Lancing currently serves as the Acting Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department. Lancing brings with him a wealth of experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to serving as the Acting Cabinet Secretary, Lancing served as the Department’s Tourism Development Director. In this role he managed various grant programs and business development initiatives to support the tourism industry in the state of New Mexico. Before returning to the New Mexico Tourism Department in 2020, Lancing has served in a variety of executive roles in government including Deputy Director of Operations of the New Mexico Children, Youth & Families Department, and Finance Director for the New Mexico Tourism Department.
Karina Armijo brings over 27 years of expertise to the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division, having supported small businesses and events in Northern New Mexico across both public and private sectors. As a tourism and marketing professional, she has spearheaded creative and web design services for the tourism and outdoor recreation industries. Most notably, Karina served as the first Director of Marketing and Tourism for the Town of Taos, where she spent eight years developing and managing programs that bolstered local and regional businesses and events in the Enchanted Circle region.
ly childhood center director, and a public school teacher.
Katrina Arndt has over ten years of experience managing projects in the planning field. She specializes in planning and implementing local and state outdoor recreation infrastructure strategies that are resilient, innovative, and, above all, effective. Katrina has worked on numerous recreation projects to establish a joint vision, increase economic vitality, equitable access to outdoor recreation amenities, and enhance the overall quality of life for communities large and small. She has led projects across New Mexico, including serving as the lead planner for the New Mexico Rio Grande Trail.
Matthew Baird has been in the Parks and Recreation industry for over 14 years starting out as a lifeguard and working his way up to his current position of director. He has worked throughout New Mexico and Texas. Matthew is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional through the National Parks and Recreation Association. As Director in Ruidoso, he gets to oversee a great variety of outdoor activities. Where they are fortunate enough to have everything from ice skating to mountain trails to a WIBIT water park in one of their lakes, to having a partnership with a private entity that provides tubing both in the summer and winter as well as a mountain coaster and zip line.
Elizabeth Bardwell is a long-time resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico. She is a graduate of NMSU with a M.S. in Biology, and a J.D. from the University of Oregon. She worked for World Wildlife Fund Chihuahuan Desert Program and Audubon New Mexico for close to two decades with a focus on conservation and water policy and the protection and restoration of the state's iconic waterways. She is an avid birder and loves to work on her family property on the banks of the Rio Grande north of Las Cruces restoring native riparian and wetland habitat for endangered species and other lovely critters.
Melanie Barnes has been the State Director for the Bureau of Land Management in New Mexico since 2022, overseeing the management of 13.5 million acres of public lands and 42 million acres of federal mineral estate in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. She was previously the Deputy State Director for Land and Resources for BLM New Mexico from 2017 to 2021. Melanie moved to New Mexico in 2004 to attend the University of New Mexico, where she earned her Ph.D. in biology studying restoration ecology. In her 17 years with the BLM, she has served in other positions, primarily in the Rio Puerco Field Office and New Mexico State Office.
Seth Bush is a professional event promoter and the Owner of Zia Rides Mountain Bike Events. Zia Rides focuses on combining amazing singletrack trails, beautiful venues, and great communities to hold events in New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. This includes the two largest mountain bike events in New Mexico, The Tommyknocker 10 in Santa Clara outside Silver City and the 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest outside of Gallup. Seth has dedicated himself to creating the best family friendly biking events and festivals in the Southwestern USA.
Sarah Candelaria is an outdoor enthusiast whose extensive experience in education, management, program development, and community engagement led to her development of the “Nature Niños” program in 2019. Nature Niños focuses on providing outdoor outreach programs that connect underserved youth and their families to the natural world through experiential educational opportunities. With a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education, Sarah was a PreK consultant, an early childhood center director, and a public school teacher.
David is a trailblazer for outdoor recreation in Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley. His outdoor outfitting business, Southwest Expeditions, offers unique local Heritage and Adventure Tours throughout southern New Mexico. He has pioneered dozens of new tours incorporating the best of the region’s natural assets and National Monuments, from river floats down the Rio Grande, to aerial tours over mile wide crater used by Apollo astronauts, to historical tours following the steps of Billy the Kid and spiritual journeys learning about centuries of indigenous culture and land use. Southwest Expeditions is a fantastic example of how all New Mexico communities can embrace their natural and historic assets to create thriving outdoor businesses.
A native New Mexican, Jesse Deubel spent his early years in the backcountry wilderness, going on different adventures, developing a love of the land and wildlife. Jesse has been intricately involved with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers where he worked tirelessly to fight for the permanent reauthorization and full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. In 2018 Jesse was hired as the executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, where he has become a leader to modernize New Mexico’s wildlife management laws. In 2023 the National Wildlife Federation awarded Jesse Deubel ‘Conservationist of the Year’ for his skillful leadership, while the New Mexico Wildlife Federation was named ‘Affiliate of the Year.’
Hilary is the Destination Experience Manager for Visit Las Cruces and focuses on Outdoor Recreation development, cultural tourism and special projects. In this capacity she has supported the strategic growth of Las Cruces outdoor economy and unique projects including Monuments to Main Street, and the Monumental Loop bikepacking trail. She has been a resident of New Mexico for 13 years and holds a bachelor's degree from The University of South Dakota in History and Anthropology and a master’s degree from New Mexico State University in Anthropology.
Eric Enriquez is the newly elected Mayor of Las Cruces. His career experience includes being a business owner, fire fighter, Director of Community Services, Fire Marshal, Deputy Fire Chief, Fire Chief, and Assistant City Manager. Eric is a dedicated public servant whose training includes attending the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Leadership. As the Mayor of Las Cruces Enriquez is actively supporting the growth of the outdoor economy in Southern New Mexico, and supporting emerging industries and opportunities.
As Director of the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) Sam Fernal leads the Institute in its mission to develop and disseminate knowledge to assist the state, region, and nation in solving water resources problems. He leads WRRI programs such as the State of NM-funded Strategic Community Water Management Program that provides communities of New Mexico with science-based water information they need to solve their water management challenges. He is also a professor of Watershed Management in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences at New Mexico State University.
Since its inception, the Flower Hill Institute has sought to attribute its services and mission to Indigenous communities nationwide. Through their four pillars of work in Food & Agriculture, Cultural Preservation, Native Youth & STEM/ TEK Education, and Climate Action, they work to support strong, stable tribal communities. Roger has also served as the Tribal Administrator for his own Pueblo.
Raised in the Santa Clara Pueblo, Vidal grew up participating in cultural activities, harvesting wood, hunting, fishing, farming, gathering traditional plants, and helping to raise his family’s cattle on his pueblo. He has a diverse background of experience from working for the federal government to working for the New Mexico Land Grant Council where he was immersed into his land grant heritage. He has his bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and his master’s degree in Community and Regional planning from the University of New Mexico. In addition to working for the New Mexico Acequia Association, Vidal owns an indigenous inspired clothing brand, Uncivilized Outdoorsman.
Dr. Bobbie Green is a renowned educator, activist and leader in the field of information systems. She has over 20 years of experience as a college professor, teaching courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. As the President of the Doña Ana County NAACP, and Chair of the New Mexico Martin Luther King, Jr. State Commission, Dr. Green advocates for racial justice and civil rights in her community. She is also the Conductor of the NMSU Gospel Choir, where she shares her passion for music and spirituality. Dr. Green was born and raised in Las Cruces, NM, where she lives with her husband, Howard.
Lindsay Humphries is the Senior Program Manager for ActivateNM. ActivateNM produces Adventure Pitch, a dynamic pitch event spotlighting innovative outdoor-focused startup companies and the ActivatOR Outdoor Recreation Growth-Based Accelerator for the Outdoor Recreation Division. When she’s not working to grow New Mexico’s outdoor economy, Lindsay enjoys camping, backpacking, hiking, and snowboarding throughout the stunning landscapes of New Mexico, often accompanied by her husband, 2-year-old son, and their beloved dog, Vader.
Jan-Willem Jansens is an ecological planner with expertise in landscape-scale planning and ecosystem restoration. After an eight-year career in international development in East- and West-Africa, Jan-Willem moved to New Mexico in 1993 where he joined the Forest Trust. He subsequently ran his own business in forest and watershed restoration and was the executive director of Earth Works Institute. In the last 31 years, Jan-Willem coordinated several forest and watershed planning and restoration initiatives that stretched over decades. He is a student of soil health, woodland ecosystems, wetlands, and watershed dynamics.
Andrew Jara is a Latino filmmaker, and the Director of the Las Cruces Film Office. As a film liaison for Las Cruces and Doña Ana County, Andrew has worked with many filmmakers coming to the Mesilla Valley, including prestigious filmmakers Tyler Perry and George R.R. Martin, to help bring their films to life. His experiences include utilizing scenic or unique outdoor locations that are essential assets in growing a local film industry. Andrew has made three feature films that have been shown globally and streamed on multiple services.
Mario’s extensive 24-year career focus has been on public works, federal, commercial, and private development projects. In addition to serving as the City Manager of Sunland Park, and formerly Anthony New Mexico, he served as the Vice President and Municipal Services Division Service Unit Manager for Wilson & Company Inc., managing projects across four U.S. border states. Sunland Park is New Mexico’s southern point for the New Mexico Rio Grande Trail, where the City is developing a master planned trail segment and branding.
As the Marketing Director at Visit Las Cruces, Lorena leads strategic initiatives to highlight the city's rich culture, vibrant arts scene, and stunning natural landscapes. During her tenure, Visit Las Cruces has focused its modern destination marketing initiatives on the City’s new outdoor lifestyle brand, and multi cultural heritage, drawing acclaim for their effective targeting and compelling content creation. Lorena’s passion for her hometown shines through in her work, making her a trusted ambassador for the city and a driving force behind its growing reputation as a top travel destination.
Matt has spent the last 25 years visiting and working to protect the wild spaces in the southwest, and connecting people to the outdoors. Following the creation of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, Matt was inspired to fuse the Monument’s different sections together into a new bikepacking route, the “Monumental Loop” which he has promoted on bikepacking.com. He followed that up by launching an annual competition, DangerBird. The Monumental Loop and DangerBird have attracted visitors globally.
As the Executive Director of Visit Las Cruces, Rochelle has the privilege of promoting Las Cruces to outdoor enthusiasts as a destination of choice, and understands the importance of the national monument and public lands to the local economic prosperity. Visit Las Cruces was instrumental in creating an outdoor lifestyle focused brand for the City of Las Cruces, and has been a key partner in promoting unique assets such as Monuments to Main Street, bikepacking, and a gravel travel guide. Rochelle strives to expand her knowledge and impact in the outdoor community and industry and promote access and accessibility to all while preserving and protecting outdoor spaces.
Before joining The Wilderness Society in 2022, where she now works as national campaigns director, Axie Navas led Outside magazine's digital business as the Digital Editorial Director. She was also the inaugural Director of the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division under the Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham administration. As the founding Director, she crafted the office's efforts to increase equitable outdoor access for young people, provide funding for trail and outdoor infrastructure projects statewide, preserve New Mexico's lands and waters, and support the success of the outdoor recreation industry.
Howie Morales was elected Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico in November, 2018, along with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Prior to becoming the state’s 30th Lieutenant Governor, he served in the New Mexico Senate for 11 years on the influential State Legislative Finance Committee. As a Senator and now as Lt. Governor, Howie has been an outspoken fighter for conservation and New Mexico’s environment, and led successful initiatives to strengthen education and rural healthcare in the state.
As the Executive Director of the Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, Patrick is firmly committed to maintaining and celebrating the public lands legacy we have in New Mexico. The “Friends'' mission is to preserve the natural assets, access, and enjoyment of New Mexico’s largest national monument, and to actively engage policy makers at all levels of government for good policies for our public lands. The Friends believe that connecting our community to public lands is the most important thing we can do to both celebrate and protect them. They work to ensure equitable access to public lands.
Zack Parsons serves as the Deputy Director for Recreation, Heritage, Wilderness and Volunteer Resources for the Southwestern Region of the USDA Forest Service, and recently served as the acting Director for the Intermountain Region. He previously served as a Staff Officer and a Program Manager in the Supervisor’s Office on the Cibola National Forest and Grasslands, in addition to prior experience at the Ranger District level. Zack earned a Bachelor of Science degree, Cum Laude, from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Science degree from the University of Montana, where he was a Boone and Crockett Fellowship recipient.
Theresa Pasqual is one of New Mexico’s respected leaders in cultural preservation and education, and an advocate for community empowerment and the elevation of indigenous voices. Theresa continues to work in the areas of preservation policy and law while assisting Tribes with protecting their cultural heritage and traditional resources. Her work includes helping secure a multi-Tribal nomination and listing of 400,000 square acres of Mt. Taylor as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) to the NM Register of Historic Places, and serving as an advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Sarah Piano was raised in Gallup and was elected to office as a City Councilor in March 2022. She is an advocate of Gallup’s beautiful outdoors, including 30 miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as the diverse multi-cultural heritage. As a Councilor, she is working to strengthen the relationship between the city, county, and tribal government and is focused on investing in infrastructure and quality of life initiatives. Sarah has a background in fundraising and public relations and is the Senior Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters Mountain Region.
As a longtime former aide to US Senator Martin Heinrich, Whitney is a mission-oriented leader who believes deeply in the uniting power of conservation and the outdoor industry. With her 20 years of experience in strategic communications in both the political and nonprofit settings, she brings battle-tested expertise, relationships, and management skills. Her passion for compelling storytelling and branding, forging new partnerships, innovative problem solving, and not only building a team but being a team player make her an invaluable asset to the organization.
Andrea serves as a volunteer State Legislator for House District 46. After attending the Santa Fe Public Schools, Andrea graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Political Science and received her J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law. She's currently a Fellow at Avivar Capital for the New Mexico Impact Investing Collaborative (NMIIC). She has dedicated herself to the growth of New Mexico’s community, economic, and environmental vitality. Outside of work she is likely exploring in nature, cityscapes, and tinkering with her eggy startup Tummi Yummi, with one patent issued on healthy probiotics eggs.
Mark Roper is a seventh-generation New Mexican, and former elected official in Raton. He joined the New Mexico Economic Development Department in 2011 as a community, rural, and business development representative and served as the Division Director for Economic Development, before being named by Governor Lujan Grisham as the Acting Secretary. At the Department, Roper has been involved in growing the outdoor economy and other target industries, and has helped recruit companies internationally to New Mexico, including some of the Department’s biggest deals – Facebook, Intel, Netflix, Maxeon Solar, and Hota Industrial.
Chantal Sandoval has been a vital part of the New Mexico Tourism Department since 2022, when she began her work with the New Mexico Clean and Beautiful Program. Under her leadership, the program has expanded significantly, growing from 45 partners to 68 in the current fiscal year. She is committed to helping grant partners succeed to enhance community cleanliness and engagement, and passionate about keeping New Mexico clean and beautiful. Chantal holds a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a Master’s in Communication Studies from New Mexico State University.
Renay Scott has over 30 years of educational and administrative experience in the two and four year, public and private sectors of higher education. She previously served as the President of Doña Ana Community College, Provost and Dean of Arts and Sciences at Owens Community College, Department Chair and Professor of Teacher Education and Professional Development at Central Michigan University, and assistant and associate professor at Cornerstone University. She currently serves as the Vice President of Student Success at New Mexico State University.
Rob is a board member of the New Mexico Volunteers For the Outdoors (NMVFO), an organization that promotes involvement and education of the public in the maintenance, improvement, and stewardship of New Mexico's public lands since 1982. Rob started volunteering with NMVFO in 2021, became a project leader in 2023, and a board member starting in 2024. Rob also serves on the boards of the Save Our Bosque Taskforce, Socorro Striders and Riders, and the Socorro Trails Alliance. He is an active mountain biker and hiker, but also enjoys backpacking, bikepacking, camping, hunting and rafting.
Raised in mountainous Roseburg Oregon, Russ has been a lifelong avid outdoorsman. As a multi talented creative and event planner, Russ has been the creative co-director of the New Mexico Outdoor Economics Conference since its founding in 2018. While Conference attendees know Russ for his quick smile and behind the scenes logistics coordination, the City of Las Cruces celebrates Russ as the founder and coordinator of its New Year’s Eve Chile Drop, and Halloween Zombie Walk.
As the Executive Director of Outdoor New Mexico and the New Mexico Outdoor Economics Conference, Jeff is one of New Mexico’s leading conservation voices. Outdoor New Mexico has worked with over 140 communities, pueblos and tribes statewide to provide policy training, entrepreneurial support, and education to promote conservation and sustainable outdoor recreation within New Mexico’s diverse public lands. He helped lead the successful campaign to establish the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, and as a State Legislator, authored legislation creating the Rio Grande Trail, New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division, and Outdoor Equity Fund.
Robert J. Stokes, Ph.D. is the program support bureau chief at New Mexico State Parks. He is also the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) assistant state liaison officer and serves as the primary state contact with the National Park Service, who operates the nation-wide LWCF program. Dr. Stokes oversees the New Mexico state application process for the LWCF program, including preparing each year’s open call for applications, setting up the review and scoring committee, preparing the federal grant forms for the applications, and processing the awarded applications.
Ben Thomas has served as Rocky Mountain Youth Corps’ Executive Director since 2014. Prior to that, Ben has served multiple roles at RMYC including Corpsmember, Crew Supervisor, Program Coordinator, and Manager. Rocky Mountain Youth Corps is a youth development organization where young adults are inspired to make a positive difference in themselves and their communities. Through service projects in the conservation, health, and education fields, members prepare for their next steps in life. In 2016, RMYC engaged their first Deaf and Hard of Hearing Crew, and in 2022, launched a Public Health Crew in partnership with AmeriCorps.
As the Active Transportation Programs Coordinator within the Multimodal Planning & Programs Bureau at the NM Department of Transportation (DOT) Angelica manages the DOT programs that provide funding for Recreational Trails, Trail- Related Facilities, ADA Improvements, Safe Routes to School Projects, Pedestrian/Bicycle Facilities and other essential multimodal projects. Her current work impacts rural, urban, and tribal communities throughout the state by improving their quality of life and providing equity for all types of users to have access to diverse modes of transportation and recreational areas.
Max was born and raised in Las Vegas New Mexico and serves as a San Miguel County Commissioner. Being one of eleven children, a major component of Max’s upbringing included hunting and fishing not so much as a form of recreation, but a form of sustenance for the family. These experiences made Max a passionate advocate for the conservation and protection of public lands, where he was one of the original contributors to the formation of HECHO, Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors. His work helped secure the permanent protection of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, Chimney Rock National Monument, Columbine Hondo Wilderness, and Sabinoso Wilderness.
A native of Mora, New Mexico, Toby Velasquez has worked for the State of New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department - State Parks Division for over 23 years. Toby started as a summer Seasonal Laborer in high school and college and was hired as a Park Ranger after college. Toby went on to serve as Park Manager, Northeast Regional Manager, Chief of Law Enforcement and Boating Safety, and Deputy State Parks Director. Toby has served as a two-term President of the Western States Boating Administrators Association and on the National Boating Safety Advisory Council. He has presided over the largest investment in State Park infrastructure in several decades.
The Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue, Inc. (MVSAR), where Vic Villalobos serves as President, is a non-profit, volunteer organization based in Las Cruces, NM, whose mission is to search for and rescue lost individuals in a variety of settings. There are several different specialized teams within MVSAR, including the Ground Team, the Dog Team, the ATV Team, the Communications Team, and the newly formed Drone Team. Each of these teams is composed of individuals with specific skills and training required for a variety of different search scenarios. In 2023 MVSAR participated in 31 search and rescue missions, including 1152 volunteer hours.
As the Executive Director of the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), Sarah is in charge of grantmaking projects that hire youth ages 14 to 25 to carry out community and conservation projects, and be trained in a variety of job, life, career and conservation skills. She’s lived and worked throughout New Mexico as a field biologist with the US Forest Service and the New Mexico Natural Heritage Program. For over 17 years, she was an outdoor educator and park manager with New Mexico State Parks. She enjoys hiking, rafting, and fixing things.