Staff

Mark has over thirty years of professional experience working with social-profit nongovernmental organizations in leadership positions, including over twenty years as executive director. Before joining New Mexico Wild, Mark’s activities focused on anti-poverty and social justice work, with an emphasis on developing permanent affordable housing for persons experiencing homelessness. Mark’s projects earned national recognition for modeling award winning sustainable “green” design. Mark subsequently led a national project team providing technical assistance and training to communities on community development. He has served on numerous national, regional, and local boards of directors.

Mark has demonstrated success in strategic planning, organizational development, management, and fundraising and is adept at partnerships and coalition building. Since coming to New Mexico Wild in 2013, Mark has been proud to lead a team that has helped secure numerous new protections for New Mexico’s land, waters, and wildlife. Mark earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Illinois State University. Mark fell in love with New Mexico in 1977 and moved here permanently in 1993. He resides in Albuquerque with his wife, Jenny Metzler, and his two sons, Levin and Jack. He believes passionately that we have a responsibility to permanently protect land, not only for future generations to experience and enjoy, but for its own sake.

Email Mark>>

Tisha has worked for New Mexico Wild since 1999. She has served as Interim Executive Director, Development Director and Membership Coordinator. Tisha was a member of the Wilderness50 Executive Committee in 2014, when the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act was celebrated in Albuquerque. With a degree in environmental science and a background in environmental consulting, Tisha manages fundraising, communications and membership for the New Mexico Wild. Tisha also works to build community partnerships and lead youth outreach and volunteer service projects.
E-mail Tisha>>

Akashia was enchanted by the magic of western landscapes in high school when she traveled from the Midwest to backpack in the Colorado Rockies and the Grand Canyon. She went on to earn a B.A. in Biology from The Colorado College and a M.S. in Geography, specializing in Geographic Information Sciences, from The University of New Mexico. Her studies focused on the remote sensing of native plant species in southwest desert landscapes. Professionally, she has worked with the National Park Service, the Native American Water Rights Settlement Project, and in both public and private sector GIS roles. She serves as a volunteer GIS specialist for The Yerba Mansa Project, a bosque restoration effort in Albuquerque.

Calling New Mexico home for 24 years, Akashia has loved raising her family in a state with abundant beautiful and wild places. She loves hiking, camping, backpacking, exploring outside with her husband and kids, and always looks forward to the next wilderness adventure. Akashia has a lifelong passion for using her skills and experience to support conservation efforts, and she is so happy to join the NM Wild team as the Conservation GIS Specialist.
E-mail Akashia>>

As a native New Mexican, Sara developed a reverence for nature young; her earliest memory is one of stepping barefoot on a prickly pear cactus in the backyard of her parents’ Cedar Crest home. She went on to spend time in places with notably fewer cacti, including Oregon, and Alaska, where she studied Psychology at the University of Alaska.

Sara’s professional background includes the legal and healthcare fields, most recently establishing a communications and marketing department for a behavioral healthcare organization serving rural communities across New Mexico. She is passionate about public land conservation, stewardship, and increasing equitable access to the outdoors. With a strong belief in the expansive power of visual storytelling, Sara is excited to help New Mexico Wild connect with a broader audience in her role as Communications Coordinator.

E-mail Sara>>

Bjorn grew up in Seattle, Washington and spent his childhood and young adult years frequenting public lands across the West. Experiences in remote settings – often in designated wilderness – instilled in him a passion for wild places and environmental issues. These passions led Bjorn to obtain B.A and M.S. degrees in environmental studies and science from Yale University, as well as a graduate certificate in wilderness management from the University of Montana.

In the initial chapter of his career, Bjorn spent 13 years working with the U.S. Forest Service, with positions focused on the management of recreation, wilderness, wild & scenic rivers, commercial uses and infrastructure, archaeology, and minerals in Washington DC, Washington State, California, and New Mexico.

Bjorn and his wife, Amy, moved permanently to New Mexico in 2015, and in his spare time Bjorn enjoys cooking, gardening, mountain biking, gravel grinding, backpacking, and kayaking. Bjorn is thrilled and honored to bring the knowledge, skills, and experience gained from his previous work to furthering New Mexico Wild’s efforts to protect wildlands, water, and wildlife.

E-mail Bjorn>>

Julian was born and raised in Santa Fe. He is married to Peggy and has three children. He is an avid hunter, angler, and all-around sportsman who enjoys recreating on public lands. He served 27 years in the military and is a decorated combat veteran, serving as 1SG in the New Mexico Army National Guard. He has shifted his energy and is now a passionate advocate for wildlife and public lands. If you get him talking, he may tell you a story or two from catching a hybrid bass in a pond at Saddam Hussein's palace to catching wild, attacking javelina bare-handed. He carries a remarkable wealth of knowledge on mountain and Spanish traditions. Passing this knowledge is one of Julian's passions. He is a firearms expert, bowhunter education instructor, HE instructor, NM land navigation instructor, survival instructor, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish northeast chair for the habitat stamp program and livestock rancher.
E-mail Julian>>

Keegan King is from the Pueblo of Acoma and has over 15 years of experience in political and public policy work. He has managed dozens of candidate and issue campaigns beginning with his time at the Albuquerque based Soltari Inc. Keegan continued as the Executive Director of the League of Young Voters New Mexico and New Mexico Youth Organized. In 2009, Keegan founded Atsaya Consulting a Native-owned political consulting company. Since then he has worked as Political Director of the NM Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, national Field Director to the Pushback Network and Data Director for United We Dream. He has been instrumental in protection campaigns such as Chaco, particularly in his work with the All Pueblo Council of Governors and the National Congress of American Indians. Keegan was most recently the Policy, Legislative Affairs, and Communications Bureau Chief for the NM Department of Indian Affairs.
E-mail Keegan>>

Luke grew up in Maryland where a 200 acre forest across the street from his childhood home and yearly family camping trips instilled in him a lifelong love for the natural world and its undeveloped corners. That love grew on the banks of the St. Mary’s River, where he studied philosophy and environmental studies at St. Mary’s College. There, he led a student effort to restore a natural history area, worked in the campus farm, led a windsurfing club, and established a campus apiary—experiences that taught him the deeper relationships with land and water that are possible when we get together as a community.

Conservation work has brought Luke all over the country. He’s led field work in the remote canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante, worked for the NPS in Yellowstone, and most recently, managed the volunteer program for Wild Arizona. He eventually made his way to Silver City, NM, which he’s proud to call home.

Luke is passionate about the protection of wild places and the empowerment of communities, and believes the key to each lies in the other. When he’s not working, you can find Luke exploring the Gila with a backpack, a fly rod, or canyoneering rope.
E-mail Luke>>

Originally from Ohio, Erin moved out to Albuquerque in 2016 after graduating high school - looking for a change of scenery and a new adventure. Shortly upon her arrival, Erin’s passions for the environment and conservation were sparked by the beauty of the state. She also found herself drawn to the strong sense of culture and deeply-rooted heritage that New Mexico had to offer. Combining these two passions, she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Environmental Planning & Design, with a concentration in Community Transformation and Placemaking from the University of New Mexico. Erin spends most of her free time with friends engaging in various outdoor activities, including rock climbing, canyoneering, backpacking, trail running, skiing, water sports, and more. Aside from the outdoors, she is interested in art, music, emergency medicine, and mastering new skills!
Email Erin>>

Living more than 30 years in New Mexico has given Lois Manno a great depth of appreciation for this state and its wild country. She is pleased to help promote wildlands protection. Lois has a background in nonprofit administration, with experience coordinating programs and membership for groups including the Forest Stewards Guild, 1000 Friends of New Mexico, and the National Parks Conservation Association. She is a cave enthusiast and has volunteered as a project caver for Carlsbad Caverns National Park and other land management agencies for over 20 years.
E- mail Lois>>

Walker's adoration of the Southwest is tied directly to the land and all of the astonishing places to explore. At an early age, Walker was able to explore the San Juan mountains, the vast Ponderosa-Piñon forests and stunning canyons that make the Southwest landscapes so special. Being an avid hiker, runner, and rafter fostered his enthusiasm for conservation and stewardship. Walker studied film and music in college and still finds the best creative inspirations come from the being out in the Wild. Walker is excited to work with Wilderness in a professional capacity as an advocate and ranger with New Mexico Wild.
Email Walker>>

Katie has held a fascination for the natural world since a young child. Growing up near the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, Katie was able to expand on that fascination through trail running, backpacking, and climbing. While on a road trip through the western states in college, she was blown away by the grandeur and isolation of the southwestern landscape. Katie then decided to pursue her Masters degree in Plant and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University. The wilderness has become a place of solitude and comfort for Katie. She often recreates in wilderness areas and enjoys identifying plants, understanding the various ecosystems, and pushing her physical limits through sport. Katie is thrilled to give back to the wilderness areas she enjoys so much by joining New Mexico Wild as a Wilderness Ranger.

E-mail Katie>>

Captain Muenzberg ( y Tinajero de Barreras y Lucero Godoy ) is a long time New Mexican, like numerous generations of American Miners, Muleteers, Merchants, Machinists, and Mariners before him. Darrin is proud of his Hispano, Chicano, and Coyote heritage in the region. While “following the work” as his forebears have for centuries, he has remained anchored in his ancestral village of La Bajada, where he lives with wife Eva, and son Baern Candelario.

The traditional lifeways of the Caja del Rio , La Majada, El Camino Real, and Santa Fe River acequia culture, have sustained the families of La Bajada since the 17th century. Stewardship, and respect for the revelation of nature, lie at the heart of those community beliefs. Darrin’s worldview was formed by his Great-Grandmother, and influenced by his interactions and relationships with people while trading in the ports of the Eastern Mediterranean, Arabian Peninsula, Persian Gulf, Balochistan, South Asia, East Asia, Central America, and South America.

Darrin seeks to apply the lessons he has been taught in his travels, to his work toward sustaining traditional New Mexican culture as a model for survival through a challenging environmental future. He has served as Chairman of the La Bajada Traditional Village Committee since 2006. He was a founding member of the Santa Fe River Traditional Communities Collaborative in 2011, and was elected as a Commissioner of the La Bajada Community Ditch & Mutual Domestic Water Association in 2013. "La Lucha Sigue!"

E-mail Darrin>>

A lifelong visitor to New Mexico, Devon moved to Albuquerque with her husband Jason in the spring of 2021 to be closer to the wild beauty of this totally unique state. You can catch them zealously hiking, camping, and rafting their way around New Mexico.
Devon grew up in Dallas. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Northern Colorado, she lived in Denver and worked for the Harm Reduction Action Center in homeless outreach. She is thrilled to finally be “home” in New Mexico, and is so inspired by the work New Mexico Wild does to protect our state’s precious ecological and cultural heritage.
E-mail Devon>>

Becca is originally from the Great Lakes region of the Midwest, growing up in South Bend, Indiana and spending much of her life around the coast of Lake Michigan. She is passionate about community relationships with their lands and waters, climate adaptation, and the connections between human and environmental health such as trauma and resiliency. Becca received a B.A. in Anthropology and Religious Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after which she worked with trauma survivors in both Madison and New Orleans. Becca moved to New Mexico in 2019 and is currently pursuing a dual graduate degree in Public Health and Community & Regional Planning at UNM. Becca joined NM Wild in 2022, and loves hiking, gardening, and pottery.
E- mail Becca>>

Vicente comes to New Mexico Wild after a 33-year career with the US Forest Service. He brings a wide range land management experience including wildlife biology, wildland firefighting, land management (timber/rangeland/recreation/fire management) expertise, wilderness management and trail maintenance experience, endangered species impact analysis in relation to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA). The last eight years of his career he worked as the FS Liaison to the Mexican Wolf Recovery effort.
“My career with the FS has all been in the SW. The Gila Wilderness has always been my favorite place to work and recreate. I am thrilled to be able to focus my land management expertise, experience and passion in the Gila with New Mexico Wild”.

E-mail Vicente>>

Sally fell in love with nature and all things wild at an early age. She moved to New Mexico with her family in 1989. Prior to law school, Sally studied biology at the University of New Mexico, where she focused on biodiversity, conservation, and ecology. Sally obtained a law degree in 2009 from the University of New Mexico, completing the Natural Resources Law Certificate Program and serving as editor-in-chief of the Natural Resources Journal. Prior to joining the staff at New Mexico Wild, Sally served in several capacities at the New Mexico Supreme Court, including law clerk to Chief Justice Charles W. Daniels, Senior Counsel, and Deputy Clerk of Court. She has also clerked in federal district court for Senior District Court Judge James A. Parker and has worked as Senior Assistant City Attorney for the City of Santa Fe, where she focused on land use and property law. Sally spends her free time exploring the outdoors with her husband Danny, hiking, backpacking, and exploring the beautiful landscapes and communities of our beautiful state and beyond.
E-mail Sally>>

 

As a resident since 1979, Kerry has developed a love for the mountains and deserts of New Mexico. She has been to every corner of the state, and particularly likes to visit the Gila Wilderness, Ojito Wilderness and the Jemez area. As a former public school teacher, she brings her organizational skills to the task of protecting and enhancing New Mexico’s wilderness areas.
E-mail Kerry>>

Will’s passion for the outdoors began as a young kid playing by the river in his hometown of Corrales. His passion for conservation grew at Bosque School through programs like BEMP (Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program) and he went forward to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies at Eckerd College on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Upon graduation he returned home to Albuquerque to continue his passion for conservation work and environmental stewardship. He worked for Rocky Mountain Youth Corps for 5 seasons doing a variety of conservation projects such as conservation outreach, backcountry trail maintenance, volunteer coordination, invasive species removal and more. He loves hiking mountains and experiencing New Mexico’s beautiful wilderness areas.
Email Will>>

Terry is the former Chief Marketing, Membership and Philanthropy Officer for The Nature Conservancy is Washington, D.C. When he retired, he moved back to New Mexico and has been supporting New Mexico Wild for the past six years. Terry is the author of “The Marketer’s Visual Tool Kit” published by the American Management Association. He describes himself as an enthusiastic hiker and a very mediocre fly-fisherman.
Email Terry>>

Nathan first joined New Mexico Wild in in 2004, after graduating with dual degrees in Philosophy and English from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. Nathan is a third generation New Mexican who comes from a family of ranchers and educators. Nathan was a key team member working to secure and then safeguard National Monument protection for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks. Now there are 10 new wilderness areas in the OMDP, and Nathan’s focus on community conservation partnerships are a key part of recovering and rebuilding from the twin challenges of Covid-19 and the climate crisis. You’re as likely to see him riding horseback out in the OMDP wilderness areas as you are to see him walking on Las Cruces’ Main Street.
Email Nathan>>

Tricia Snyder claims El Paso, TX as home and credits growing up along the often-dry banks of the Rio Grande as the catalyst for her interest in water resources. She received a BS in Geography, with a focus on the human-environment connection, from New Mexico State University and started her career in Las Cruces working to protect and restore the southwest borderlands. She moved to central Washington to pursue a MS in Cultural and Environmental Resource Management, completing her thesis on the Upper Klamath Basin. She worked in community-based salmon recovery in the Yakima Basin before returning to New Mexico to fulfill a career goal of working on her home river, the Rio Grande. She joined New Mexico Wild in 2022 as the organization's first staff person dedicated to water policy and is excited to bring her passion for climate resilient water systems that center equity for all the plant, wildlife, and human communities that depend on them.

Email Tricia>>

Suzanne was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM. Her love of the outdoors began at a young age and has carried through to adulthood. She loves spending her free time connecting with family and friends, and loves living in the southwest. During the summer months, she will find any excuse to get to one of NM’s many lakes and rivers. Suzanne attended UNM’s Anderson School of Management and brings NM Wild a diverse skill set in nonprofit administration and management.
E-mail Suzanne>>

Getting into the family business at an early age (his father, Taylor, literally wrote the book on Fly Fishing New Mexico, as did his uncle Jackson for Colorado), Nick was guiding fisherman before he was old enough to drive them to the river. By the age of 17, Nick was a member of the U.S. fly fishing team that took second place in the World Championships in Wales. In 2004 Nick, along with his wife Chrissy, opened the Taos Fly Shop. The shop has grown from its humble beginnings and is now Northern NM’s premier Fly Shop. In 2012, Nick, along with longtime friend and fellow guide Ivan Valdez, purchased The Reel Life, a fly shop and guide service in Santa Fe.

Nick has also done considerable volunteer work for conservation groups like Trout Unlimited and the Wildlife Federation. In recent years, Nick was the driving force behind the Red River Habitat improvement project, which raised nearly 1 million dollars for habitat restoration on the Lower Red River.

If not at work, Nick is usually camping, hunting of fishing in the woods somewhere with his wife Chrissy and their two children, Taylor and Christian.
E-mail Nick>>

Garrett was a candidate for the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands in 2018 and then worked as a political advocacy strategist for Conservation Voters of New Mexico leading up to and during the New Mexico Legislative session. Before running for office, Garrett was Executive Director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation. He was also the Southwest Director of Trout Unlimited’s Sportsmen’s Project (NM. AZ and CO) as well as Trout Unlimited’s New Mexico Public Lands Coordinator and also founded the New Mexico Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. Garrett has been a tireless champion for the conservation and protection of public lands and native wildlife, fighting for everything from federal and state funding for native wildlife, stricter regulation of off highway vehicles on public lands, higher state water quality standards, stricter regulation on mineral development, to enhanced conservation and protection of threatened and endangered species.
Email Garrett>>

Ralph is a twelfth-generation Nuevo Mexicano from Pecos whose passion lies in his work protecting the precious resources that have sustained New Mexico's traditional acequia communities for hundreds of years. He is the Chairman of the New Mexico Acequia Commission where he has fought tirelessly to protect acequias and the watersheds that feed them for 16 years. Ralph is also the owner of Molino de la Isla Organics, a small organic farm that grows healthy, acequia grown food for his community and helps educate the public about acequia culture and its contribution to the environment that sustains them. Ralph was instrumental in the founding of the Stop the Tererro Mine Coalition. bringing stakeholders from the environmental, traditional, and pueblo communities together to protect the Pecos River and its tributaries. It is Ralph's goal to ensure that New Mexico's natural resources and traditional communities are cared for, respected, and protected for future generations.
Email Ralph>>