RETTA WARD

PERSONAL

Retta Ward’s given name is not diminutive for a longer one, though it’s a reasonable assumption. “I was named after my aunt Loretta, and my mom just took off the ‘Lo’ at the beginning, so Retta is my given name,” she says.

Age 59, lives in Santa Fe. Single; a daughter, Lauren, 24, who lives in Dublin, Ireland, and is a supervisor for Starbucks; a son, Alec, 21, graduating from the University of Arizona this month with a degree in economics.

PROFESSIONAL

Hertz Corp., 1976-86; health educator in the Albuquerque Public Schools, 1986-95; master’s degree in public health, University of Arizona, 1999; manager of arthritis awareness and prevention program, Arizona Department of Health Services, 2000; high school biology teacher and chair of the school’s science department in Arizona from 2000 through 2010; New Mexico Secretary of Aging and Long-Term Services, 2011-2012; New Mexico Secretary of Health, 2013.

WHAT’S ON HER DESK

A stress ball in the shape of a brain that she squeezes to relieve stress “whenever my own brain gets stressed out.” A notepad that fans open into the shape of an apple. “My daughter found it in a shop in Ireland. I could tear off sheets and write on them, but I’d rather keep it as a decoration that makes me think of my daughter.”

WHAT FEW KNOW ABOUT HER

“I’m not a vegetarian, but I eat like one 99 percent of the time.”

Ward is also a diehard fitness fan with a home gym that includes an elliptical machine, Nordic Track cross-country trainer, jump rope, free weights and resistance bands.

She’s also fond of walking and hiking, and daily wears a pedometer. “My goal is to walk at least 10,000 steps daily, just over 4 miles,” she says.

Ward is a flower enthusiast and loves to travel. She has visited Egypt, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Ireland, England, France, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan.