BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JEREMIAH ARMIJO, Treasurer
Jeremiah Armijo is a CPA licensed in the State of New Mexico and has been in public accounting for close to 10 years. He has spent his entire career specializing and serving Tribal governments, Tribal enterprises, and healthcare organizations. He is an Audit and Business Consulting Manager for the Loftis Group LLC. Jeremiah is a graduate of the University of New Mexico Robert O. Anderson School of Management. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
JOSEPH RAY, Vice Chair
Joseph Ray has provided 25 years of advocacy for Pueblo People with Disabilities as an Independent Living specialist, peer counselor, systems advocate, independent living skills trainer, information and referral Elder focus resource on long-term care, and community-based services. Mr. Ray believes in empowering Native American and all people with physical and mobility impairments with information about resources to improve their quality of life. Mr. Ray is the National Congress for American Indians Disabilities Subcommittee Chairman, Laguna Rainbow Corporation Elder Care Services Board Member, Native American Voters Alliance Education Project Board of Directors Treasurer, and Adaptive Sports for People with Disabilities Tribal Adaptive Organization President.
HOLLY GRAHAM, Secretary
Holly has worked as a health facility surveyor for twenty-one years with a focus on nursing homes and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Holly currently serves as the District Manager for District I with the State of New Mexico Department of Health where she runs the day-to-day operations of survey teams relating to annual nursing home inspections, complaint surveys, annual inspections of facilities for Individuals with developmental disabilities, and surveys for Assisted Living Facilities. Between 1985 and 1993, Holly served as the Dietary Manager for the Laguna Rainbow Corporation. Holly has over seventeen years of experience in training surveyors in preparation for the Surveyor Minimum Qualification Test (SMQT). She is one of two Certified Surveyors in the State with experience in training new surveyors in the Quality Indicator Survey (QIS) process – a computer-based survey program used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
MARJORIE CHAVEZ
Marj is retired from New Mexico Legal Aid after 24 years of service. She is a member of the Laguna Elder Association and has been an active member of the Laguna Rainbow Board for three terms now. She is also a dedicated member and Olympian with the Laguna Senior Olympics. Marj has also worked for Grants Municipal Schools, the City of Albuquerque, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Marj graduated from Winslow High School, attended Arizona State College, and received her legal secretary certification in 1988.
PATRICK HART
Patrick has served as Corporate Counsel for more than a decade. His currently serves as Associate University Counsel at the University of New Mexico. Previously, he served as Associate General Counsel and Procurement Director for the Laguna Development Corporation, as well as Attorney at Martinez, Hart, Thompson, P.C. and Sheehan and Sheehan P.A. Patrick received his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of New Mexico School of Law where he was also President of the Student Bar Association. Patrick received his Bachelor of Arts in American Government from Georgetown University where he was also a member of the Letterwinner’s Honor Society. Patrick is a member of the Albuquerque Associated Builders and Contractors and the New Mexico State Bar Association Committee on Professionalism.
RENEE PAISANO-TRUJILLO, Chair
For forty years, Renee has served as a youth development, rural community development, supplemental education, and eldercare nonprofit professional. She currently works at the Laguna Community Foundation as Interim Director. Advisory and advocacy service includes serving on New Mexico Children’s Cabinet as an ad hoc member and as a Family Subcommittee member for the New Mexico Governor’s Progress Agenda. Renee has also served as a board member for the New Mexico Youth Action Network, Albuquerque Indian Center, Laguna Community Foundation, and the Laguna Colony of Albuquerque. National level service has included participation on the Department of Education’s 21st Century Learning Centers Access and Equity Task Force, as an afterschool evaluation panelist at the 2001 Harvard Family Research Symposium, as a Blue Ribbon Panel member for the America’s Forgotten Children Report to the Nation, and has provided expert testimony to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Hearing on “Innovative Approaches to School Time.”