Women of �New Mexico
Celebrating Women’s History Month
March 2025
Women in government
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Secretary
Deb Haaland��Former Secretary of the Interior, Currently running for Governor��Secretary Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, is one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress. Her major areas of interest in Congress were environmental issues, climate change, along with missing and murdered indigenous women.
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Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham��Governor of New Mexico��Governor Lujan Grisham is a lawyer and current governor. She has served in many different offices prior to governor, including Secretary of Health, House of Representatives, and Commissioner.
Representative Melanie Stansbury��US House of Representative��As a science educator Rep. Stansbury helped children develop a love of the land and water of New Mexico. She later moved to work in various government roles, from the Obama administration and New Mexico State House, eventually becoming the representative for NM District One.
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Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez��US House of Representatives��Rep Fernandez began her career studying law and moved into serving the community through securing money for the communities and working in the White House. She has served the 3rd district of NM in the House serving on Natural Resources, Education, and Indian Affairs since 2021.
Women in the arts
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Artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith��Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation��Jaune Quick-to- See Smith has a piece of artwork titled I See Red: Target on display at the National Gallery of Art. Her paintings tell the beautiful, the tragic, and the creation stories of our land. “I’m only a fly in the ointment, an annoyance, a troublemaker. Just like my hero John Lewis told young Black leaders: ‘Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.’ ”
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Emerald Tanner��Fifth generation owner of Gallup’s Tanner’s Indian Arts. �� One of Tanner’s favorite projects was working with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian on Glittering World: Navajo Jewelry of the Yazzie Family, a 2014 exhibit that promoted the silversmithing work of the Gallup family.
Eliza Naranjo Morse��Painting, Sculpture, and Social Engagement��Eliza’s mother, grandmother, and much of her extended family are renowned ceramic artists. She also grew up surrounded by a tradition of creating pottery. Eliza’s work includes drawing, sculpture, and writing.
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Women in STEM
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Lisa Barrow��Assistant professor in Biology��Barrow is investigating North American water frogs. Her work will look at one of the big questions in amphibian evolution and conservation, which is why some species are more susceptible to pathogens than others.
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Lindsay Worthington ��Associate professor in Earth and Planetary Sciences��Dr. Worthington focuses her studies on seismology imaging. Her recent work includes ocean drilling and seismic data in Alaska. Worthington and her team deployed 45 ocean-bottom seismometers that reside on the seafloor of the earthquake-abundant Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone recording earthquakes.
Dr. Lorie Liebrock��Director of the New Mexico Cybersecurity Center of Excellence for Economic Development and the New Mexico Tech Cybersecurity Education Center��Dr Liebrock has extensive experience in cybersecurity. In the beginning she was the only woman in her department and now she is a leader for projects with Sandia Labs. She has published 26 journal articles, 39 conference and workshop papers, and holds two U.S. patents.
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Women in Advocacy
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Allyson Siwak��Gila Resources Information Project and Gila Conservation Coalition��Siwak works with government organizations, community members, and local environmental advocates to ensure the health and safety of the Gila River.
Julia Bernal ��Executive Director of Pueblo Action Alliance��Julia’s organization, Pueblo Action Alliance (PAA), is a community-driven organization that promotes cultural sustainability by addressing environmental and social impacts in indigenous communities. Julia Bernal (she/they) is from the Indigenous Nations of Sandia Pueblo and Yuchi.
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Sarah Ghiorse��President and CEO New Mexico Women��Sarah is committed to serving the women of New Mexico and creating opportunities for growth.
Women in Business
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Angelissa Murray��CEO Heritage Inspirations��Murray’s company brings visitors into New Mexico and helps them see the authentic beauty of the state. From backpacking, snowshoeing, to virtual cooking classes focused on traditional New Mexican recipes, Angelissa Murray is focused on bringing the Land of Enchantment to everyone.
Tina Thatcher��Chief Financial Officer��Tina Thatcher resides on Clovis, NM. While she has worked in finance and other areas within the dairy industry, Tina is currently the VP of Finance at Idaho Milk Products. She has experience in Accounting, General Ledger, ERP, Cash Management, Financial Analysis and more.
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Karli Massey��Principal Communications Specialist, Sandia National Laboratory��Karli is one of Sandia’s top internal communications officers. She leads research, planning and implementation of employee communications campaigns. Karli mentors other women on communication to help grow skills in storytelling and communications.
Women in Sports
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Cathy Carr��Olympic Swimmer��In the summer of 1972, Carr won a gold medal in the 100 meter breaststroke, setting a new world record. She won another gold in the 4x100 medal relay team. Cathy Carr was inducted into the Internationals Swimming Hall of Fame in 1988.
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Chase Foster Jackson ��Shot Put��Chase Foster Jackson’s championships include:
She gives back to the community by conducting clinics for high school and youth athletes.
Pamela Kosgei��Cross Country��University of New Mexico’s freshman distance superstar was named as one of four finalists for the Class of 2025 Honda Sport Award for Cross Country. Kosgei concluded the 2024 season as national runner-up at NCAA Championships. She won all four of her first six collegiate 6K races by an average of 26.95 seconds.
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Resources
Nancy Penchev
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Nancy is an Albert Einstein Fellow in the office of Representative Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico (01). She is working on Education, Arts, Science Space, and Technology, as well as Broadband issues.