2022-2023

by The Taos News

from Land Water People Time 2022-2023, page 8

Article from: Land Water People Time 2022-2023

BIENVENIDOS

Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area Board Members

Traditions run deep.

BY DANIEL GIBSON

KARL CORDOVA has been the park superintendent at Pecos National Historical Park over the past eight years and is the National Park Service liaison to the NRGNHA board. Born and raised in southern Colorado, he is a descendant of more than nine generations of family members who lived in the Northern Rio Grande area. SAM DELGADO is the NRGNHA secretary. DAVID FERNANDEZ is a native-born resident of Taos. A writer, journalist and newspaper columnist, he authors “The Blessing Way” and “Espiritu del Norte” columns for the Taos News. He is a chronicler of the cultural, spiritual, historical, political, environmental and other fundamental elements of El Norte, and beyond. He is the father of four, and grandfather of six. He is an executive committee board member of the NRGNHA and currently serves as vice-president of the organization. MICHAEL J. GARCIA was born and raised in Santa Fe, and serves on the Santa Fe City Council. His public service career began as an AmeriCorps VISTA member and has now spanned nearly two decades. Michael graduated from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration. ANNA HANSEN is the president of the board of the NRGNHA, and a Santa Fe County Commissioner representing District 2. A resident of New Mexico for more than 49 years, she earned both her master’s of art and bachelor’s of fine art degrees from the University of New Mexico. Hansen also serves on the Buckman Direct Diversion Board, and was chair in 2021. She is also a member of the following committees/boards: Metropolitan Planning Organization, chair of Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency, vice-chair of the Coalition of Sustainable Communities, the Santa Fe County Housing Authority, and the Santa Fe County Audit and Investment committee. She is the vice-chair of the NACO Arts and Culture Committee, and vice-president of the Energy Committee of the National Association of Counties’ Energy, Environment and Land Use Committee. Hansen has served on New Mexico State Board of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (2003-2009), chair of Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety (1999-2004), the Santa Fe River Commission (2015-2022), and the City of Santa Fe’s Parks and Open Spaces Advisory Commission (2007-2015). MARY TRUJILLO MASCARENAS, who resides in Llano (near Peñasco), earned an Associate of Arts degree in business from Loretto Heights College in Denver. Her many roles have included serving as a member, vice-chair, and chair of the New Mexico Acequia Commission; a member, secretary, and chair for seven years on the Peñasco School Board of Education; and a member of the New Mexico School Board Association. She has been on the board of the NRGNHA since its inception, acting as secretary, vice-president and president; on the Taos County Planning Commission for 16 years; and president of the Altar Society at San Antonio de Padua Parish. Mary and her husband, Ambrose, were recognized as Living Treasures for Taos County in May 2005. ROGER MARTINEZ is a native Taoseño, and has lived in El Norté between Santa Fe and Taos his entire life. He is an artist, photographer and writer, with a focus on local culture. His heritage in the North America region goes back to the early 1500s, and in the Land of Enchantment since 1598. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in social work from the College of Santa Fe, and has a certification in photography. He recently served as the executive director of the Taos Men’s Homeless shelter. CORILIA ORTEGA is a newly-elected city councilor for the Town of Taos. She is also an advocate for the food systems in Taos, supporting growers, acequieros, seeds, and the next generation of landbased people in the Taos Valley. CHARLOTTE ROYBAL has spent more than 25 years working in health policy, foundation management, community organizing, coalition building, campaign field organizing, organizational development and management. She serves as the NRGNHA treasurer, and in the past, as a member of numerous public commissions and boards, including the Governor’s Children’s Trust Fund. She has two adult children and three grandchildren. ERIC VASQUEZ is a native of Northern New Mexico, whose roots go back generations. In the past, he has been the executive director of the Regional Coalition of Los Alamos National Laboratory Communities, publisher of the Valley Daily Post, executive director of the Española Valley Chamber of Commerce, and policy director for the Office of Lt. Governor. He currently works for Chicanos por la Causa, the largest Hispano nonprofit in the country. DARLENE VIGIL is a Taos County commissioner and a lifelong resident of Taos. She has worked in public service for more than 32 years, and is committed to maintaining traditional and cultural practices that benefit present and future generations. MARGARET CAMPOS has served as the executive director of the NRGNHA since March 2020. A native of Northern New Mexico, she resides today in Embudo. A strategic, operations and project management specialist with an MBA from New Mexico State University, she has held positions with county, state and federal governments, and in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. She’s worked for entities as diverse as Los Alamos National Laboratories, Rio Arriba County, as an adjunct professor at Northern New Mexico College and as business manager for Santa Fe Imaging. She continues to be a multigenerational farmer on the banks of the Rio Grande.

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