Anthony (He/Him) was born in San Francisco, California and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Western Michigan University and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from Webster University. He graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, was a Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies Fellow and completed Syracuse University’s Project Management Course. Anthony is a retired U.S. Army Officer with 24 years of service and specialized in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) operations, Emergency Management, Anti-Terrorism, and Operations Security. He served as a Battalion and Brigade Chemical Officer, Platoon Leader, Senior Logistics Officer, Company Commander, Senior Operations Officer, Division Chemical Officer, Corps Deputy CBRN Officer, and Senior Program Director of Emergency Management and Protection Programs. His deployments include Bosnia as a medic, and Kuwait to support Operation Iraqi Freedom IV as a Chemical Platoon Leader and Quick/Area Reaction Force Commander. Anthony certified through FEMA and the Department of Defense Firefighter Certification System in Hazardous Material Management and planned disaster response exercises in the United States, Middle Eastern and Asia-Pacific region. In 2016, he participated in Homeland Security Working Group at the U.S. Army War College as a CBRN advisor. He volunteered at the Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona, Mountain T.O.P. Youth Camp in Tennessee, participated in an archaeological excavation project in Niles, Michigan and was a Special Olympics Washington State project planner. Anthony is an El Paso Chamber of Commerce member. In 2021, Anthony became Corps Director of Conservation Corps New Mexico.

Lee (He/Him) joined CCNM after spending 20+ years with the Montana Conservation Corps as a Regional Supervisor, Program Director, and Director of Partnerships. He grew up in North Carolina but headed west to attend college in Colorado. He started his outdoor career leading wilderness programs with adjudicated youth in New Mexico. He spent 7 years with the Colorado Outward Bound School interspersed with times as a counselor at a community college, a high school teacher, and perpetual graduate student. He returned home and worked with the North Carolina Outward Bound School for 3 years before coming back out west and discovering the world of national service and conservation corps. Lee is married and he and his wife, Teresa have a daughter, Sadie.

Lee joined the CCNM team in 2018. He now is excited to take on the role focusing on partnerships for both Arizona Conservation Corps and Conservation Corps New Mexico.

Michelle (She/Her) grew up in California and moved to Arizona in 2009 to attend NAU for a B.S in Forestry. She joined Arizona Conservation Corps in the summer of 2012 as a Corpsmember and loved the experience so much that she decided to come back and serve on six more crews. Working her way from Corpsmember to Crew Leader, Field Supervisor to Program Coordinator, Michelle enjoyed working with crews throughout Arizona for 6 years. With Conservation Corps New Mexico as a new program for Conservation Legacy, Michelle saw the opportunity for growth in herself and the organization and moved to Las Cruces in 2018 to begin a new adventure.

Joy (She/Her) grew up in El Paso, TX and developed a passion for nature and the outdoors during camping trips to nearby Ruidoso, NM and summer vacations visiting National Parks with her grandparents. Graduating from UT Austin with a degree in Zoology, Joy’s professional career spans wildlife research, animal science and more recently, work as an administrative coordinator for a nonprofit nature preserve in Austin. Joy worked closely with interns and volunteers in this position and is excited to support the IP program at Conservation Corps New Mexico. Personal contribution is very important to Joy, and she was a volunteer Texas Master Naturalist for 6 years, participating in land stewardship and public outreach. She hopes to continue volunteering in the Southwest and completed Certified Interpretive Guide training in preparation for leading hikes. When she’s not working or volunteering, Joy can be found hiking with her dog Luna, practicing Spanish or summoning the courage to ski one day.

Clayton (He/Him) joined CCNM as a Program Coordinator in 2022. He spent his youth in the great city of Las Cruces and is very excited to be part of the CCNM community.

SamJean (She/Her) joined AZCC/CCNM in 2019 as an individual placement intern, working with the BLM New Mexico State Office in development and outreach programming. The opportunities in her internships gave her the privilege to travel all over the state. Fostering relationships between federal agencies and local communities throughout NM was the foundation of her servitude for public lands. The chance to become a part of the staff for CCNM became available in 2021, currently she is an IP Program Coordinator for CCNM. Originally raised in the hill country of central Texas. She now calls The Chihuahuan desert home. As an artist herself, she has always found a way to incorporate the arts into her passion for land stewardship and reconnecting peoples with the natural world. Much like the medley of colors in a southwest sunset, it takes us all to see the big picture. 

My name is Adam Garcia. I was born and raised in Las Cruces and was a crew member on one of the very first CCNM crews. I fell in love with the outdoors and with conservation work during that season, which inspired me to continue pursuing a career in natural resources. After my season with CCNM, I served with three other conservation corps programs across the country before finding employment with the US Forest Service in Minnesota.

I worked for the Forest Service for three years, measuring trees and fighting fires, before I realized that my true passion lies in the Conservation Corps world. Upon realizing this, my wife and I decided to move back to Las Cruces so I could pursue employment with CCNM once again. I am very excited to be back working with the organization that was so formative for me as a young adult, and I hope I can pass on my experience to the next generation of corps members.

I’m a true believer in pineapple on pizza, and on the weekends, you can find me grilling steaks, boxing, or playing video games.

Kati (She/Her) joined Conservation Legacy as an Individual Placements Coordinator in June of 2022. She is originally from Philadelphia, PA and has degrees in Biology and Environmental Studies from Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia. Following graduation, she worked as a research technician for the USGS on a plague study in small mammals, and then went to work in various roles in environmental education and privates lands conservation. Her most recent role with Quail Forever focused on providing grant funding to private landowners to improve agricultural practices for wildlife management. She currently lives in Alamogordo, NM with her husband and their puppy, Javelina. Outside of work hours, Kati enjoys fishing, hiking, camping and baking and loves to meet new people, so don’t hesitate to reach out!

My name is Valerie Herrera (She/Her), I am the Administrative Specialist with the Las Cruces office since November 2021. I am very happy to be a part of this wonderful organization! My professional background is in Non-medical homecare for the elderly. I have really enjoyed moving into the direction of being a part of an organization that gives back to our community. I was born in Phoenix and raised in Tucson, Arizona and moved to Las Cruces in 2014. My husband and I have three kiddos and two very rumbustious golden retrievers, two horses, three sheep, and one cow. My family and I very much love the outdoors, we do a lot of camping and enjoy our 1 acre homestead. My hobbies are canning (food preserving), gardening, cooking/baking and of course spending time with my family.