Read the statements of interest below and cast your vote at this link.
Kevin Hoover
I have had the honor of serving on the board of the New Mexico ACLU for many years and I respectfully ask to continue to serve for another term.
My contribution to the ACLU happens in a couple of unique ways. The first is my background in the nonprofit sector. I served first as Finance & HR Director of New Mexico AIDS Services and then as the Executive Director for a total of 8 years. I feel that this nonprofit management experience is valuable to the organization as we face the ongoing challenges of managing a growing and ever more complex organization.
I also have many years of experience in the financial world from my current and past work in that sector. I have an MBA and got much of my experience working for one of the big auditing and consulting firms. This gives me a solid understanding of how financial reports are generated and how they should be interpreted. This skill is needed on a nonprofit board to ensure proper financial oversight of the organization.
As a member of the LGBT community, I will forever be indebted to the ACLU for the incredible support they have provided to my community for so many years. There truly isn’t a more supportive organization than the ACLU and I’m so proud to be a part of it.
If chosen to serve another term, I am committed to bringing my skills and passion to support all the other communities that so badly need the ACLU to fight for them. I have made the ACLU a priority in my life and will do everything I can to support the organization and their mission.
Gabrielle Uballez
My name is Gabrielle Uballez, and I am an advocate for justice and belonging – I recognize that protecting and advancing civil rights and liberties for all is a protection my freedom too. It has been an honor to serve on the ACLU of New Mexico board of directors since 2019. During this time I have contributed to the board Equity and Inclusion committee, the nominating committee, the Board/ Staff EDIB committee, and since January 2021, the New Mexico Affiliate representative on the national ACLU board.
My professional background is in philanthropy, nonprofit work, and arts and cultural organizing – I believe in the power of cultural production as a means of creating narrative change in order to advance policies that center racial equity,
truth, and justice. I seek to be in spaces where I can think, dialogue, dream, and build with others toward healing and lasting positive change for my community and for and with the most targeted populations in our state, including low-income communities of color, indigenous communities, immigrants, youth, and children.
It is in this spirit that I submit my name for consideration to renew my membership on the board of directors of the ACLU of New Mexico.
I have worked at the intersection of nonprofit leadership, culture-making and community organizing for the last decade of my career, and for all of my adolescence. I currently serve as a consultant for the Asset Funders Network, in my role there I contribute to national race equity research, reports, and programming and lead regional efforts toward collective action to achieve economic justice and dignity for all New Mexicans. I am also the co-facilitator for the New Mexico Women of Color Nonprofit Leadership Initiative at the Santa Fe Community Foundation, founded by Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz, in which I support a community of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian American/Pacific Islander women leaders in nonprofit and philanthropy work.
I previously served as the National Organizing Director for the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, Special Projects Associate at the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Executive Director (and alumnus) of Working Classroom. I previously served on boards including the Barelas Community Coalition and the Amy Biehl High School governance board. I am also currently an at-large member for the City of Albuquerque’s Urban Enhancement Trust Fund (since 2018), and in 2020 served as the committee Chairperson where I led the vision for our equity and inclusion work as well as our COVID-19 relief grant-making programs in collaboration with other committee members and City staff.
I am a proud Chicana, New Mexico-born and raised, a wife, and a mother of three very young Chinese- Chicanx children, currently living in downtown Albuquerque, in our 100-year-old home, with our many plants and pets. I hope to contribute my time, talent, and network to the mission and work of the ACLU of New Mexico through board service, thank you for the consideration and opportunity.
Jordan Franco
My name is Jordan Franco and I am interested as serving on the Board of Directors of ACLU-NM. As a native New Mexican and long-time educator, I have seen first-hand the issues that face many of our minority students and families as well as their struggles trying to overcome these obstacles. Since my first employment opportunity, I have always worked with New Mexico students and families and have been motivated to help them both educate and advocate for themselves to create the life that they strive for.
As a school leader and charter school advocate, I am able to guide students and families into paths that they once thought were unattainable as well as helping them set themselves up for future successes. As a result of my work with families and students, I think that I bring a ground-floor approach and thought process that would be valuable to the ACLU of NM Board. I am passionate about continuing to connect with families to experience the struggles and injustices they face firsthand. To me, going through an experience with a family whether it be good or bad allows me to connect to that family deeper than simply telling them how to fix the issue. Connection is key to understanding how to create change.
I am both honored and excited about the prospect of being a part of the ACLU of NM Board and look forward to continuing to serve New Mexico’s families.
Zack Manning
I am writing to express my interest in joining the ACLU New Mexico Board of Directors. I believe my unique background combined with my academic and professional experiences would enable me to make a positive impact on the board’s efforts to strengthen civil liberties for all New Mexicans.
Most of my professional career has been working on behalf of marginalized communities. Immediately after college I served for four years in the Peace Corps. Working as an educator and international development professional in the South Pacific and the Middle East, I combated the injustices carried out on immigrant communities, the indigent, and disparate minorities. I continued this work after Peace Corps in my home community of Las Cruces. Working for the Southwest Asylum and Migration Institute (SAMI) I assisted asylum seekers from countries as diverse as Ghana, Somalia, Guatemala, and Pakistan. The causes I have served and will continue working for overlap with the issue areas of the ACLU of New Mexico: free speech, LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, immigrant rights, and many more.
In addition, my diverse educational background of music, Middle East studies, and now law enables me to bring a distinct perspective to the intersection of all the civil rights issues the ACLU grapples with. Serving on the ACLU New Mexico Board of Directors will afford me the opportunity to contribute my experience, skills, and world view in a meaningful way to the betterment of all New Mexicans.
Oscar Rodriguez
Please consider me to serve on the board. I am a fervent believer in ACLU’s mission, and I believe I am a good reflection of the diversity of opinion, experience and interests you represent in the state.
My family has been a member of ACLU-NM since 2016, as we consider it a key part of the bulwark that ensures the laws that govern us are fair and impartially exercised.
I know the history, the people, and the land of New Mexico. I am a proud resident of Santa Fe with deep roots in both northern and southern New Mexico. I am an ex officio member of the Lipan Apache Tribal Council, which represents a people who have called the Pecos River valley and the adjoining plains home for many centuries. In this capacity I have established an extensive network in the Native community in the state. I also have been in public service in New Mexico since 2012, when I was appointed town manager of Taos. Today I serve as the chief financial officer for the New Mexico Finance Authority, an entity that lends to municipalities, counties, water districts, tribes, and state agencies. This experience has exposed me firsthand to the politics and key issues local and state agencies work, face, and try to address every day.
I believe my expertise in local government and finance and my knowledge of New Mexico’s history and culture will make me an effective board member. I seek to serve in this capacity to contribute on a state-wide basis to the betterment of a land and people I love. I will appreciate your consideration of my request to serve on ACLU-NM’s Board of Directors.
Tyler Brown
As a third-generation New Mexican, gay man, and politically-engaged citizen, I am passionate about helping New Mexico become a more inclusive and just state. Since recently moving back to New Mexico, I have sought opportunities to work with organizations that will allow me to become a more active member of my community and make a difference. ACLU New Mexico was an obvious choice.
For decades, ACLU New Mexico has worked to protect personal liberties and ensure equity within the state and has made tangible improvements in the lives of many New Mexicans, myself included. Now, it is my hope that I can help continue this tradition for the next generation of New Mexicans through a position on the ACLU New Mexico Board of Directors. As a young, queer attorney, I believe I would bring a unique perspective to the Board of Directors. I understand the pains and hardships associated with being a member of a historically marginalized group, but I also know the power of a legal education and recognize the passion younger generations can bring to inspire change to help our communities and our planet.
If selected for a position on the Board of Directors, I will bring this perspective, along with my enthusiasm and energy, to help ACLU New Mexico strive towards its mission of ensuring a more just, free, and equitable New Mexico. Thank you for your consideration.
