Faces & places
Gov. Susana Martinez recently announced several appointments to state boards and commissions. Following are area residents who received appointments.
Casilda Gallegos of Las Vegas, N.M., has been appointed to the Brain Injury Advisory Council. Barbara Damron of Santa Fe has been appointed to the Education Commission of the States. Damron is Cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Higher Education Department.
Matt Pahl of Santa Fe also has been appointed to the Education Commission of the States. Pahl is executive director of the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools. He previously served as the policy director for the New Mexico Public Education Department and as a program evaluator for the Legislative Finance Committee.
Molly Manzanares of Tierra Amarilla has been appointed to the Livestock Board. Manzanares has been a rancher in Northern New Mexico for 30 years.
Joshua Martinez of Santa Cruz has been appointed to the Northern New Mexico College Board of Regents. Martinez is an engineering student at NNMC.
The New Mexico State Library’s Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped will mark its 50th anniversary this week.
Established in 1967, the New Mexico Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped delivers reading materials, enriching the lives of visually or physically impaired New Mexicans.
Each year, the library meets the needs of nearly 3,000 New Mexico citizens and delivers more than 120,000 items through mailed and downloadable audible books. To learn more about library’s programs, visit nmstatelibrary.org or call 800-456-5515.
New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver was officially named this month as a member of the Elections Government Sector Coordinating Council at its inaugural meeting in Atlanta. The 27-member council is made up of state and local election officials and representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Election Assistance Commission, the National Association of Secretaries of State, the National Association of State Election Directors and the International Association of Government Officials.
The council is charged with improving communication between states and the federal government on issues like cyberthreats and improving the overall security of local voting systems.
The National Fund for Sacred Places, a program of Partners for Sacred Places and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, announced the acceptance of First Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe as one of 17 congregations nationwide to participate in a national historic grant-making program that supports capital building projects.
Launched last year with grants totaling $14 million from the Indiana-based Lilly Endowment Inc., the Philadelphia-based National Fund will offer planning grants, professional services and capital grants ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 to a minimum of 50 congregations over four years.
Chad Martin, director of the National Fund, said First Presbyterian was well positioned for acceptance into this year’s cohort, for which over 220 congregations applied. “It’s the oldest Protestant church in the region,” he said, “and a beautiful building in a beautiful city.”
First Presbyterian will use the grant funds for its capital campaign, an effort to maintain the present church building, which was designed in 1936 by John Gaw Meem.
Two staff members of the Office of the State Auditor have won New Mexico Society of Certified Public Accountants Pride in the Profession Awards. Sanjay Bhakta, deputy state auditor, won the award for Outstanding Member in Government. Emily Oster, director of compliance and quality control, won the award for Woman to Watch, Emerging Leader.
The winners will receive their awards Nov. 2 during a reception at the Sandia Resort and Casino.