TALKING TALONS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President of the Board
A Taos High School graduate, Amadeo was born and raised in the small northern New Mexican Village of Arroyo Hondo. Upon graduating high school in 2012, Amadeo pursued a Civil Engineering degree with a focus on Environmental Engineering from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM. During his studies, Amadeo spent time working in the Environmental Engineering Laboratory where he worked with his advisor to conduct various research projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 2016, Amadeo took a position with the University which allowed his research efforts to continue while providing undergraduate teaching assistance for the Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering Laboratory. In January of 2019, Amadeo took a position with the private consulting firm Molzen Corbin where he would be hired on as a Water Resource Engineer. Amadeo has spent his professional consulting career focused on the design of sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure throughout the state of New Mexico. Amadeo started his term on the Board of Directors for Talking Talons on July 1st, 2022 and is excited to give back to the community that helped shape him into the person he is today.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Secretary of the Board
Carol received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education and English from California Western University in San Diego, California. She later received her Master's degree from the University of Southern California as a Reading Specialist.
Born and raised in the San Diego area, most of Carol's young years were spent at her grandparent's ranch. Her love for animals and the environment stems from these experiences.
Carol has 30 years of teaching experience under her belt and is currently a homeschool teacher. She was a Docent at the Rio Grande Zoo for 27 years. For the past 20 years, Carol has been involved with Talking Talons. She has volunteered, given classroom presentations, and served as a Board Member over the years.
Carol is happily married with 2 children, 7 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. She enjoys painting, gourd carving, wood burning, and pine needle basketry. She is also a member of El Zocalo Gallery, a Co-op in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Dakotah is an enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation. She brings over a decade of experience in Indigenous community wellness planning. She grew up in the Navajo Nation and currently lives and works on the traditional homelands of the Tiwa people otherwise known as Albuquerque, NM. She is honored to have the opportunity to learn and contribute to the Talking Talons Youth Leadership organization's ongoing growth and continued success. She believes that climate change impacts the wellbeing of all living things therefore when the planet is not balanced, the people are not balanced. Her advice is that we must continue to support and nurture the younger generations so they can continue to steward the lands in a balanced sustainable way, and we must be open to learning from them on how to create a world that is more just and equitable for all people and the planet.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Grant Writer
Genevieve was fortunate to grow up in the mountains of south-central Colorado in a large family whose parents got the kids up in the wee hours of summer mornings to drive to the High Country and experience her wonders. She was also fortunate to be in the inaugural freshman class at Colorado School of Mines that, finally, made the study of environmental science mandatory for incoming students. Throughout her life, she has been intrigued by the interface of nature and the built environment, the important spaces that make you feel like a human connected to planet Earth.
After moving back to New Mexico in 2010, her 3 children experienced Talking Talons programming. After serving on the Board from 2013 through 2022, Genevieve transitioned to join the staff as a grant writer. In her various roles, Genevieve has dedicated her efforts to finding funding for Talking Talons programs that work to connect New Mexico children to the outdoors, help youth explore the wonders of nature, and build in youth not only comfort in being outside but the desire to seek comfort in the natural world.
Janet has been with Talking Talons since 2007, when she started as a volunteer and joined the staff as a bookkeeper shortly after. Since then, Janet has served a variety of roles within the organization including supporting management of the Thrift Store and grant management. Currently, as the CFO, she works closely with the Executive Director to keep the organization on track.
Janet was born in New York and after living for a time in both Colorado and Pennsylvania, came to New Mexico in 2007. She was drawn to Cedar Crest as a friendly, small mountain community and has lived here ever since. She enjoys talking long walks, smelling the roasting chiles in the fall, and supporting local businesses. Janet is a nature lover, a music lover and a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. She has an elderly shih tzu named Lily, who thinks that she is in charge.
Janet also supports the Mountainside United Methodist Church as a part-time bookkeeper. She has some experience with computer programming in her past as well.
Job Titles:
- Interim Executive Director
John has served in the nonprofit sector since 1976. He has seen the industry from many angles: he has worked with United Way, served in a wide range of agency leadership positions and chaired and/or participated in numerous community collaborations. However, being a part of Talking Talons Youth Leadership with its focus on supporting and mentoring young people who will be our Climate Change Leaders is the highlight of John's career. John and his wife Janie love to travel, hug on their five grandchildren, hike and hang out in their garden.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Treasurer of the Board
Lauren is a former TTYL participant who is passionate about helping good organizations do great things. She's excited to give back to an organization so passionate about the earth we live in. Lauren works in public accounting in the assurance department and is actively involved in furthering diversity and inclusion efforts in the workplace. She enjoys hanging out in a hammock, playing with her dog, Snoop, and traveling the world in search of fun and good food.
Paula has been working at Talking Talons Thrift Store since 2011.
She initially became familiar with Talking Talons as a store and would enjoy coming in to look for books. Besides being a fun place to shop, she was also impressed with the mission of Talking Talons Youth Leadership as a nonprofit and the programs they offered to children. She originally started working part-time, which led to a full-time position as the team leader. From there she became the Store Manager. Being the store's manager involves overseeing the store operations and the donation center.
Previous to working at Talking Talons, Paula worked for Albuquerque Public Schools with Special Ed kids in the Behavioral Modification Program. This was rewarding and challenging work for her, As she has her own special ed kiddo she was on familiar ground. She also has a background in optics and worked in a contact lens lab and as an optician.
Paula believes working at Talking Talons is by far the most interesting and fun job she's ever had. Working with a great team of motivated, caring, and friendly staff, she has enjoyed becoming a part of the Talking Talons community in the East Mountains.
She really enjoys and appreciates that, as an organization, Talking Talons has been able to help community members in a time of need.