Board of Directors

Rick Aster, Socorro, NM

I have the honor of being a charter member of NMWA and of having served on the Board from our organization’s inception through 2002. As a resident of rural New Mexico for nearly twenty years, an Earth scientist, a parent, and a passionate outdoor recreationist, in rejoining the NMWA Board, I will work energetically to advance protection of our precious wild lands.

Douglas Chinn, Albuquerque, NM

Douglas brings extensive experience in wilderness issues and a focus on fundraising for non-profits to NMWA’s Board of Directors.  Douglas was a board member and president of The Utah Wilderness Association and a founding member of the High Uintas Preservation Council.  He founded Community Shares/Utah, an umbrella organization that raises funds through workplace paycheck deductions.  
Douglas grew up in Southern Colorado and spent summers fishing, camping and climbing in the Sangre de Cristos. He is an avid bicyclist and woodworker, and enjoys backpacking, skiing and hiking with his wife and border collies. Douglas holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering. He works at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.

Kenneth Cole, Albuquerque, NM

I am a retired International Official with extensive experience in negotiating financial and technical support for community based economic and social development undertakings. I trained as a lawyer and have experience in complicated negotiations with counterparts ranging from senior government officials to local community leaders.My bird watching activities have taken me all over the world, and given me many opportunities to observe the benefits of healthy habitats and to grasp the problems caused by the degradation of natural resources.  Once you’ve seen the totally bald slopes in Southern Ecuador or seen “grandfather” logs being trucked out of rainforests of Borneo, you know you have to be involved in preserving natural areas.

Esther Garcia, Questa, NM

I was born in Taos County and have lived in Questa all my life. I serve as the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the San Antonio Del Rio Colorado Land Grant and am very active with the New Mexico Acequia Association, which is instrumental in passing legislation affecting all New Mexico acequias and water issues. I am honored to have been named in the top twenty nominations for the 2008 Governor’s Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women, and to have recently been honored by the Village of Questa for my efforts in advocating for the cultural preservation of our water rights and acequias, and for the restoration of the San Antonio Del Rio Colorado Land Grant.

Gary Glenn Hartwick, Roswell, NM

Gary has hiked, climbed, camped, paddled, fished, and skied throughout New Mexico during the thirty five years his parents lived in Roswell.  In 2005 he moved to Roswell after retiring from CBS in New York City, where he was the corporate vice president for technology and operations.  
Gary is a volunteer analyst for the Small Business Development Center serving Chaves and Lincoln counties.  He is also a founding member of the Advisory Board of the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks (“Wild Center”), a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club, the Adirondack Council, the Adirondack Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and is treasurer of the Roswell Geological Society. Gary, his wife and two sons are part-time residents of the Adirondack Park, where they have, for many years, maintained a camp bordering the Park’s High Peaks Wilderness Area.  
Gary studied mathematics at the University of Rochester where he also obtained an MBA in finance.  He holds certificates of advanced study from Carnegie-Mellon University and in environmental information management from the University of Denver.

James Hickerson, Cedar Crest, NM, Chair

I joined the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance for its commitment to preservation, its clear and rational public voice, its integrity, and its active engagement with local communities, as well as for the opportunities to participate directly in its work. Because our knowledge and our words must be accurate and reflect history as well as current reality, I have helped create the Conservation Library in the NMWA Albuquerque office, which now has over one hundred volumes.

Tripp Killin, Albuquerque, NM

Mr. Killin is the former Associate Director of  NMWA and was responsible for all non-membership fundraising and reporting for over five years. Tripp left the staff of NMWA to become Executive Director of the Jeniam Foundation.  Tripp earned a B.S. in Biology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Claire Long, MFA, Sunshine Valley, NM

Nancy Morton, MS, RN, CCRN, Albuquerque, NM, Secretary

Nancy is a nurse and teaches at the University of New Mexico. She’s been a volunteer wilderness activist for more than 30 years. She was a founding board member of the NM Wilderness Alliance. Nancy’s favorite wildland activities are hiking and river running.

Nancy Murray, Albuquerque, NM, Treasurer

Nancy has degrees in Biology and Business Administration. She worked for eight years in research at Oregon Health Sciences University. She has worked in the healthcare industry since 1995. Although field biology has never been her vocation, it has remained her lifelong avocation. This interest fuels her commitment to conserving habitat diversity. Prior to joining the NMWA Board of Directors, she was Vice President on the Central New Mexico Audubon Board of Directors and was a representative to the New Mexico Audubon Council.

Todd Schulke, Pinos Altos, NM

Mr. Schulke is a founder and staff member of the Center for Biological Diversity. He holds a degree from Evergreen State College in environmental studies and has been a professional environmentalist for over 12 years. He worked for five years on grazing and off road vehicle issues in southern California before moving to New Mexico in 1989.

David Soules, Las Cruces, NM

David is a lifelong resident of southern New Mexico. He has hunted and fished for almost 40 years, and is a charter member of several local conservation organizations.  
David participates in numerous outdoor volunteer projects. He and his wife have been backpacking enthusiasts for decades.  He has authored successful grants for youth swimming and soccer programs, and led collaborative efforts to construct youth sports facilities valued at well over a million dollars.  A scientist, engineer, and manager by trade, David’s passion lies with protecting the outdoors.

Bob Tafanelli, Ph.D., Las Cruces, NM, co-Chair

Dr. Tafanelli holds multiple degrees in biology. He is currently working on two studies of aplomado falcons. His history of environmental activism stretches back to the 1960’s when he helped found the Oklahoma Chapter of the Sierra Club. In the 1980’s he formed and headed the Coalition of Conservation Organizations in Las Cruces, a coalition of 50 individual and group members that later evolved into the Southwest Environmental Center. He was a founding board member of NMWA.

Dave Wheelock, Santa Fe, NM

Dave is a life-long resident of the American West; frequent relocations related to his parent’s government careers (BLM/BIA) provided an early-life tour of several states, where he learned to love the wild places he sought out along the way.
Today, Dave coaches collegiate rugby and administers club sports at New Mexico Tech, and still finds life’s greatest fulfillment in the outdoors. For the past five years Dave has penned the opinion column “Pencil Warrior” for the Socorro Mountain Mail, selections from which have appeared on the Common Dreams and OpEdNews websites. Researching the column has given him a deeper appreciation for the notion that “all things are connected.” Attention to a multiplicity of issues is necessary to educate the public about wilderness preservation.

Brooke Williams, Moab, UT

For the past thirty years, I have actively pursued adventure in wild landscapes and believe in using lessons learned from nature’s ability to adapt to constantly changing conditions in organizational transformation. I have an MBA in Sustainable Business from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute and a Biology degree from the University of Utah. I have been the keynote speaker and panelist at numerous meetings, conferences, and workshops. Additionally, I have written many books and articles and am the Vice President of Great West Institute.