2022-23 Fellows

Adrienne is a proud native New Mexican and UNM alumna who recently moved back to Albuquerque after 13 years. She currently leads Digital Health and Telehealth Partnerships for Providence Health, a nationally leading not-for-profit health system employing 119,000+ caregivers. Her mission is to virtually scale high-value healthcare to hospitals and communities that might not otherwise have access to specialized care. This work results in saving lives and keeping communities healthier. Her other roles within Providence include business development, clinical care standardization, and provider adoption of innovative care programs at scale. Prior to joining Providence Health, Adrienne spent eight years in the medical device industry, specifically spine implants, in various sales and leadership roles. Adrienne is thrilled to be back in Albuquerque and is passionate about actively participating and contributing to the community that raised her so well. Adrienne and her incredible husband, Brian, have a one-year-old son and are thrilled to raise him in the Burque.

Yasine is the co-founder of BabyPage, an online platform and iOS app that helps busy parents track their children's milestones and create a modern baby book. Prior to founding BabyPage, Yasine served as the Director of Entrepreneurial Programs for the Central New Mexico Community College STEMulus Center. She also ran her own consulting firm focused on high-tech marketing. In addition, she worked as an Associate for Flywheel Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on software and clean tech companies and handled deal flow and fundraising for the firm. Her early career included working for the State of New Mexico, and later, political campaigns.

Yasine currently serves as the Vice President of Sidney Gutierrez Governing Council, a charter school in Roswell, New Mexico. She successfully led the expansion effort of Sidney's middle school to include grades K-5 and secured funding for the elementary facility. She was recognized as the New Mexico Business First Woman of Influence and the New Mexico Technology Council Women in Technology. Yasine also serves on the UNM Alumni Association Board, the board of Southwest Creations Collaborative, the United Way of Chaves County Board, and the ABQid Investment Committee. She has her master’s degree from the University of New Mexico and an undergraduate degree from Truman State University.

Kyle is an External Affairs Manager for Comcast, supporting the company’s community impact and external communications work throughout Comcast’s footprint in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. In this role, Kyle supports efforts related to Comcast’s local community partnerships and charitable giving, development, and implementation of communication strategies, digital equity strategic planning, Comcast’s social and digital channels, writing and editing content, employee engagement, and more. He holds a BBA (’17) in Marketing Management from the UNM – Anderson School of Management and an MPA (’19) in Public Management from the UNM – School of Public Administration.

Born and raised in Albuquerque, Kyle has a deep passion for his community. He currently sits on the Young Professionals of Albuquerque Board–serving as Board President, the UNM Alumni Association Board, and the Boys & Girls Club of Central New Mexico Board. He is a 2022 graduate of Leadership Albuquerque and in 2020, Kyle was honored by Albuquerque Business First as a New Mexico 40 Under Forty Honoree.

Nathan currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for the Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS®, a position he’s held since 2017. He oversees all functions and departments of the organization to ensure maximum effectiveness and alignment in support of all strategic initiatives. Nathan actively directs the day-to-day functioning, activities and programs of the organization. Prior to his position as COO, Nathan served as Director of Professional Development for the organization from 2013-2017. He is passionate about education. In addition to working full-time for the Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS®, he is currently enrolled at the University of New Mexico, pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Organizational Leadership. Nathan is also a 2022 graduate of the Leadership New Mexico Core Program.

As a lifelong public school attendee and (nearly lifelong) New Mexican, Brian has a deep personal interest in improving the lot of New Mexico. Brian is a utility professional with experience in utility regulation, electric vehicles, transmission planning, energy policy, development of renewable energy projects, and rate design. His primary role at the Public Service Company of New Mexico is project management and policy development for regulatory filings in front of the New Mexico Regulation Commission. He has a BA in economics from the University of New Mexico, an MA in economics from New Mexico State University with a specialization in utility regulation, and an MBA from the University of Illinois.

Arianna is from the small town of Bernalillo, New Mexico. She is Hispanic and Native American from the Pueblo of San Felipe. Arianna holds two degrees specializing in Education. The first degree she received was a Bachelor of Science in Education from UNM. Once she started her teaching career, she pursued her master's degree in Special Education Pedagogy from Eastern New Mexico University. She was previously an educator for Bernalillo Public Schools, and now is the Director of Cultural Education at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Over the years, Ariana has worked in a variety of educational settings, helping students thrive within academia. She has also governed programs for nonprofit organizations while specializing in curriculum and instruction. Education has always been a sincere passion of Arianna’s and she is honored to bring her experiences and vast knowledge to this fellowship.

A native of the state, Zach grew up in Cuba, New Mexico. After graduating from Cuba High School in 2006, Zach attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. In 2011, Zach graduated with a BS in Education and a BA in Spanish. Zach taught Science at the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering Leadership charter high school in Albuquerque, where he advanced to the Dean of Student Support. In 2015, Zach moved to northern New Mexico where he taught first grade at Chama Elementary, and later, middle and high school science at Escalante High School. In 2017, Zach moved to Santa Fe and worked as the Community Engagement Director for the Public Education Department in 2018. Zach now supports the students, families, and educators at Turquoise Trail Charter School. He resides in the Santa Fe area with his wife and three young children who attend TTCS.

Jason is a native New Mexican, originally from Corrales. He is a graduate of Sandia Preparatory School. Later, he attended the University of Redlands where he played four years of collegiate soccer and received degrees in Business and Psychology. After spending almost three years in Philadelphia, Jason returned to the land of red and green. He has worked in education for the past nine years and taught for two years before going into fundraising. He is currently the Director of Development at Manzano Day School, which his two oldest children attend. Jason and his wife Jamie have three children who keep them eternally busy and happy. Jason enjoys traveling, camping, paddle boarding, and almost any exercise or sport that his old knees will allow.

Dr. Cooper has been a part of the cultural fabric of New Mexico for 30 years. As a Burqueña, she thoroughly enjoys the beauty, culture, and diversity of the people and environment. Her passion is building the capacity of people and communities. This is evidenced by improving the quality of life for those around her, promoting social justice, working to include marginalized voices, and redressing inequalities for all people, especially those of color.

Nina serves as community engagement manager for Homewise, where she fosters awareness about homeownership as an affordable housing strategy and works diligently to close the racial homeownership gap. She also serves as the assistant pastor of the New Hope Church of Albuquerque. Nina earned both her master’s and a doctorate in Communications from UNM. She is the loving wife to her husband, Bishop David Cooper, mother of children, David and Andrew, and grandmother to granddaughter, Ziya.

Concha is a Vice President with Youth Development, Inc. (YDI), one of the largest social service nonprofits in the State of New Mexico, and provides oversight of the Education, Employment & Training Division, managing ten programs across Central New Mexico and an overall budget of $5 million. Concha has 22 years of experience with direct service and senior management of youth workforce development, dropout prevention, education, and violence prevention programs. Starting her career at YDI in direct services, Concha understands the challenges facing our youth and families in education and employment and designs effective programming that provides the assistance and resources youth and families need to be successful. Concha is a native New Mexican from a small rural town in Southeast NM with a strong family perspective that education is a priority. Concha holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology with a minor in Psychology from the University of New Mexico.

Arlene is the Director of Development for the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center. She has more than 11 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising in the unique landscape of the not-for-profit sector in New Mexico.

As a homegrown New Mexican growing up in Belen, NM, Arlene was led to her life’s work in Albuquerque, NM during her college career at the University of New Mexico. After graduation, Arlene found her passion within the healthcare sector and service to her community.

Committed to the betterment of her community, Arlene serves on the board of All Faith Children’s Advocacy as a trusted advocate for children and families affected by trauma.

Katie leads a team of high-performing business professionals as a Business Manager for Sandia National Laboratories. Her team supports efforts in the National Security Program area. Prior to Sandia, Katie worked in the nonprofit sector for New Day Youth and Family Services, ACCION, and the United Way of Central New Mexico.

She has been involved in a variety of community efforts and has served on various boards including Festival Ballet Albuquerque, the Future Fund through the Albuquerque Community Foundation and the Hispano Philanthropic Society (UWCNM). Katie currently serves on the board for New Mexico Child First Network and the foundation for Voz Collegiate Preparatory Charter School.

Katie earned a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Policy & Planning and emphasis in Nonprofit Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education and Elementary Education with a minor in History from the University of New Mexico.

She is passionate about the Albuquerque community. She is proud to raise her children, Aurora and Javi, with her husband, Ian, in their hometown.

Michael graduated from Albuquerque High in 1994. This led to a long and winding professional road which has included work of many types, from dishwasher to Walgreens clerk, to live music promoter to startup employee #1, to startup co-founder to burned-out former startup co-founder, to a consultant to his current role as a Strategy Director at Indeed. Michael, his wife, and their two kids (10 and 5) just moved back to NM last year.

Jacob is a business and community leader who was born and raised in Albuquerque. He is currently growing and operating Little Bear Coffee & Stuff retail collective, Wind Worn Screen Printing, EA Property Management, and New Mexico Capital Partners alongside his brother and father.

With a background in real estate development, business start-ups, hospitality, and community events, Jacob is excited to help make Albuquerque and New Mexico the best version of themselves.

Jeff moved to Albuquerque in 2002 with his wife, Charlotte Itoh. He completed his undergraduate degree at UNM in 2005. In 2013, Jeff completed his Master of Public Administration and was hired as Executive Director at the Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation. Under Jeff’s direction, the organization expanded its service footprint to include San Juan and Doña Ana counties. In late 2018, Jeff joined the fight against child and family homelessness in Albuquerque by taking the position of Executive Director Cuidando Los Niños. Jeff is the incoming President of the Nob Hill Neighborhood Association and is a Board Member of the UNM Alumni Association.

Madison is the Director of Philanthropic Planning and Administration at United Way of Central New Mexico. In this role, Madison supports community members in their philanthropic planning by working with donors and their professional advisors to help community members fulfill their personal planning goals and their charitable objectives in a way that is both beneficial to the investor and supportive of our community. Prior to this, Madison was an attorney in private practice, focusing on estate planning, business planning, and trust and estate administration.

Madison is honored to serve on the Board of the Albuquerque Community Foundation – Future Fund and the Board of the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. Madison speaks locally and nationally to financial advisors, attorneys, accountants, and others on philanthropy, development, and legal and business topics.

Madison attended the University of New Mexico, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) in International Studies in May 2015 and a Master in Business Administration (with honors) in December 2015. Madison then attended the Seattle University School of Law where she earned a Juris Doctor (cum laude) in 2019.

Emma is the Community Relations Coordinator for Fidelity Investments, where she manages the Fidelity Cares programming to engage associates in volunteer experiences in New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. In addition to creating meaningful volunteer opportunities, she advances the mission of Fidelity’s Communication, Public Affairs, and Policy Group through building partnerships with local schools, nonprofits, and other community organizations. Prior to her role with Fidelity, she worked in Development at HopeWorks, a local New Mexico nonprofit that assists individuals experiencing

homelessness. She also serves on Albuquerque Community Foundation’s Future Fund Board and is the Community Impact Chair. Originally from the East Coast, Emma moved to New Mexico in 2013 and has made it her home, falling in love with the blue skies and vast open land. Outside of work, Emma enjoys coaching CrossFit, teaching yoga, going on hikes, and spending time with her dog.

Angela is the Field Director for Public Charter Schools of New Mexico (PCSNM), where she helps elevate the voices of charter school communities by connecting with school leaders, parents, students and alumni. Prior to PCSNM, Angela was the lead district staff member for Albuquerque School of Excellence, serving the school in a variety of roles with responsibilities in community outreach, human resources, communications, enrollment, marketing and as the parent liaison and Covid-19 point person. Angela has a background in restaurant management.

Angela is a graduate of the University of New Mexico. She is originally from Los Alamos, NM and has lived in Albuquerque for over 20 years. She is enthusiastic about school choice and the advocacy of charter schools. Angela is the proud mother of two students, one in high school and one in elementary. She enjoys serving school communities by getting to know school leaders and their staff, as well as students and families.

Matt is the Tech Engagement Branch Chief for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM. For the last nine years, he has led initiatives for AFRL, including small business grants, intellectual property management, and partnerships focused on technology transfer and economic development. Matt and the AFRL Tech Engagement team currently lead AFRL’s tech transfer office, year-round internship programs, K-12 STEM outreach programs, and economic development initiatives in New Mexico.

Olivia is a dedicated public servant with over 20 years of public finance and policy experience at the federal, state and local level. She currently serves as the Vice President of Finance & Operations for Central New Mexico Community College. In her prior role, she served as the Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration. Previous experience includes executive-level financial management and strategic planning at the local government level, work as a Trader/Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and as Director of the New Mexico State Board of Finance. Early in her career, she worked for the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee conducting economic, policy, and budget analyses. Olivia has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of New Mexico and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan with an emphasis in economics and finance. She is married and has two children.

Dr. Rodriguez is the Managing Director of Programs & Alumni with Latinos for Education, where he leads program strategy, design, and implementation of efforts focused on expanding learning opportunities and leadership capacity for Latino educators nationwide.

Prior to this role, he led efforts with Houston ISD, the largest district in Texas, where he launched multiple district-wide initiatives focused on building a “Grow Your Own” approach to diversifying teacher pipelines and ensuring the workforce best reflects students being served. These efforts have incorporated collaborative approaches to education strategies that center on the needs of students and families while engaging necessary internal and external stakeholders in the process.

As a first-generation Mexican-American, Rick acknowledges the challenges that our Latino students face in education. Barriers to success have further fueled his mission to ensure that the work is laser-focused on removing such educational barriers for others. Rick is a strong believer in Latinos for Education’s “Work Con Ganas” value and is determined to lead efforts that bring about equitable education practices for students.

Rick is a graduate of United Way’s Project BluePrint, Leadership ISD’s Civic Voices Fellowship, and Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Emerging Leaders Institute. He holds a BA in Sociology from Texas A&M University-San Antonio, an MS in Human Resource Development, and an EdD in Professional Leadership K-12 from the University of Houston.

Sarah is based in Santa Fe and serves as a Program Officer for the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation. Born and raised in New Mexico, she holds a Ph.D. in the History of Art and Architecture from Brown University. Before joining the Foundation, she taught architectural history at the University of Michigan, traveled around the world as the Society of Architectural Historians’ H. Allen Brooks Traveling Fellow, and was a Research Fellow at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe.

Gloria is a proud, lifelong New Mexican. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, she experienced firsthand the importance of family engagement. This drives her passion to advocate for every child and help families overcome the barriers that prevent them from engaging in their child’s education.

For nearly a decade, Gloria worked in the public sector, which included serving as the Family Engagement Coordinator at the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED). In this role, she worked to provide information and resources to parents and families to support student success. Her experience with the NMPED affirmed her passion for education and being an engaged community partner. Recently, Gloria stepped into a new role with Twenty7Fifty, as the Director of Public Affairs, Petroleum. She is thrilled to continue bridging education and the oil and gas industry.

Gloria earned a BA from New Mexico Highlands University with an emphasis in Elementary Education. She currently serves on the NMPED Hispanic Education Advisory Council, the board for Jobs for America's Graduates-NM, and the board of the New Mexico Parent Teacher Association as the Family Engagement Chair.

Gloria lives with her family and many pets in northern New Mexico.

Holly was born and raised in New Mexico, spending the greater part of her childhood in the rural communities east of Albuquerque, and she remained in New Mexico to complete her undergraduate work at the University of New Mexico. As a high school senior, she attended courses at Central New Mexico Community College as part of her homeschool curriculum, with the intention of becoming a teacher. However, once her love of history expanded into a love of architectural history and design, she moved on to study Architecture and Education. Since 2008, she has been practicing architecture at the local firm of Fanning Bard Tatum where she is a Project Manager. During the last 15 years, she has had the privilege of working on projects of all shapes and sizes, primarily

in healthcare and higher education. She is a resident in the Downtown core and has been her entire adult life. She has worked closely and served as the chair of the Downtown Neighborhoods Association, which works with the City and community members to preserve and bring positive development and vitality to the neighborhoods surrounding Albuquerque’s Downtown and Old Town.

She is married to a native Santa Fean and designer. Together, she and her husband are raising their three young children who attend the wonderful Montessori of the Rio Grande Charter School in the near north valley of Albuquerque, and she also enjoys renovating and restoring their 1912 historic bungalow in Downtown Albuquerque, cycling, and spending time with her family, friends, and neighbors.

Adam is a commercial real estate professional with extensive experience in corporate real estate, including industrial, office, retail, and portfolio management. Adam’s career in commercial real estate has been defined by his business acumen, loyalty, and commitment to the craft. During his tenure as a broker in California, Adam personally completed over 390 sale and lease transactions, totaling approximately 3,000,000 square feet. The total transaction value of these efforts is just over $105,000,000. Adam was personally responsible for over 45% of the transactions associated with the firm during his tenure. Since his return to Albuquerque, Adam has been involved in launching multiple hospitality operations, including Electric Playhouse and M’Tucci’s 25, and entrenching himself in the success of Downtown Albuquerque.

Tiare spent 18 years serving in Human Resources and Executive leadership roles within the healthcare and telecommunications industries. Most recently, she played a key role in leading the transformation of an organization to historically high levels of both operational and financial excellence, resulting in the successful sale of the company in 2015. She subsequently led the delicate and complex two-year process of post-acquisition integration, while also expanding oversight across 10 states and managing greater than 50 million dollars in revenue. In 2018, Tiare exited and began Chairing with Vistage, coaching CEOs and Business Owners and facilitating executive peer advisory groups. She now serves as President of Vistage New Mexico, a partner of the world’s largest Executive Coaching organization, Vistage Worldwide, Inc.

Dr. White is the Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning and an Associate Professor of Finance with tenure at the University of New Mexico. Reilly also serves on the board of the CFA Society of New Mexico and as the Director for the $4.7 Million student-run UNM Regent’s Portfolio. Prior to his career in academia, Reilly worked as an analyst for a large Boston-based bank, and consults with investment managers and municipalities on strategically responding to economic challenges.

In addition to his Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut, Reilly has published nineteen articles in finance and financial technology in the last few years, including articles in Physica A, Journal of Corporate Finance, IEEE, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, and the Journal of Banking and Finance. Reilly was awarded the 2022 Paul Bartlett Ré Emerging Promoter of Peace Award and serves on the of board Voz Collegiate Preparatory School. With his students, he co-authored Financial Literacy for Immigrants and Refugees, a free financial literacy handbook that has been translated into Spanish, Arabic, and Dari. Since 2020, Reilly has been interviewed over 150 times by local and national media outlets on various economic and finance topics.

Josh is a client executive and vice president for HUB Southwest. He is married to Ciera Lujan and together they have one child, Josiah, and a baby girl due in September. Josh is a member of the Board of Directors for Leadership New Mexico and Viante. He is a graduate of the 2018 Leadership New Mexico Connect Program and has served on the selection committee for the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program. Josh was a recipient of Albuquerque Business First’s 40 Under 40 award in 2021. Josh is a graduate of New Mexico State University where he earned a BA in Finance, Management & Insurance.

Matt is a Senior Healthcare Analyst at RS21. As part of the RS21 Health Lab, he works with health and community leaders to leverage data to support positive outcomes for communities. His focus ranges from enhancing data analysis for health systems, building dashboards or applications for state agencies, and determining process flow for public health and community organizations. Matt’s particular expertise lies in data visualization, social determinants, health data, training, and process improvement.

He is an Albuquerque area native and University of New Mexico alum, with his BA in History and Political Science and MA in Educational Leadership focusing on Community and Organizational Learning. Matt built his analytics expertise through hands-on experience and likes to say his BA was all about context (history) and dynamics (political science), his MA was about how to help groups learn, and now he uses all of it to help others leverage data to understand where they have been and influence where they are going.

Prior to joining RS21, Matt developed his data expertise and community orientation across leadership roles in the public, private and nonprofit sectors—including with Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Project ECHO, and Explora Science Center, and Children’s Museum.