2026 Speakers

Lancing Adams currently serves as the Acting Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department. He 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 served as the Assistant Commissioner of the Arizona Department of Real Estate. Additionally, 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.

As the Americas Tour Manager for XTERRA Sports Unlimited, Steve Andrus, is one of the foremost leaders in America driving competitive outdoor events, including the Xterra World Championship. The Championship draws over 1000 top athletes, and thousands of attendees each year. Prior to joining XTERRA, Andrus served as the Director of Sales and Events at Snowbasin Resort in Utah, and brings more than 20 years of executive experience in event planning, budgeting, marketing, and operations to the position. In his role at Snowbasin, Andrus hosted a wide variety of high-profile events including The Dew Tour, Tour of Utah, Utah Symphony, and XTERRA Championship event weekends.

Karina Armijo brings over 28 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.

Having extensive experience leading community planning, outdoor recreation, trail, and destination development projects throughout New Mexico, Katrina’s work helps communities prioritize projects where they will have the greatest impact for residents, visitors, and local economies. Specializing in using data to better understand how people experience places and identify user patterns, access gaps, and emerging trends, she combines demographic analysis, mobility data, Strava activity data, visitation counts, GIS, and community engagement, to inform planning decisions and investment strategies. Katrina is also a board member of the Rio Grande Trail Association, where she helps advance planning and investment for one of the state's signature outdoor recreation initiatives.

Amy brings more than eighteen years’ experience in landscape architecture and community planning, with a unique focus on public places, participatory process, and pop-up interventions. With a background in environmental education, as a lecturer at the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, and as a Revitalization Specialist for New Mexico MainStreet, her approach prioritizes shared discovery in the design process for creative and authentic outcomes. Amy is a licensed landscape architect in New Mexico and is an ISA Certified Arborist. She holds a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of New Mexico

Loren Bell has built his career where conservation and community intersect. Trained as an ecologist, he has worked on wilderness and conservation projects across the American West and spent five years in rural Southeast Asia partnering with Indigenous communities to study and protect forests vital to their culture and livelihood. Those experiences shape his belief that trails strengthen communities and expand access to the many benefits of time outdoors. Loren now leads the Enchanted Circle Trails Association which oversees an 84-mile scenic byway in northern New Mexico that loops through Taos, Questa, Red River, Eagle Nest, and Angel Fire. It circles Wheeler Peak, the highest point in the state.

As the leader of GO Unlimited, Dustin has dedicated more than 20 years to advancing adaptive outdoor recreation throughout New Mexico and introducing innovative adaptive recreation equipment and programs across the state. As a Certified ADA Coordinator, he collaborates with public agencies, private organizations, and community partners to promote accessibility through Universal Design and inclusive outdoor recreation planning. His expertise includes adaptive recreation, accessible infrastructure, trail and facility assessments, and strategic community engagement, helping create outdoor environments that are welcoming and usable for people of all abilities.

The New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps (NMYCC) empowers young New Mexicans (ages 14–25) by employing them in public projects that conserve natural resources and provide lasting community benefits. The NMYCC grant program is a powerful tool to help communities develop outdoor recreation infrastructure, preserve natural resources, maintain trails, restore historic/cultural sites, and improve community parks and urban areas. Prior to joining NMYCC David Chené has served as a Senior Portfolio Manager for the AmeriCorps, Executive Director of the Serve New Mexico Commission, and Civic Engagement Manager in the Albuquerque Mayor’s Office. His dedication to service, volunteerism, and youth development began in 2005 when he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA.

As the Senior Finance Manager at NMFA, Sam helps facilitate financing for New Mexico small businesses and municipalities. Prior to joining NMFA, he worked for the New Mexico Economic Development Department as the program coordinator for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) and the Collateral Assistance Program, both of which improve access to capital for New Mexico’s small businesses. Prior to joining EDD, Mr. Collins served as Deputy State Treasurer at the New Mexico State Treasurer’s Office for seven years and as State Cash Manager for three years. Mr. Collins is a native New Mexican who was born and raised in Roswell, NM.

In 1995, Carl co-founded the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in Taos, and was the Executive Director for 20 years. He has served on numerous boards, including the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps and New Mexico Forum for Youth in Community. In 2011, he was honored by President Obama’s White House as a Champion of Change for his work to align marginalized youth with sustainable employment, and in 2014. He served as the Director of the Enchanted Circle Trails Association, until joining the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division, where he manages the Trails + grant program, the NM Uplift Project and the Rio Grande Trail planning initiative.

Serving his 3rd term as Mayor, Lynn Crawford has led Ruidoso through a dynamic time of opportunity. Working with local leaders, Crawford has fostered a business-friendly environment that has attracted, nurtured and retained new businesses to the area. Through his tenure, Ruidoso has recruited the globe's leading triathlon event series, Xterra, and Ironman, and has improved vital city infrastructure and emergency response. As an entrepreneur, he understands first hand the importance of creating a warm community that supports citizens and businesses, and warmly welcomes visitors.

Michael began his professional career working for four years at the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Parks, working as a tour guide, cross-country ski instructor, and trail groomer. He then received a masters degree in environmental history from the University of Montana where he began work on his book, Grizzly West, which focuses on the socio-political dynamics of grizzly bear reintroduction and recovery in Montana and Idaho. As the Western Program Director for Wildlands Network, Michael works across New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona to advance research, restoration, and policy focused on restoring and maintaining habitat connectivity and wildlife migration from Mexico to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

As an in-house technology expert at Dekker, Felix helps organizations use data to make smarter decisions about facilities, infrastructure, and long-term investments. With expertise in space utilization, facility performance, and predictive analytics, Felix transforms complex data into practical strategies that improve how buildings and recreation facilities serve their communities. His work combines participation data, utilization trends, and community needs assessments to help clients understand how recreation centers, athletic facilities, and other public assets are being used and guide decisions about renovations, programming, and future capital investments.

Meet Jerod and Amanda Foster, the adventurous couple behind the Happy Hiker store in Ruidoso, a local outdoor shop stocking clothing and gear for hiking, camping, and more. Most weeks throughout the year, you can find them hiking the mountains in and around Ruidoso. ``We love how the water changes when we hike Grindstone in the winter,`` says Amanda. During the summer, the family treks the South Fork trail to harvest raspberries and elderberries. ``We recommend this trail to people with young families because it's a wonderful setting without a whole lot of effort.``

Robert Garcia brings over 15 years of dedicated wilderness response experience since joining NMSAR in 2010. A member of the Organ Mountain Technical Rescue Squad, his background spans technical ropes, emergency communications, tracking, and Incident Management Team (IMT) operations. Leveraging his personal experience in climbing, scuba diving, and overlanding, Robert is highly focused on modernizing operations by integrating advanced technologies like CalTopo to streamline live mapping. In 2025 Bob helped mobilize a statewide coalition of search rescue teams and 1st responders to update New Mexico’s search and rescue law.

Victoria Gregg has served as Research Director for the New Mexico Tourism Department since 2016. With a multidisciplinary background spanning experimental psychology to education research, she uses these diverse perspectives to inform marketing strategy and industry insights for the Tourism Department and its partners. She believes that data can be used to guide every aspect of decision-making at the organizational level.

At Visit Albuquerque Kate leads visitor research and market intelligence initiatives that inform destination marketing, visitor experience, and economic development strategies. A mixed-methods researcher and project management professional, Kate specializes in connecting data with human behavior to transform complex information into actionable insights that help organizations make more informed decisions. Her expertise includes visitor and market research, survey design, customer segmentation, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and process improvement. She has led large-scale visitor intercept surveys, developed customer personas, evaluated visitor behavior and market trends, and built research systems that support long-term strategic planning and data-driven decision-making.

As a leader at the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) developing new wildlife corridors, Matt’s primary duties focus on implementing wildlife corridor mitigation projects in accordance with the New Mexico Wildlife Corridors Action Plan as well as NEPA related duties for District 5. Matt has spent most of the past 20 years working as a wildlife and environmental consultant and has collectively been with NMDOT for nearly 3 years. His graduate research at Texas State University examined how anthropogenic influences affect the occurrence of mesocarnivores in urban-rural settings.

After 22 years as a guide to New Mexico’s night sky, Peter Lipscomb remains enchanted with what he calls the most ancient of all natural beauties. A self-taught astronomer and award-winning astrophotographer, he founded Astronomy Adventures in 2002 and hosts the 2.5-hour trip into the Galisteo Basin on the Sky Railway StarGazer Train. Lipscomb volunteered to host New Mexico State Parks’ night sky programs 18 years ago and has held various roles since, including authoring Clayton Lake State Park and Dinosaur Trackways’ Dark Sky Place application and, most recently, preparing City of Rocks State Park’s application. In addition to serving on the Board of DarkSky International New Mexico Chapter, he is the Park Manager of Cerillos Hills State Park.

The Ladder Ranch is a 156,439-acre property in south central New Mexico and has a wide array of wildlife diversity, and offers world class eco tourism opportunities. The property is a breathtaking mix of ecosystems, ranging from desert grasslands to pine forests in the foothills of the Black Range (Gila Mountains). The Animas, Seco, Palomas, and Cuchillo streams bisect the ranch, and their restored riparian zones provide a rich habitat for many amphibians, fish and wildlife. The Ladder is home to bison that represent a unique historic gene pool. The ranch also has archaeological significance, with numerous remnants of the Mimbres culture. In addition to being the Manager of the Ladder Ranch, Dustin is a biologist with Turner Endangered Species Fund. The Ladder is currently home to several notable endangered and threatened species recovery programs including Mexican Gray Wolf, Chiricahua Leopard Frog and Bolson Tortoise projects.

A former high school and collegiate athlete turned competitive triathlete, Wiley is a Level 1 USA Triathlon certified coach, and also holds a Masters Degree in Sports Leadership from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has been a competitive age group triathlete since 2016 with multiple top finishes and end of season rankings in both the USAT and Xterra global series. As a participant in the Xterra Race Series, Wiley and his wife Ellen discovered Ruidoso, and made the life changing decision to move there and start a bike shop.

Amy has worked with the Turner organization for the last 12 years. She is an experienced natural history and eco-tourism guide for Ted Turner Reserves on the Ladder and Armendaris Ranches in Sierra County, two of the most bio diverse and ecologically important regions in New Mexico. Prior to her guiding full time, Amy was assistant manager at Turner's Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa, a Ted Turner Retreat, in Tor C. Amy is a geologist, avid birder, plant chaser, and runner. Having a background in both eco-tourism and hospitality, Amy understands the key ingredients necessary to provide a good visitor experience.

Gina recently retired as a federal public servant, after 35+ years, primarily working for the National Park Service (NPS) throughout the west. She has years of experience protecting naturally dark night skies with a particular interest in preserving indigenous and other cultural perspectives. Some of her dark sky work includes developing dark sky park application packets for Bryce Canyon National Park and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, collaborating with National Park Units across the nation on mitigating light pollution impacts, collaborating with the American Indigenous Tourism Association on night sky education, and serving as the NPS point of contact for the Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative.

Garrett Peck is an author, independent historian, and tour guide in Santa Fe, specializing in adventure travel and historic and cultural interpretation. He frequently teaches stargazing in New Mexico’s dark skies. His latest book is The Bright Edges of the World: Willa Cather and Her Archbishop. www.garrettpeck.com

Evan Pilling has called the Desert Southwest home for the past 25 years. Originally from the East Coast, he brings a wealth of trail and community-based experience to the ORD team. Prior to joining the ORD, he served as the Outdoor Recreation Coordinator for the City of Farmington, and spent seven years as a freelance trails professional in Southern Arizona, collaborating with partners like Flagline Trails, American Conservation Experience, Coronado National Forest, and Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists. He spent over a decade working in child welfare and community mediation, where his passion for the outdoors informed his work with youth and families.

Bob got his start in Search and Rescue in the late 1990’s when he was asked by a lifelong friend to join a new volunteer SAR team in Las Cruces. Bob started as a mounted SAR person and eventually specialized in cave search and rescue. He held the Southwestern Regional Coordinator position with the National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC) of the National Speleological Society for many years and eventually became a NCRC instructor, teaching new cave rescue specialists throughout the USA. In 2011, Bob was hired to be the Search and Rescue Resource Officer for the New Mexico State Police and since then has been actively working with county, state, federal, and tribal agencies and the 800+ SAR volunteers to keep the Search and Rescue program in New Mexico highly rated in the USA.

Isaac Romero is a proven leader in public service and economic development. As Deputy Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Economic Development Department, he oversees 74 staff, five divisions, and a $28 million budget while advancing the state’s strategy for sustainable growth. He played an instrumental role in launching New Mexico’s first site readiness initiative and establishing the Technology & Innovation Division, helping position the state as a competitive player in national and global markets. He is also a strong champion of the outdoor economy, and helps to support the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division and the Trails + and Outdoor Equity Grant Programs.

Eddie Ryan serves as the Manager of Events and Strategic Partnerships for the Village of Ruidoso, bringing more than 30 years of experience in tourism, event production, and community engagement. Over the course of his career, Eddie has led major expositions, festivals, sporting events, and cultural initiatives that drive economic development and highlight the unique character of the region. With a deep passion for storytelling through experiences, Eddie is currently spearheading efforts to strengthen Ruidoso’s tourism economy through bold new ventures in film, music, and outdoor recreation-based tourism. Through these initiatives, Ruidoso is building on its reputation as a premier destination in the Southwest.

As the Deputy Secretary of Tourism, Shanna Sasser helps lead statewide efforts to strengthen tourism as a force for economic development, job creation, and vibrant communities. She is especially dedicated to elevating outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism as pathways for sustainable, community-driven growth across New Mexico. In her long career in environmental education and tourism she has worked as an environmental educator at Sea Life Park in Hawai‘i, led environmental education programs focused on wildlife conservation and public lands stewardship, served as the Economic Development Administrator for the City of Los Alamos, and was New Mexico’s first Rural and Frontier Ombudsman. She is also a certified economic developer (CEcD)

A native Hawaiian, Marely joined the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps as the Program Director, and works to enrich the lives of young people to lead Indigenous nations back to ecological and cultural well-being by engaging Native youth and young adults in conservation service programs. Marley began her professional journey with the USDA Forest Service (R3, R6), and over the past five years, began her work in mālama ʻāina (land stewardship) as a District Natural Resource Specialist focusing on Watershed, Rangeland and Small Products Forestry management, eventually, becoming a Tribal Relations Liaison out of Southwest Oregon.
“Hahai no ka ua i ka ulu lāʻau” - The rain follows the forest

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. In 2024 Russ was honored as the “Tourism Professional of the Year” by the New Mexico Hospitality Association.

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. In 2024 Steinborn was named the ``Elected Official of the Year`` by the New Mexico Recreation and Parks Association.

Emily Stout is a registered architect whose career centers on advancing public spaces,
environmental stewardship, and accessibility for diverse communities. With nearly thirty
years in project-based fields and over sixteen years in architectural project management, Emily has led initiatives that revitalize facilities, restore habitats, and enhance access to natural environments across New Mexico and beyond. At New Mexico State Parks, Emily coordinates input from staff, stakeholders, and design professionals to implement inclusive design strategies. Her work encourages parks to function as welcoming communities, offering accessible amenities, public facilities, and operational spaces within their historic and natural contexts.

Stephanie Vargas is the Executive Director of the Doña Ana Village Association (DAVA). For more than 20 years, she has dedicated her career to supporting and empowering youth through leadership, education, and community engagement opportunities.
Her passion for helping young people discover their potential inspired her journey into youth development and community leadership. Today, she works to create meaningful programs and partnerships that provide youth with the tools, confidence, and experiences they need to succeed as well as revitalize rural communities with needed services, quality of life, and beautification.

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.