New leadership appointed at 3 state agencies
SANTA FE — Three new appointees — including a former state legislator — are taking over at state agencies under Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The governor announced Thursday that former Rep. Linda Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, will serve as the new superintendent of the Regulation and Licensing Department, replacing Marguerite Salazar, who retired.
Trujillo is a lawyer who resigned from the Legislature in July. She has worked in state government as a deputy division director in regulation and licensing, and as state records administrator.
Sonya Smith is the new secretary-designate of the Veteran Services Department, where she replaces Judy Griego, a brigadier general who retired.
Smith is a Gulf War veteran with a background in health care. She previously coordinated COVID-19 testing in the state Department of Health.
Amy Whitfield, a former special projects coordinator in the Children, Youth and Families Department, now leads the Office of African American Affairs. She had worked earlier as the office’s interim executive director.
Smith’s appointment will require confirmation by the state Senate, though she can hold the job until the Senate takes action. Trujillo and Whitfield don’t need Senate approval.