Staff

Mark has over twenty-five 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 and preserve land, not only for us and our children to experience and enjoy, but for its own sake.
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Tisha has worked for New Mexico Wilderness Alliance since 1999. She has served as Interim Executive Director, Development Director and Membership Coordinator in her 18 years with New Mexico Wild. 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.
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Brittany Fallon, Ph.D., leads the organization’s state policy and legislative efforts;
wildlife issues; policy research and analysis; and community organizing. Brittany previously worked
at the Sierra Club, where she helped negotiate and pass state legislation on clean energy, lands,
water, wildlife, and the regulation of oil and gas. Dr. Fallon was a research professor at
The University of New Mexico funded by the American Association of University Women. Brittany has
extensive experience in conservation as the former Assistant Director of the Budongo Conservation
Field Station, a research station in Uganda's largest forest and home to an estimated 600 wild
chimpanzees.
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Logan has called New Mexico home since 2015, when he moved to Albuquerque to pursue his law degree at the University of New Mexico School of Law. Entering law school with a background in grassroots organizing, Logan set his academic and professional sights on environmental law and policy, securing a position on the editorial board of the Natural Resources Journal and internships with the New Mexico Environment Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, and several environmental and conservation organizations. Logan completed his law degree in May 2018 and spent a year clerking at the New Mexico Court of Appeals. Logan is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and will always have a soft spot in his heart for a good cheese curd.
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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.
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As a lifelong New Mexican who grew up camping and hiking all across the state, Joey views protecting our public lands as a necessity. Most recently, Joey was the Communications Director at the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office, and has served in communications roles for various private companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Joey is responsible for helping to advance the mission and goals of New Mexico Wild through effective communication to the public and media.
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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.
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Nathan is a fifth generation New Mexican with over a decade of experience working on wilderness campaigns in the state of New Mexico. He has previously been a grassroots organizer, media director, and associate director at New Mexico Wild, having first joined the organization in 2002. After spending a year conducting wilderness inventories in the Cibola National Forest, he is now back as the organization’s Grassroots Organizer for the Gila.
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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.
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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.
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Simon Sotelo III comes from a multi-generational family from Mimbres, New Mexico. Simon is a working artist in Silver City. From Ceramics to oil, and acrylic on canvas to traditional beadwork he has also worked in the field of food sustainability NPO's. Along with advocating in various ways for the long term sustainability of his community, from running the local mission and food pantry to volunteering on projects like the Wilderness designations, Simon is now a Grassroots Community Organizer with New Mexico Wild for the Gila Wild & Scenic Campaign in Southwestern New Mexico.
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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.
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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.
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Brennan is a lifelong outdoor enthusiast and a proud New Mexican. The harsh beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert, broken up by rugged peaks and sky islands, was awe inspiring to him from an early age. Immersion in New Mexico's raw, natural beauty instilled in Brennan a strong conservation ethic that guides him to this day. He has had the privilege of working as an environmental steward across the state; from remote caves, to secluded Wilderness areas, Brennan has contributed to the protection of New Mexico's precious land, water, and wildlife. It is his goal to continue advancing the preservation of wild places as New Mexico continues to grow and evolve. He is delighted to continue working with NM Wild as both a steward and advocate of Wilderness.
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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.
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Zack’s love for nature and the outdoors began on family camping trips as a young child and grew through monthly outings with the Boy Scouts. This culminated with attending Appalachian State University in the mountains of western North Carolina, graduating with a degree in Geography. After years in the GIS department of local government, Zack began volunteering with wilderness stewardship groups in North Carolina, building upon his knowledge and skills; something he has continued to do since moving to New Mexico. As a Wilderness Ranger for New Mexico Wild, Zack is now using these skills to help protect Wilderness and public lands here in the Land of Enchantment. In 2018, Zack received the US Forest Service’s Wilderness Partnership Champion Award for his work on the Santa Fe National Forest.
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Jesse is a lifelong lover of wilderness and the outdoors. As a community-minded Northern New Mexican, he has an interest in protecting and stewarding wild landscapes because of the unrivaled value they hold for wildlife, vegetation, soils, watershed health, and human enjoyment. Jesse is an artist and avid wilderness enthusiast who is excited to continue using his skills as a New Mexico Wild ranger to maintain and advocate for wilderness character through education and trails projects.
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