Board of Directors 2007-2008

Phelps Anderson is President of SunValley Energy, a Roswell based oil and gas company exploring for energy resources in the western United States.  Third generation in the oil and gas industry, his family owns ranching interests in both Lincoln and Chaves Counties.   He holds a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from NMSU and has served two terms in the New Mexico Legislature and as New Mexico National Committeeman to the Republican National Committee.  At this time, Phelps serves on the board of the Association of Commerce and Industry and the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico.

Heather Balas is President and Executive Director of New Mexico First. A fifth-generation New Mexican, Heather worked in Washington, DC, and San Francisco for several years before returning to her home state. She has over 15 years experience in public policy work, including citizen outreach, voter education, coalition-building, and policy research. Previous employers include the Commission on Presidential Debates, the California Center for Civic Participation, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. She holds a Masters in political communication from the University of Maryland. Married 13 years to Joe Wellborn, Heather is mom to two rambunctious children.

Connie Beimer is the Special Assistant to the President for Community Affairs and Strategic Initiatives at the University of New Mexico.  She has worked at UNM for the past two years.  She holds a B. A. in Recreation and a Masters in Public Administration—both from UNM.  She is also a past president of the UNM Alumni Association.  Connie is currently on the board of directors of the Central New Mexico YMCA and the New Mexico 4-H Youth Foundation.  She is also a member of the United Way of Central New Mexico Community Impact Council and the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau Communications and Alliances Directors Council.

Zane Bergman is the President of First National Bank in Hobbs.  A native New Mexican, he was born and raised in Roswell, New Mexico and holds a B.B.A. in Management and Marketing from NMSU.  He began his banking career in 1990 and has completed programs from both Western States School of Banking in Albuquerque and Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.  Married to wife Tammra since 1988, the two have three teenage sons.  He enjoys golf, motorcycling, and water sports.

Simon Brackley has served as President and CEO of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce since April of 2006. He has served the Chamber in other capacities for almost ten years. Originally from the United Kingdom, he is a former small business owner and is a 20-year resident of Santa Fe. He enjoys golf, travel, reading and hiking with his two black labs.

Brenda Brooks is Director of Community Affairs for The National Enrichment Facility in Eunice. She was previously the Executive Director of Hobbs Main Street. She is currently serving her second term on the New Mexico First Board of Directors.

Jose A. Campos has served as a State Representative for five years and as the Mayor of Santa Rosa for 10 years. He is also currently Counsel of State Governments West Vice President-Elect and is a former Guadalupe County Commissioner (1990).  He has been married for 22 years and in the restaurant business for 23.  Jose and his wife have three children, all in college, and when he has a moment to himself enjoys scuba diving, water and snow skiing, restoring old cars, riding motorcycles, and hunting.

Garrey Carruthers returned to his roots in July 2003 to become the Dean of the College of Business at NMSU.  He also serves as the Vice President for Economic Development at the university.  He holds both a Bachelor of Science and Masters degree from NMSU in Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business and a Ph.D. in Economics from Iowa State University.  He began his teaching career at NMSU doing his favorite thing - guiding students.  He twice “did time”  in Washington, D. C., the first as a White House Fellow assigned to the Secretary of Agriculture and the second time as Assistant Secretary of the US Department of the Interior during the Reagan Administration.  He was a successful Governor of New Mexico, serving as the last constitutionally limited, four-year single-term governor.

Steve Carter is a native New Mexican, a graduate of Alamogordo High School, and he earned both his B. A. and M. A. from New Mexico Highlands University.  Married to an R.N., the two have three children.  His son is an attorney, his daughter is in management for Amazon.com, and his stepson is an engineer for Raytheon.  Involved in government, education and private business, Steve is currently a director of business development for Sierra Title Company in Las Cruces where he has resided for the past 11 years.

Carol Cochran is a principal with REDW The Rogoff Firm, and is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Employee Benefits Specialist, Personal Financial Specialist, Certified Management Accountant, and Compensation Management Specialist.  Currently Treasurer of New Mexico First, ACCION New Mexico, and the Robert O. Anderson School of Management Foundation, Carol is also a former chair of ACCION New Mexico as well as former National Board Member and National Treasurer of the Girl Scouts of the USA. Carol has received the New Mexico Society of CPAs Community Service award, was designated Accountant Advocate of the Year by the New Mexico Small Business Administration, and was named as one of New Mexico's Power Brokers by the New Mexico Business Weekly in 2005 and 2006.

Luci Davis has worked for BHP Billiton for 12 years in New Mexico and Canada and is currently the Coordinator for Tribal Affairs.  She was born and raised in Burnham, NM on the Navajo Reservation.  She attended schools in the Farmington area and obtained her B.S. (Animal Science) and M. S. (Range/Soil Science) from New Mexico State University.  She enjoys collecting antiques and gardening.

Linda Duffy currently serves as the Director of the Health, Benefits and Employee (HBE) Services Center at Sandia National Laboratories.  Linda holds a Masters degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of New Mexico and a MBA from Webster University.  She received certification as a Health Promotion Director by The Institute for Aerobics Research and earned her American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health/Fitness Director certification in 1992.  She is currently certified as a Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist with ACSM.

Jed Fanning has been in banking for 22 years.  Currently, he is a Regional President at First Community Bank for Southern New Mexico and Arizona.  A native New Mexican from Artesia, he is a graduate of NMSU and the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU.  Jed has always been an active volunteer and community advocate, and recent involvement has included New Mexico State University Foundation Board, NMSU Business College Advisory Council, graduate and past Board Chair for Leadership New Mexico, ACCION Board of Directors, and Chair-Elect of Governor's Business Executives for Education.  His wife of 27 years is Susan, their son Jared just graduated from college, and their daughter Jael is a junior in high school.

Jack Fortner, vice president of UNM’s Board of Regents, is an attorney in Farmington, NM, where he has served as San Juan County Commissioner and an alternate municipal judge. He received his Bachelor's in Political Science from UNM and his Juris Doctor from University of Michigan. Fortner has been a regent since 1999.

William E. "Bill" Garcia is currently retired and is a private investor in several New Mexico-based businesses.  He is one of the founders of Cerelink Inc., a startup wireless technology company in central New Mexico.  He most recently worked with Intel from July 1994 to February 2002 as the New Mexico Manager of Public Affairs for the company’s Rio Rancho facility.  Prior to his work with Intel, Bill was Secretary of Economic Development for Governor Bruce King from 1991-1994.  Bill was also the Past President of the Association of Commerce & Industry.  He retired from Qwest in 1990, as NM Public Affairs Director, after 23 years of service in New Mexico.

Jami Grindatto is the New Mexico Corporate Affairs Director for Intel’s New Mexico site in Rio Rancho, NM, directing government affairs, media and communications, education, and community relations. Jami joined Intel in 1994. Jami is the recipient of the 1999 Intel Achievement Award. He is active in the community and a member of several boards, including the Governor’s Business Executives for Education, New Mexico First, and the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce. He earned a B.S. in Computer Engineering from UNM. Jami was born and raised in Switzerland and played professional basketball in Europe prior to coming to the U.S.

Michelle Henrie Michelle Henrie practices in the areas of water law, land use, real estate development, planning and zoning, appeals, administrative law and local government, and environmental law and natural resources. Ms. Henrie is now practicing as Michelle Henrie, LLC, a single-member New Mexico limited liability company, which is Of Counsel to Atkinson & Thal, P.C., a New Mexico professional corporation. Michelle's law degree is from Vermont Law School. She also holds a B. A. from Utah State University and a Master's from the University of Chicago.  Her home is in Albuquerque.

Jim Hinton has been with Presbyterian for 24 years. As President and CEO of Presbyterian Healthcare Services since July of 1995, Hinton has the distinction of being NM’s longest tenured healthcare CEO. He serves as member of the Presbyterian Board of Directors and also as chair of the Presbyterian Health Plan Board of Directors. Hinton received his B. A. from UNM and a Master’s of Health Care Administration from ASU. In 2005, he received the Foundation Open Government Freedom of Speech award. Leadership Albuquerque named him “Outstanding Leader” in 2002 and The Health Care Forum named him “One of the Nation’s Four Emerging Leaders” in 1993.

Sharon King is the executive director for the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce in Portales.  She retired from Eastern New Mexico University in May of 2005 where she served as the grant officer and instructor.  She is the third generation on both sides of her family to make Portales her home.  She has served on numerous nonprofit boards over the years and currently is a member of Rotary International as well as several professional organizations.

Jim Manatt is Chairman/CEO of Providence Technologies, Inc. and Focus Energy Corporation in Roswell, NM. Providence is New Mexico’s only 3D seismic service company, founded in 1994.  Focus Energy is an advanced energy technology venture exploring strategic volumes of bypassed hydrocarbons in producing oilfields. Jim is a former President of the NMSU Board of Regents. He serves on the board of directors at NMSU’s Arrowhead Center For Technology & Entrepreneurship, the First National Bank of Roswell Community Board, and was a founding director of Mesilla Valley Bank in Las Cruces. He is a graduate of NMSU and a former Army officer.

Dr. Beverlee J. McClure is the newly selected President & CEO of the Association of Commerce and Industry.  Prior to accepting this position, she served as the first Cabinet Secretary of Higher Education for the state of New Mexico.  Dr. McClure was also the president of Clovis Community College, a position she held for almost seven years.  She has been actively involved in several nonprofit organizations.

Sherman McCorkle has been voted as the Albuquerque People’s Choice Favorite Community Leader three times and to the People’s Choice Hall of Fame.  Sherman was recognized as the most influential individual in New Mexico by his peers in the “New Mexico Business Journal (1999-2000).” He is a recipient of the New Mexico Distinguished Public Service Lifetime Award.  He is CEO of Technology Ventures Corporation and the Board Chair of the Sandia Science & Technology Park Development Corporation.  

Susan McGuire is retired from a 25 year career with the U.S. Congress. She most recently served as State Director for U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman. She has lived in New Mexico since 1991 and has been involved with many community activities in her adopted state including Past President, New Mexico Arts and Crafts Fair, and member of the boards of the Urban Council of Albuquerque and Albuquerque Literacy Program. She served on Governor Richardson’s Task Force on Higher Education. Susan has been a member of the New Mexico First Board of Directors since 2004. She currently serves as Implementation Chair on the New Mexico First Executive Committee.

Tom Mills was appointed by Governor Richardson to serve as General Counsel for the Departments of Tourism and Economic Development on July 1, 2006. In this capacity he also represents the NM Spaceport Authority. For three and a half years before that he served as the Deputy Secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. He was a shareholder in the Potter & Mills, P. A. law firm in Santa Fe from 1986 through 2002. His private practice focused on real estate, land use, natural resources, business law, administrative law, and government relations. Tom has been an officer or director of many organizations in New Mexico in areas involving public education, workforce development and training, water issues, public finance, economic development, conservation, and land use. He is a graduate of Leadership New Mexico, Class of 2001. 

Lillian Montoya-Rael is an Investment Advisor for Smith Barney in Santa Fe.  Prior to her current position, Lillian was was the Director of Community Programs Office at Los Alamos National Laboratory. In addition, she promotes corporate citizenship through her active leadership roles in community and state organizations. 

Stuart Paisano was appointed to the position of Governor for the Pueblo of Sandia in 2000, at the age of 28. He was the youngest man to ever be appointed to this position. In 2006 he was appointed to an unprecedented sixth term.  As a tribal leader and representative, he has been a media and public relations spokesperson, political advocate, government representative and a permanent member of the Sandia Tribal Council.  In 2007, Governor Paisano was selected as Assistant Secretary for the State of NM Economic Development Department under Cabinet Secretary Fred Mondragón.

Malcolm Petree has been a resident of Albuquerque since 1971.  A retired banker he now works part-time representing Don Chalmers Companies. He was previously president of Plaza National Bank, Bank Securities Inc., and American Bank of Commerce in Albuquerque. He attended college at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Alice Quintanilla is CEO of Information Assets Management, Inc., (IAM), a company headquartered in Los Alamos, New Mexico that provides highly secure knowledge management services and solutions to business and government. A native of northern New Mexico and a graduate of the University of Colorado, Alice has been drawn to technology her entire life. In 1993, Alice co-founded IAM as a high-tech spin-off business from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). While at LANL, Alice served as a Technical Staff Member in the Computing Division where she developed an IT solution that the Smithsonian Institution chose for an Advanced Technology award.

 

Leonard Lee Rawson of Las Cruces is a leader of the Senate Republicans in the New Mexico State Capitol. Senator Rawson has served in a leadership position for ten out of the 15 years he has represented southern New Mexico in the Senate.  He is currently Republican Whip and has also served as Republican Caucus Chair.  Prior to being a State Senator, he was elected to three two-year terms in the New Mexico House of Representatives. Senator Rawson has been President of Rawson, Inc. Builders Supply since he founded the company in 1971. He has over 80 employees in operations in both New Mexico and Texas. Lee has been married to his lovely bride Moira for nearly 27 years and they have four sons, a daughter-in-law and a new granddaughter.

Shelley ‘Sam’ Redford grew up in St. Louis and spent 12 years in Dallas before moving to Silver City in 1989.  Her background was in business travel and meeting/convention planning before she joined her husband, Jim, in opening Redford Associates, an architecture and planning firm.  In addition to her involvement with New Mexico First, Sam serves on the steering committee of the Grant County Community Health Council, is past president of the Silver City/Grant County Chamber of Commerce, and was executive officer of the Southwest New Mexico Home Builders Association.  She is stepmother to two grown daughters and a very old cat, is a lover of cruise travel, and plays Mahjongg at every opportunity.

Bob Rosebrough is a lawyer in Gallup where he has practiced for over 28 years.  He was born in Lovington, raised in Farmington, and educated in Albuquerque (UNM, BUS 75, JD 78). Bob is an author, mountaineer and outdoorsman.  He is included by name as a character in one of Tony Hillerman’s best-selling novels the Fallen Man.  His character climbs down a ladder suspended from a helicopter to retrieve a climbing register on the summit of Shiprock which helps solve the mystery. Bob recently served as Gallup’s mayor for four years.  He is married and the father of three daughters and a son.

Jennifer Salisbury  received her Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law. Early in her career, Jennifer served as Director of Legislation to a U.S. Senator, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and General Counsel of a New Mexico state agency. In the first Bush Administration, she was appointed to several executive level positions at the U.S. Department of the Interior.  Upon her return to New Mexico, Jennifer also served as Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department, where she was responsible for managing a state agency with 485 employees and a $45 million budget.  After leaving state government, Jennifer returned to the practice of law.  

Jack Swickard is President and founder of The Triton Group Inc., a public relations consulting and magazine publishing company with headquarters in Roswell.  Before founding The Triton Group in 2000, Jack worked in the newspaper business for 34 years. He began his career with The Indianapolis Times in 1963, moving to The Albuquerque Tribune two years later as a reporter.  In 1974, he was named editor of the Roswell Daily Record. From 1989-96, Jack was editor and general manager of The Daily Times of Farmington. He returned to the Roswell Daily Record in 1997 as general manager.  In October 2004, he was inducted into the New Mexico Press Association Hall of Fame.  Jack currently is President of the Community Foundation of Chaves County and International UFO Museum & Research Center Board of Directors.

Jennifer Thomas, Executive Vice President at Bank of Albuquerque, leads the Trust Division for the bank. Responsibilities include Private Banking, Personal Trust, Corporate and Institutional Trust Services which involves estate planning and trustee services, investment management and retirement services. Jennifer is also active with United Way and the CNM Foundation.

Sherri Wells received her B. A. in Marketing from Western University and is also a certified CSP instructor and a licensed realtor in both Georgia and Washington.  She was a founding member of both Overlake Hospital Behavioral School Board and Project Runway, and has served on boards for the YMCA, Big Brother/Big Sisters, the American Heart Association Ball Committee, AMA Educating Women on Heart Disease, Junior Achievement of New Mexico, and Go Red for Women. In 2007, Sherri joined Moss-Adams as their Director of Business Development.

Sayuri Yamada, Governmental Affairs for PNM, works with New Mexico elected and appointed officials on public policy and legislative issues of interest to the company. Prior to PNM, Sayuri was the Vice President for Governmental Affairs for the Association of Commerce and Industry of New Mexico (ACI). She served as chief lobbyist and spokesperson for the state-wide chamber of commerce. From 1991 to 2005, Ms. Yamada ran Yamada Science & Art, a Santa Fe-based environmental software development firm. Her responsibilities at the firm included managing the business operations and marketing their software worldwide to industry, research institutions, government, and universities.

Mary Yates has been involved in Economic Development in New Mexico for the past 20 years. Mary is currently the Business Development Manager for Yates Industries, LLC in Artesia. She also serves on the Holding Company Board and the Board of Directors for First National Bank in Artesia with branches in Hobbs, Lovington, Roswell, Alamogordo, Mesilla and Las Cruces. Mary is a private pilot and enjoys flying between Artesia and her second home in Santa Fe. Mary and her husband Frank are avid skiers and enjoy riding their tandem bicycle around Artesia.