Board of Trustees
Board of Trustees
The Con Alma Health Foundation Board of Trustees is a group of individuals who represent the geographic, ethnic, gender, age, socioeconomic, and other factors that represent the diversity of the peoples and communities of New Mexico. Con Alma Board Members have an interest in and concern for the Foundation and its Mission. They bring a broad, objective and impartial perspective on the health, health care and society in New Mexico. They are committed to insuring the public trust through thoughtful and strong governance.
Nathan Padilla, LCSW, a native New Mexican, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and resident of Roswell. He currently serves as the Executive Director and Clinical Director of Embrace (nonprofit organization). Additionally, as the clinical director for three organizations, he provides direct services for the medically uninsured and/or underserviced communities in NM and works with policy and planning for change. He is also an educator in the field of substance abuse and mental health. Former experience includes serving as the Hope Youth Services Adult and Youth Substance Abuse Counselor. Affiliations include current serving on Con Alma Health Foundation’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC); past service includes his position as the President of the New Mexico Addiction Education Network, and as a member of the Chaves County Health Council, and Chaves County Behavioral Health Committee.
“I joined Con Alma because it is a voice and provider of funding for underserved, at-risk populations of New Mexico. It helps in grassroots and policy movements. Con Alma truly helps all aspects of New Mexico.”
Robert Apodaca comes from a family with deep roots in northern New Mexico. Growing up in the Taos area in a traditional Hispanic family he learned the importance of hard work, maintaining cultural values and preserving NM’s beautiful land and water. Throughout his career, he let these principles guide him to create brighter futures for New Mexicans. Robert is the Principal Owner of RMA Advisory Group, LLC and focuses on legislative, environmental, health, community and economic development initiatives. Robert works with Local and Tribal Governments, Private and Non-Profit endeavors to strengthen communities and create economic and infrastructure opportunities for the constituents that they represent. He serves as a board member for Community in Schools, and the Native American Budget and Policy Institute. Robert served as an appointee to President Barack Obama as Assistant Chief of the West with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He also served as an appointee to Governor Bill Richardson, where he worked with local, tribal and state agencies on fiscal and budget policy. Robert received his BBA in Finance from NMSU.
Barry Herskowitz, MBA, CPA, has experience in the fields of public accounting, corporate finance, and higher education. He currently is a member of the Board of Trustees of the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation, and the Doris Walbridge Foundation. He also assists a 7th grade math teacher as a volunteer for Communities In Schools.
Robin Brulé is the Senior Director of Philanthropic Partnerships with Filene, an organization that strengthens organizations through research, incubation and advisory services. Robin is a fierce advocate for social justice with a strong track record engineering, piloting, and scaling holistic service programs, Robin previously worked at Nusenda Federal Credit Union as Vice President of Community Relations. She’s also held positions as Chief Strategist for New Mexico Center for Philanthropic Partnerships, Executive Director of Central New Mexico Community College Foundation, and Director of Development for University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital during her more than 25 years of extensive community leadership.
Christopher Chavez, MBA, is a lifelong New Mexican with extensive background in economic development, local government, public policy and nonprofit engagement. He holds both a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health Education and an MBA from the University of New Mexico. While at UNM, he joined U.S. Army Reserves as a combat medic and served eight years. Upon completion of his activation for Operation Enduring Freedom, he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA working with a local nonprofit on adult basic literacy and ESL initiatives. He currently serves as the Economic Development Manager for the City of Albuquerque and is a proud father of two teenagers.
Jim retired in 2018 from a career in community development, nonprofit program management / administration, journalism and publishing, and entrepreneurial self-employment. Jim first joined Con Alma’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC) in 2003, was CAC Chair 2010-2020, and has remained involved in volunteer service in a variety of community development organizations. He sees Con Alma as New Mexico’s best opportunity to improve the health of the state’s residents and communities through collaborative community action and wise use of scarce resources.
As a native New Mexican, Linda Dodd has a passion for helping develop and improve the lives of all New Mexicans. Linda understands the need for all nonprofits to expand and diversify funding while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Linda has worked in the nonprofit field for over 20 years and is a Resource Development Manager for a nonprofit organization in SE NM. She believes that every New Mexican has the right to have adequate shelter, food, healthcare, and other necessities of life. Linda volunteers on the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce Leadership Counsel and the SENM College Advisory Board for Social Work.
Rainey Enjady is a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe with twenty-two years of experience in finance and human resources with the Indian Health Service, which has provided a deep understanding of the health needs of her community and for all Native American’s in New Mexico. She currently serves as the Administrative Officer for the Mescalero Service Unit, preparing budget estimates for all activities. Rainey volunteers on the Institution Review Board of the Southwest, Tribal Institutional Review Board for the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, and is a Principal Investigator for the Systems of Care Grant with the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services. Previous experience includes work with the implementation of alcohol and drug prevention programs in Native American communities. Rainey holds a Bachelors in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from Eastern New Mexico University.
Originally from Gallup, Ophelia is the Northwest Area Health Promotion Manager with the Department of Health and oversees three counties, including McKinley County. Ophelia has vast expertise with community programs, health councils, coalition building, and community health improvement efforts. Ophelia (Reeder) was recognized as one of Con Alma’s Heroes of Health in 2017 for her commitment to creating powerful partnerships that impact New Mexico communities.
Lori Martinez, LMSW, is the Executive Director of Ngage New Mexico an organization working to advance the well-being of all people of Southern New Mexico. She has worked in direct service as a social worker for much of my career at both the micro and macro levels. She is also a social worker for New Mexico State University where she provides casework services to students and serves as a resource to the NMSU staff. She is also a Certified Field Instructor for the New Mexico State University School of Social Work. Previous experience includes: social work with the NMSU Wellness, Alcohol, and Violence Education Program; family therapist; and behavior therapist. For much of her career, Lori has worked in direct service, where she was able to both identify gaps in coverage and develop appropriate programs to fill those gaps. Lori currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Southwest Environmental Law Center.
Lorrina is a native of Roswell. The last thirty years she worked in corporate environments as a senior leader in human resources/recruiting capacities. Lorrina is currently serving as the CEO of Wings for L.I.F.E., a 501C3 non-profit. Over the years she has served as a volunteer at Georgia Council on Child Abuse Hotline (certified crisis counselor); serving as board president and volunteer “Big Sister’ of Big Brothers Big Sisters, SENM; she has collaborated with a team of 10+ fellow volunteers to renovate three houses for the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, Roswell, NM; three year board of trustee for the Roswell Museum & Art Center; served as President of Roswell Sertoma Club (four year member); collaborated with a team of 15+ co-workers to collect professional clothing for Dallas “Dress for Success” program; provided help to 30+ women re-entering the workforce; and is Governor appointed to serve on the New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women, 2021- 2024.
Since 2017, Terri Tewart has served as the Director of Nursing Education and Allied Health at Santa Fe Community College. She has been a nurse in NM since 2007 and has been teaching and directing nursing programs since 2013. Terri is dedicated to the education of nurses at all levels. She is native New Mexican and fully aware of the impact a nursing education can have on the lives of nursing graduates, their families and their communities.
Terri is a member of the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium Leadership Council where she oversees the NMNEC curriculum, program evaluation, accreditation and diversity committees. She also currently serves on the following boards and committees (sample): Nursing Education Advisory Committee for the New Mexico Board of Nursing, New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium Diversity Committee, Office of Teaching and Learning Steering Committee.
Susie, a native of Silver City, worked at Gila Regional Medical Center for 21 years in the Community Health and Wellness/Community Outreach field. She is a past member of the Health Policy Commission and the Behavioral Health Planning Council. Susie is a founding member of Con Alma’s Community Advisory Committee, where she felt was the best place to advocate for rural community voices. She has been happily married for 50 years and is proud of her three children and grandchildren.
Johannah Yazzie is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner (CPNP). She was born and raised in the Four Corners area and is a member of the Navajo Nation. Johannah received her Bachelor’s of Nursing in 2008 and Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in Pediatrics in 2017 from the University of New Mexico. In her nursing experience of 13 years, Johannah has worked in various specialties including Intermediate Care Nursery/NICU, Pediatric ER, PICU, General Pediatrics, and clinical nursing. As a CPNP, she began her career working with children on the Navajo Nation reservation in Chinle, Arizona (AZ). After Chinle, she served the urban native communities in Phoenix, AZ. Johannah now works with Kewa Pueblo Health Corporation in Santo Domingo Pueblo. She enjoys spending time fishing along the San Juan River, hiking, reading, spending time with family, and cheering for her favorite NFL team the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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To ensure you are receiving the latest grant cycle information sign up here for email updates and select “Grant Cycle Information”. Check back to our website often and follow us on social media for important news and announcements.