Alicia Borrego is a native New Mexican, where she grew up helping run her family’s small shoe business in the small, rural town of Espanola. In 1995 she moved to Albuquerque to attend the University of New Mexico (UNM). She graduated from UNM in 1999 earning her BA with double major in Southwest Studies and Political Science.  In 2010, she graduated Delta Mu Delta, from New Mexico Highlands University Graduate School of Business earning her MBA. Alicia continued her professional development as a 2014-2015 Noyce Leadership Institute Fellow. She is the 2022 Executive of the Year by the NMSAE.

Alicia began her career at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in 1999 as the HR Manager, later becoming the Museum’s Deputy Director in 2008. After working for 15 years at the Natural History Museum, in October 2014, Alicia joined Explora Science Center & Children’s Museum as the Director of Administration & Operations, and later became the Senior Manager of Administration & Operations at the Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, WA. In December 2016, Alicia was named President & CEO of the Economic Council Helping Others Inc. (ECHO Inc.) in Farmington, NM. While at ECHO, Alicia ran several emergency assistance programs, food banks, a preschool and formed several partnerships that assisted low income communities. Alicia ultimately became the Executive Director of New Mexico AEYC in September 2019.

In her many years working in museums and non-profits, Alicia spearheaded many important community engagement initiatives, actively fundraising, working alongside the community in advocating for various policy affecting low income families, early childhood education, and arts and culture. 

As a dedicated and detail-oriented accounting professional, Marie Gonzales has been meeting the accounting needs of non-profits agencies. She currently works as the Finance Manager for NMAEYC. With her careful analytical mind as well as careful computational skills, she is able to perform precise auditing tasks, ensuring that financial transactions are accurately represented.

Marie received a BA in Business Management from the University of Phoenix with a 3.75 GPA. She worked as the Senior Accountant for Youth Development, Inc. for 24 years, where she checked all incoming and outgoing transactions. Additionally, she summarized and analyzed all financial documents in order to prepare financial reports. She continues to work in the non-profit community; this experience gave her a deep appreciation for how non-profits seek to improve the quality of life for our region; one program at a time.

Kathryn “Katie” Montiel is a native New Mexican, born in Albuquerque but residing in the southern half for most of her life. She spent her adolescent years in Alamogordo, where her love for the early childhood education field first began. She took child development courses throughout high school and was a member of FCCLA, wherein she designed and implemented early childhood advocacy projects for state and national competitions.

After graduating high school in 2014, Katie attended ENMU in Portales and graduated cum laude with her Bachelor of Science in early childhood education in 2017. In 2021, she obtained her Master of Special Education with an early childhood concentration. Katie taught preschool in a NAEYC-accredited program between 2018 and 2023, one of two such programs in eastern NM.

Her favorite “geek out” topic in the field is the physical classroom environment and the many ways in which it can support or hinder learning. She resides in Portales with her husband, son, and German Shepherd.

Kathy DeSoto-Strickland was born and raised in Grants, New Mexico where she resided until she and her husband moved to Aztec about two years ago. She has two grown children, Cara and J.E., and three grand dogs. She has been in education for over twenty years and has taught New Mexico Pre-K in Headstart and the public schools. She has a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Multicultural Education, a Masters degree in Special Education with a concentration in Early Childhood, and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Early Childhood. She is an active member of the New Mexico Association for the Education of Young Children where she has had the honor of serving on the Board of Directors for the last 11 years. She currently holds the position of Board President. In her spare time she enjoys reading, boating, and spending time with her family.