2024 NMREC Annual Meeting

Gail

Armstrong

New Mexico House of Representatives, Distr. 49

Gail “Missy” Armstrong was born in Socorro, NM and raised in both Socorro and Catron Counties. She is a lifelong resident of the area. Before being appointed to the House of Representatives to represent District 49, Gail served her community in many ways over the years. She has strong roots and a deep love for the communities she serves. As a businesswoman, rancher, mother, and wife, Gail is focused on preserving Catron, Socorro, Sierra and Valencia counties. She and her husband Dale started a business 38 years ago and now have over 900 employees. They have been married for 40 years, have four children and 12 grandchildren. She has served in the legislature now for four terms. She sits on the Legislative Finance Committee and the House Agriculture Committee.

tom

BEAMON

Managing Director of the Advisory Services Group, BSGM

Tom Beamon is Managing Director of the Advisory Services group for Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss. He started with the firm in May of 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Tom has an extensive background in corporate finance and banking. He spent several years with NRUCFC providing financial services to both Distribution and Generation & Transmission Cooperatives throughout the United States. Most recently, he has served as Chief Financial Officer for two large distribution Cooperatives in the Mid-Atlantic region where he provided financial management to both RUS-funded operations and private lending arrangements for publicly rated electric utilities.

 Tom resides and works remotely from Arlington, VA and travels to assist Cooperatives across the country.

Andrew

Buschbom

CISA Cybersecurity State Coordinator, New Mexico

Andrew is a Cybersecurity Specialist with 20+ years of experience in Information Security. He specializes in incident response, forensics investigations, vulnerability management, and security guidance.

Regional Vice President, CFC

Jeff Butler joined CFC as a regional vice president in 2013. A veteran of the industry with 37 years of experience in the cooperative network, Jeff has a thorough knowledge of CFC’s member-owners.
Jeff served as vice president of Administrative Services at People’s Electric Cooperative in Ada, Oklahoma, for 22 years. He then spent five years as a regional business manager for National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) prior to coming to work for CFC.
Jeff received his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Christian University and continues to reside in the Sooner State.

Heidi
Byrd

Federal Program Officer, NTIA

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Western Farmers Electric, Vice President & CFO

Mark Conway was promoted to the position of Vice President & Chief Financial Officer in August 2023. Prior to this role, he served as Manager of Financial Services and as the Chief Accountant.
Conway began his career with WFEC in July 2017. Prior to this time, he worked in other industries. Conway’s current responsibilities include general and property accounting, finance, treasury, tax, external audits, budget, procurement, inventory and warehousing.
Conway is a Certified Public Accountant that is a member of The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a member of the G&T Accounting & Finance Association.
Conway earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Southern Nazarene University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. He and his wife, Janet, reside near Moore and have one daughter and one son.

Vice President, Political Programs, NRECA

Kelly R. Cushman currently serves as the vice president of political programs at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, NRECA. In this role, she oversees America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC, Voices for Cooperative Power and Co-ops Vote. Kelly has more than two decades of experience as a government affairs strategist in Washington, DC. and has a blended background of political, government agency and corporate experience. Prior to joining NRECA, Kelly was the vice president of domestic policy for the National Pork Producers Council where she was responsible for engagement, advocacy and lobbying efforts on behalf of the U.S. pork industry. Kelly previously held senior-level positions at the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and ITG Brands, Inc and has also worked at the U.S. Departments of Defense and Housing and Urban Development, as a legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate, and at the White House during the George W. Bush administration. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Clemson University and a master’s degree in environmental science and policy from Johns Hopkins University.

New Mexico House of Representatives, Distr. 20

Meredith was first elected to serve as state representative for House District 20 in Albuquerque in November 2020. During the 2023 legislative session, she was appointed vice-chair of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee (HAFC). In addition to her position on HAFC she serves as a member of the House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee. As a legislator, Meredith’s primary areas of focus include improving child-wellbeing, diversifying New Mexico’s economy, and enhancing public safety. She is a mother, small business owner, and a proud Albuquerque resident. Her husband Kevin is an engineer at Sandia Labs and they have two daughters, Madeleine (15) and Elizabeth (13).

Sr Director, Broadband and Infrastructure Funding, NRTC

Teresa Ferguson is the Senior Director, Broadband and Infrastructure Funding, with NRTC. Teresa’s team identifies, demystifies, and assists members apply for federal and state broadband and energy infrastructure funding. Prior to joining the NRTC, Teresa was the Director, Federal Broadband Engagement for the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) where she supported stakeholders’ successful engagement in state and federal broadband funding programs, while actively participating in the NTIA’s State Broadband Leadership Network (SBLN) and working with Colorado’s Congressional Senators to advocate for, and secure federal broadband funding through block grants to the states. Prior to joining the CBO Teresa worked for the Public Utilities Commissions of Missouri, Washington and Colorado where she held national leadership positions, engaging with the FCC, USAC, USDA and NARUC, advocating on behalf of state telecom and broadband policy interests. Teresa spent 17 years in the private sector deploying broadband networks for schools, libraries and tribal nations funded through the federal E-Rate program.

Intelligence Analyst, CISA 

Hayley is an intelligence analyst and the E-ISAC LNO to the U.S.’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). She leads the collaboration efforts between the E-ISAC and CISA, including information sharing, analyst exchanges, and senior leader engagements. Additionally, in her role as an analyst, Hayley regularly provides threat briefings to E-ISAC partner organizations on cyber and physical threats to the electricity sector.

Executive Vice President and General Manager

Lea County Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Bobby Ferris is the current Executive Vice President and General Manager at Lea County Electric Cooperative located in Lovington NN. Lea County Electric Cooperative serves approximately 16500 accounts in Southeast NM and West Texas. Bobby graduated from Georgia College in 1996 with a BS degree in Political Science and a Minor in Public Administration. He later graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2004. Bobby has worked in the electric cooperative industry for over 27 years. Bobby has been married to his wife Amberly for 26 years. They both enjoy the outdoors and spending time with friends hunting and fishing.

Deputy Secretary of the Energy, Minerals  and Natural Resources Department

Dylan Fuge was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources (EMNRD) Department in December 2023, after serving as Director of the agency’s Oil Conservation Division. Prior to becoming the OCD Director, Mr. Fuge was EMNRD’s General Counsel. Mr. Fuge is a natural resources and public lands attorney with 15+ years of experience in both the private and public sectors advising clients on complex natural resources and regulatory issues.

Mr. Fuge holds degrees in Geology and Studies in the Environment from Yale University and earned his Law Degree and a Masters of Environmental Management from Duke University. Mr. Fuge grew up in Santa Fe and his parents still live here. He is the proud father of two daughters. In their free time, his family enjoys traveling, skiing, and the great outdoors.

Sarah Gambill is a Supervisory Protective Security Advisor (SPSA) with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Region 6 and oversees the execution of CISA’s Protective Security programs across New Mexico, North Texas, West Texas, and the Texas Panhandle. She and her team of security and resilience experts provide infrastructure partners with access to risk-mitigation tools, products, training, and services that focus on enhancing the awareness and understanding of risks facing critical infrastructure and how to develop strategies to address them. They also support officials responsible for planning and leading special events and responding to and recovering from disasters by assisting them in evaluating and minimizing risk to critical assets.

CEO, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association

Duane Highley serves as CEO for Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. Tri-State has 45 members, including 42 utility member systems that serve across 200,000 square miles in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming, providing power to over one million consumers. Duane joined Tri-State in 2019 and has 39 years of experience with cooperatives. Previously serving as President/CEO for Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. and Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., he led an organization that provided reliable, affordable, responsible power through 17 member systems to over one million consumers. Duane also serves as Co-Chair of the Electric Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC), coordinating security efforts between electric utility CEOs and cabinet-level officials of the U.S. Government.

President and CEO, Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange

Phil Irwin is President and CEO of Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange. He has 34 years with the Company where he also served as CFO and Senior Vice President of Finance.
Phil graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. degree in Accounting and is a CPA. He and his wife Cheri have 3 children and one granddaughter.
Federated is the leading provider of property and casualty insurance for rural electric utilities. It is owned and directed by the rural utilities it serves and has insured rural utilities since 1959.

Senior Manager for Energy Policy and Federal Affairs, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association

Since joining Tri-State in 2018, Evan has led the association’s engagement with Congress, the Administration, and national stakeholders and organizations. He’s helped to raise Tri-State’s profile in the national energy policy conversation and helped secure electric cooperative provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act including the New ERA program and direct pay. Evan has also overseen Tri-State’s pursuit of federal funding opportunities. Prior to his time at Tri-State, Evan worked for nearly a decade on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, focusing primarily on energy, environment and agriculture issues. His time on Capitol Hill included working for the House Agriculture Committee during the 2018 farm bill cycle where he was the lead staffer for Ranking Member Colin Peterson on energy, rural development, conservation and forestry. In addition to his work on Capitol Hill, Evan gained his political experience from senate and congressional campaigns in Iowa.
Evan holds a Master of Science in Energy Policy and Climate from John’s Hopkins University, and bachelor’s degrees from Drake University in Politics and Journalism. Evan enjoys spending time with his one-year old daughter, Nina, and wife, Kathryn.

Youth Leadership Council Delegate, NRECA

Lexi Kilpatrick is the daughter of Silvia Aranda she is the youngest of her and her sister Presley, and a has a niece Sophïa and nephew Mason, who mean the absolute world to her. She is a rising senior at Lovington High School. Back at LHS Lexi has served two years at the student body vice president, a sprinter on the varsity track team, and is a member of National Honor Society. Throughout her junior year she served as the New Mexico Association of student council state secretary. Lexi will go through her senior year serving as the New Mexico association of student council state President, a position she was elected for by 91 schools this past February. She represented Lea County Electric, and the state of New Mexico as a Youth Tour delegate in Washington, D.C., last June, and represented the Land of Enchantment as a Youth Leadership Council member in San Antonio, Texas for the NRECA PowerXChange Conference in March.

Acting Director, Office of Broadband Access and Expansion

Drew Lovelace is the Acting Director for the Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE). He is guiding the OBAE team in orchestrating statewide initiatives to proactively secure and allocate over $675 million in federal broadband funding. Additionally, he is championing efforts to bolster New Mexico's connectivity on a statewide scale. Drew possesses more than two decades of diverse private sector expertise, spanning industries such as Information Technology and the Outdoor Industry. In his recent four-year tenure, he has dedicated his skills to serving the State of New Mexico. Drew holds Bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an MBA from the University of New Mexico, and maintains both SHRM-SCP and PHR certifications. Residing in Santa Fe and Chamisal with his wife, two children, and loyal dog, he finds joy in both work and family life.

Patty Lundstrom is the founding Executive Director of the Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation (GGEDC); a position she currently holds. GGEDC, a 501c3 non-profit, serves as the economic development organization for the City of Gallup and McKinley County. The primary focus of GGEDC is recruitment of economic base employers and management of an industrial work force program. For 25 years prior, Ms. Lundstrom served as Executive Director of the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments; the first Economic Development District designated by the US Commerce Department for Northwest New Mexico and which includes the three counties of Cibola, McKinley, and San Juan.
Over the course of her professional career, Ms. Lundstrom has completed infrastructure projects totaling over $1 billion in value including the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, US Hwy 491, and the Gallup Energy Logistics Park. In addition, the Transatlantic Business Investment Council certification for the Gallup Energy Logistics Park and BNSF certification.

Speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives

Javier Martínez is the 31st Speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives. He has represented Albuquerque's House District 11 since 2015 and previously served as the Majority Floor Leader and Chairman of the House Taxation & Revenue Committee.
Speaker Martínez has been at the helm of some of New Mexico’s biggest economic policy wins in recent years, including legalizing adult-use cannabis and establishing New Mexico as the first state to constitutionally guarantee the right to early childhood education for all, backed by millions in sustained funding. He has supported local New Mexico businesses by investing in incubator programs, opening new revenue streams, delivering much-needed tax relief during the pandemic, and alleviating tax burdens on small, local businesses. The Speaker has also championed measures to support working families and human rights with measures like the Child Income Tax credit and the New Mexico Voting Rights Act.

Deputy Secretary, New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions

Marcos Martinez is a native New Mexican who grew up in Taos and still has family deep family roots within the community. Mr. Martinez has worked in workforce development for the past 30 years. He currently serves as the Deputy Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. Mr. Martinez oversees several Federal Employment programs with annual budgets exceeding $30 million, all state workforce staff in the 24 New Mexico Workforce Connection centers and the administration of the Unemployment Insurance program. He continues to work on strengthening partnerships with economic development organizations, educational institutions and businesses around New Mexico.

General Field Representative, Rural Utilities Service

A native of Oklahoma, Larry McGraw has been New Mexico’s General Field Representative for the Rural Utilities Service since January 1992. He worked for REA in Washington, D.C., from 1972 to 1978, and his territory covers New Mexico, and Arizona.

Member Relations Manager, Tri-State Generation & Transmission

Jay Mendoza has 24 years of experience in the utility industry. He has spent his career working for three distribution cooperatives in Colorado and now works for Tri-State Generation and Transmission. Throughout his career, Jay Mendoza has worked in almost every department of a distribution cooperative. He has worked in the member services, right-of-way, engineering, project management, community and government relations, and key account roles representing the coops. He loves the cooperative business model and works to connect with coop leadership, staff, and members alike.

Demand Response Manager, Tri-State Generation & Transmission

Hisham Noman serves as the Demand Response Manager at Tri-State Generation and Transmission in Denver, Colorado. With over 16 years of experience in the utility sector, he has worked extensively with Cooperatives and Public Power. His current role involves leading the deployment of a system-wide Distributed Energy Management System to serve their 41 members and developing Demand Response programs for the entire membership. Hisham holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, camping, and raising his four children.

Chair, NMPRC

Patrick O’Connell is Chair of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, appointed to a six-year term starting on January 1, 2023. Prior to joining the NM PRC, Patrick worked for 22 years at the Public Service Company of New Mexico, directed PNM’s Integrated Resource Planning team and led natural gas procurement planning efforts when PNM owned New Mexico Gas Company. After leaving PNM in 2019, he led the Clean Energy program at Western Resource Advocates. Patrick currently sits on SPP’s Regional State Committee, WECC’s Member Advisory Committee and NARUC’s Energy Resources and the Environment Committee. Pat is a Civil Engineer, graduated from the University of New Mexico and lives in Albuquerque.

Abigail

Plecki

Community Wildfire Defense Grant Coordinator 

New Mexico Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department Forestry Division

Abigail Plecki joined the Forestry Division as the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Coordinator in April of 2023. She has her Master of Science degree in Forestry with a focus on Restoration Ecology form Southern Illinois University. Abigail is responsible for managing the CWDG Program and engages with communities state-wide to promote, educate and offer technical assistance with the applications. She also serves on the Fire Planning Task Force, where Community Wildfire Protection Plans are approved, model ordinances and standards for building codes are developed and strategies to reduced wildfire threats to communities are discussed.

Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist, BLM NM/OK/TX/KS State Office

Teresa Rigby is the Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist, for BLM NM/OK/TX/KS State Office. She works with cooperators and communities at risk from wildfire and administers wildfire reduction assistance agreements. In addition, she works on fire prevention and outreach projects in NM and the Southwest. Teresa is a certified wildland fire investigator, trains new investigators, and manages the fire trespass program. For 7 years, she was the collateral duty State Fire Training Specialist for BLM NM/OK/TX/KS State Office. Teresa previously worked as a mitigation and education specialist for BLM Utah which included fire investigations, trespass, fire information and public affairs work, community outreach to develop fire adapted communities, and prevention. She is an incident information officer and Fire Prevention and Education Team member, responding to incidents nationally. Teresa represents BLM nationally on the National Wildfire Coordinating Group Fire Investigation Subcommittee.
Prior to the BLM, she was employed by the National Park Service and the US Forest Service, where she started her career in 1995.

General Manager and CEO, Otero County Electric Cooperative

Mario Romero is the General Manager and CEO for Otero County Electric Cooperative. He started his career at Otero in 2002 as an engineering intern prior to finishing his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from New Mexico State University that December. He served as Otero's Engineering Manager until 2014, when he was promoted to CEO. Mario is very involved at a statewide level, currently serving as the chair of the NMRECA Managers Committee and various other committees and working groups. He enjoys mountain biking, hunting, volunteering at his church, and spending time with his wife and three kids.

Acting EDD Cabinet Secretary

Acting EDD Cabinet Secretary Mark Roper is a seventh-generation New Mexican with a long background in media, marketing, and public service, at both the state and community levels. He joined EDD in 2014 as a community, rural, and business development representative and was named Division Director for Economic Development in 2019.
At EDD, Roper has been involved in boosting development along New Mexico’s International Borderplex, he has helped recruit companies to New Mexico from Germany, Taiwan, Singapore, and Australia, and has been involved in some of the agency's biggest deals – Facebook, Intel, Netflix, Universal Hydrogen, Maxeon Solar, and Hota Industrial.
Roper is a native of Raton, a former resident of Roswell, and currently lives in Albuquerque.

President & CEO, Homestead Funds

Mark joined Homestead Funds in 2018 as president and CEO. He is also president and CEO of the fund company’s investment advisor, Homestead Advisers. Mark is responsible for shaping the strategic vision and directing the business activities of the fund company and its related money management entity. He oversees portfolio management, operations, client services, marketing and sales. Mark holds FINRA securities license Series 7 (General Securities Representative Exam) and Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent State Law Exam).
He is a graduate of Fordham University, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in finance. Mark received his MBA in finance from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business.

CEO, Pioneer Utility Resources

Michael Shepard has served as CEO of Pioneer Utility Resources since 2016. He joined the Oregon-based communications, publishing and energy efficiency cooperative after more than 30 years in the news media business, primarily in Washington state. His stops included Pullman, the Kitsap Peninsula, Walla Walla, Yakima and Seattle – where he served as Senior Vice President for Business Operations for the Seattle Times Company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Washington State University, where he is a member of the college’s hall of achievement. He and his wife, Rhonda, have two adult daughters, sons-in-laws to go with them and a pair of grandsons. They have a rural lifestyle near Hillsboro, Oregon where they share acreage with their dogs, goats, sheep and too many chickens. 

Michael serves on the board of Directors for the electric supply company, General Pacific; is president of the board for the cooperative ad agency American Mainstreet Publications and is a board member for the Hillsboro Food Co-Op.

Esther Simon has over 15 years electric cooperative industry experience. Esther previously served as chief financial officer at Itasca Mantrap Electric Cooperative. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State University and a master’s degree from the Keller Graduate School of Management in accounting and financial management. Esther is responsible for managing product delivery and customer relations for electric distribution cooperatives throughout Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and California. She enjoys utilizing her background and experience in order to be a dependable provider of credit and financial solutions for her customers.

Executive Director, New Mexico Department of Transportation

Jerry Valdez has over 30 years of experience in public and private sector management and has been working for the State of New Mexico for 14 years in a number of leadership positions. He is currently a Senior Executive with the New Mexico Department of Transportation where he serves as the NMDOT primary point-of-contact for transportation related Special Projects that span multiple governmental, tribal, and economic regions. He also manages divisions and bureaus related to Special Projects, Multimodal Planning and Programs, Data Management, Research, State-Wide Facilities & Capital Investments, and General Office Buildings and Grounds.

CEO, Plateau Telecommunications

Launa Waller is the Chief Executive Officer of Plateau Telecommunications, headquartered in Clovis, and has almost 29 years of telecommunications experience. Prior to becoming the CEO, Launa spent over two decades as the Regulatory Manager, involved in all federal and state regulatory matters impacting the company. As CEO, Launa oversees comprehensive executive, operational, financial, sales, and technical aspects in all phases of telecommunications development. She also serves as President of the New Mexico Exchange Carrier Group, Chairperson of the New Mexico Rural Universal Service Fund Advisory Board and is a member of the Connect New Mexico Council. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Eastern New Mexico University and Master of Arts in Management from Wayland Baptist University.

People and Culture Program Manager at Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association

Brigid Woodward is the People and Culture Program Manager at Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. Her work in organizational development supports the improvement of people and processes to allow Tri-State to better serve its members. Brigid has 26 years of utility experience, having worked for two Colorado distribution cooperatives in finance and accounting and customer service before joining Tri-State in 2013. Brigid holds a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in Agricultural Business, and several industry certifications.

Senator

Senator Pat Woods is retiring from the FEC Board of Trustees after serving 33 years on the board. He is a fourth-generation farmer and rancher, born and raised on a family farm and ranch in Eastern NM. The family has owned the farm in the Grady, Broadview area since 1908. He graduated from Grady High School in 1967 and New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics in 1972. Senator Woods has a long history of governmental service, serving as a NM State Senator for the past 11 years as well as serving on numerous committees during his tenure there. In addition to his governmental service, Senator Woods has served on the National Cattlemen's Beef Board (appointed by the US Secretary of Agriculture), the NM Farm & Livestock Bureau, and the NM Cattlegrowers' Association. His community service includes serving on the Grady District School Board and his small community Methodist Church. I would like to recognize his wife, Eva, who has been a great support partner and works right along beside him . Going the extra mile is something that Pat does and has always done.