Rio Grande Chapter Executive Committee:
Anita Gonzales
A native New Mexican, Anita was born in Las Vegas, NM, to the Lopez family of Villanueva, NM, and the Gallegos family of Las Vegas, NM. A middle child, Anita moved between Las Vegas and Albuquerque and graduated high school from West Mesa High School. After completing the majority of her degree at Texas A&M University, she returned home to Las Vegas to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at New Mexico Highlands University. She is the mother of a 9-year-old son and currently lives in Las Vegas, NM.
Anita has worked at New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (NM MESA), Inc for over 17 years – which empowers and motivates New Mexico’s culturally diverse students with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) enrichment. NM MESA has allowed her to network with partners, industry leaders, educational institutions, and contacts from across the state.
Prior to COVID, Anita was an active STEM and parent volunteer for Don Cecilio Elementary, a volunteer with the Samaritan House, Team Mom and volunteer for the Meadow City Havoc in the Northern New Mexico Children’s Football League, and has served as a long-term family caretaker. Anita has also served as Commissioner for the Acequia de los Madres Vigiles and the Grzelachowski Ditch and is a member of the San Miguel Women Democrats and the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club. Recently, Anita was a Democratic Candidate for the New Mexico House of Representatives, District 70 and was an endorsed candidate from the RG Chapter of the Sierra Club.
Susan Martin:
Born in Southern California, I got here as soon as I could. Product of the University of California — BA UCSD, JD/MBA Berkeley, and a fused ankle from UC San Francisco. Counsel, Energy and Commerce Committee, US House of Representatives; attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council; planner director, Environmental Improvement Division of the New Mexico Department of Health. Member, Santa Fe Planning Commission; fan, NM United.
Jody Benson
Jody Benson joined the Pajarito Group at its inception when the group’s primary goal was helping to save the Valles Caldera from being sold by the owners for private development. That national triumph helped energize the group to work on local issues, some short-term, many, alas, still on-going. During her 20 years with the Pajarito Group she has served as publicity, recording secretary, and chair, along with other conservation positions. The primary concern of the Pajarito Group is the expansion of nuclear weapons triggers at LANL, making “pits” the focus of the Lab’s mission, a direction that will require new houses, businesses, infrastructure, and transportation for the up-to 7000 new households by 2025. The Pajarito Group invites others who love the landscape and all that live within it to join us in the leadership position with your ideas and passion.
Central New Mexico Group Executive Committee:
Patrick Burton:
Patrick Burton has been a member of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club for five years. He has made active transportation a significant contribution to a sustainable lifestyle. He would like to improve opportunities for more people to bike for transportation as a member of the Central NM group.
Ray Shortridge:
Shortly after retiring as an information technology executive and re-locating to New Mexico, Ray assumed the volunteer Treasurer position for the chapter and served about five years in that capacity. He has also served on the boards of both the Chapter and the Central Group. He regularly hikes in the Bosque with his dog and spouse and delights in watching Sandhill Cranes do their thing.
David Ther
David Ther has been a member of the Sierra Club since 1979 and has served previous terms on the Central Group ExCom. He is especially
interested in the science of climate change and the implementation of effective local and global strategies for de-carbonizing the economies
of the world. He is currently the Group Treasurer. He is an active climber, runner and hiker.
Northern New Mexico Group Executive Committee:
John Buchser:
My family arrived in NM in the early ’60s. I had the pleasure of growing up in Embudo, and later in the Española Valley. Sierra Club activist Norma McCallan, after years of arm-twisting, talked me into being involved in the Sierra Club after I graduated from NM Tech.
What I most enjoy about NM is the outdoors. Our family told folks for years that it was a terrible, dry place — we wanted to protect it for our own enjoyment! But the secret is out — it is a great place to live.I want to help keep it a wonderful place. It requires an active community to do that. We have expanded the geographic diversity of representation on the Northern Group of our executive committee, leading to a better understanding of the regional challenges.
I am proud of the many areas that our activists have been engaged in. Our political acumen and technical knowledge is substantial.
A lot of what we deal with is reactive but to be expected — Californians have realized this is a great place to live! So Santa Fe has particularly pressed for housing, and LANL’s expansion continues the risk of industrial and radioactive pollution to anyone downstream.I appreciate the support of our members and look forward to guiding the Northern Group as we look forward to the release in 2021 of the 9th edition of our hiking book.
Susan Martin:
Born in Southern California, I got here as soon as I could. Product of the University of California — BA UCSD, JD/MBA Berkeley, and a fused ankle from UC San Francisco. Counsel, Energy and Commerce Committee, US House of Representatives; attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council; planner director, Environmental Improvement Division of the New Mexico Department of Health. Member, Santa Fe Planning Commission; fan, NM United.
Shannon Romeling:
Shannon has been a volunteer on the Rio Grande Chapter Executive Committee since 2018, and secretary of the Northern Group Chapter of the Sierra Club since 2019. She is the chapter delegate to the national Council for Club Leaders, a group that brings Chapter resolutions to the Sierra Club Board of Directors. For her full time job, Shannon has been working on water quality projects in NM for 9 years as a part of Amigos Bravos. One of her first projects was to work with the Sierra Club Water Sentinels Team and she continues that work, organizing volunteers and sampling water pollution regularly, as well as upon request of concerned citizens. Amigos Bravos is a non-profit whose mission is to protect and restore the waters of New Mexico. Shannon completed her Master’s in Biology at Missouri State University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on the effects of wind turbine-caused mortality on the future of the federally endangered Indiana bat.
Southern New Mexico Group:
Kurt Anderson
Kurt Anderson is a retired NMSU Professor of Astronomy whose current activities center on water planning and conservation, hydrology, and riparian restoration. He serves on the board of a Mutual Domestic Water Company, the Doña Ana Soil and Water Conservation District, and is a member of the NM Produced Water Research Consortium. A Sierra Club member for 54 years.Cheryll Blevins:
I’m a native of Doña Ana County and have been active in the Sierra Club for many years. I care deeply for Southern New Mexico’s environment and conservation issues.
Cheryll Blevins:
I’m a native of Doña Ana County and have been active in the Sierra Club for many years. I care deeply for Southern New Mexico’s environment and conservation issues.
Dan Lorimier
Dan Lorimier is a former longtime Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter employee and lobbyist and has led the New Mexico coalition championing the rights of residents living with the impacts of large dairies. He lives in Truth or Consequences.
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