In 1999 I began teaching at La Mesa Elementary school as a first-grade bilingual teacher. During my 23 years in public education, I’ve had the opportunity to serve in various roles --classroom teacher, instructional coach, principal, assistant professor, and Education Administrator at the Public Education Department (Bilingual Multicultural Education Bureau). During my time with NM PED, I was tasked with creating the Spanish Language Development (SLD) and Spanish Language Arts (SLA) Taskforce, which was charged with reviewing and adopting SLD/SLA standards to strengthen bilingual multicultural education programs in NM. As Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education and chair of Teacher Education at New Mexico Highlands University, my focus has been to re-establish a robust bilingual education program that aims to graduate highly skilled, knowledgeable, and caring bilingual education teachers.
In my role as Executive Director of the New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education, I seek to work collaboratively with NMABE’s board members in advancing the organization’s mission “to support Bilingual Educators in their work and their professional development growth throughout the state.” I will work arduously in advancing NMABE’s advocacy, leadership, professional development, and research efforts. Lastly, I look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders in expanding and advancing bilingual education for all students in New Mexico.
