Officers/Executive Committee
Liz Martinez serves as the Director of Mental Health for the YDI Early Childhood Education and Family Development program. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Social Work degree from New Mexico Highlands University. She has worked continuously in Early Childhood Education since 2001 and is CLASS Reliable in Infant, Toddler, and Pre-K. This lifelong resident of New Mexico was raised in Roswell and now lives with her husband and daughter in Albuquerque’s South Valley. Join her someday on the softball field or on a walk with her dogs to the Rio Grande.
Dr. Hudson holds a BS from Kansas State University in Family and Child Development; a MS from Emporia (Kansas) State University in Early Childhood Education; and a doctorate from NMSU in Curriculum and Instruction. Her research focused on advocacy as the purpose of the NM Early Childhood Higher Education Taskforce members from a post-modern perspective.
Hudson’s work career has included teaching in preschools for developmentally challenged preschoolers, dual immersion kinder and preschool, and eight years of home visiting experience. She recently retired from her position as Director of Teacher Education at San Juan College, Farmington, NM. She was chair of the Education, Languages, and Communication Department at San Juan College and served on a wide variety of committees there.
Treasurer & Promotion Training and Website Chair
Flor Cano-Soto was born and raised in Gallup, New Mexico to Mexican immigrant parents. She is the first in her family to graduate from college, earning her Bachelors and Masters of Social Work degrees from New Mexico Highlands University with a focus on Bilingual-Bicultural Clinical Social Work. She completed her practicums at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Young Children’s Health Center working with monolingual Spanish-speaking families and their children in the Zero-to-Three program as well as at Enlace Communitario working with monolingual Spanish-speaking victims of domestic violence and their children. Her clinical experience includes working with young adults with psychosis and severe mental illness, conducting tele-behavioral health services in tribal communities, bilingual groups, and individual therapy to perpetrators of domestic violence, and working with children, youth, and families in school and tribal communities incorporating equine therapy into traditional therapeutic models. Working with children and families in underserved communities has been a life-long passion for her.
Flor has been employed with UNM for over 20 years and currently works at the School of Medicine – Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences – Division of Community Behavioral Health (CBH). She is the Program Manager for a large federal grant addressing the opioid epidemic in the state. In this position, she has fostered close working-relationships with federal, state, county, local and tribal community partners. She has extensive administrative and financial management experience which she hopes to contribute to advance NMAIMH’s mission and goals.
Flor is a proud “Tia” to her nephew and niece and “Nina” to 6 (and counting…) Godchildren. When not working or volunteering, you will likely find Flor surrounded by her family and friends eating awesome Mexican and New Mexican food, in the kitchen baking up a sweet treat, or at the baseball park watching her nephew and niece play ball.
Secretary
Felicia Ramirez is a New Mexico native who grew up in La Mesa, a small town in Southern Doña Ana county. Felicia began her career as a Developmental Specialist/Family Service Coordinator with Aprendamos Intervention Team, was a Head Start teacher for Las Cruces Public schools for many years, and is now the Social Emotional Specialist for the Early Childhood Program for LCPS. Felicia earned her BA in Education from the University of Arizona and went on to NMSU to earn her MA in Curriculum and Instruction with and emphasis in Early Childhood Education. Some career opportunities Felicia has enjoyed was being an Online ESL Instructor for a company overseas call VIPkid. She also supports the McKinney Vento Program with LCPS as a tutor/mentor. Felicia also has the privilege of participating in the Flourishing Families Mentoring Program implemented by Jardin de los Niños. Her motivation and passion to become an Early Childhood Educator is driven by her three children; Christopher, Alexie, and Elijah. In her free time, Felicia enjoys reading, working out, and supporting others in an overall health and wellness lifestyle.
Board of Directors
Endorsement Committee
Inez Ingle has been on the Board of Directors and a member of the Association since 2009. Currently, she is serving as Chair on the Endorsement Committee. Inez has been endorsed as Infant Mental Health-Clinical since 2009. Inez graduated from Bennington College with a major in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology then 10 years later received a Master’s in Early Childhood/Special Education from Lesley College. Living full-time in New Mexico since 1982, Inez has worked primarily as an Early Childhood Interventionist mostly in Rio Arriba County. Currently, direct service to infants and toddlers and their families continues to be Inez’s focus, and uses her strengths. In addition, her growing edge for the last 5-6 years has been in the provision of Reflective Supervision. Some words which guide Inez in her work and personal life are: Cooperation, Collaboration, Communication, and Respect, the building blocks of relationship-based work; in addition, slow down and reflect are important actions as she works with others.
Jenae Sanchez is a proud tribal member from the Pueblo of San Felipe. She graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and returned to her community to work with tribal elders and community members to establish Project KEVA Home Visiting, (the tribe’s first home visiting program) which supports parents and children birth to three. Jenae has extensive experience developing and implementing programming to improve health outcomes for tribal populations, adapting evidence-based programs for cultural and linguistic context, planning and conducting evaluation and continuous quality improvement, and developing and organizing collaborative community workgroups. She served on the Tribal Early Childhood Research Center Steering Committee for six years, growing the field of early childhood research through methodical and culturally appropriate, and community-based participatory research.
Presently, Jenae works on behalf of the Pueblo of San Felipe as a Director for the Systems of Care programs, managing service and research grants all with a common emphasis on mental health through a trauma-informed and strengths-based lens. Through her organization, she seeks to elevate the health and wellness of Native people by strengthening access to culturally appropriate behavioral health services across the life spectrum. She is motivated by the resiliency and strength of her ancestors, and she is committed to dismantling social and racial inequities.
Membership and Nominating Chair
Diana O’Brien is the Director of Development and Community Engagement for Jardin de los Niños. She is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and adjunct faculty for the College of Education at New Mexico State University. Diana serves as a Co-Lead Ambassador for the Doña Ana Early Childhood Education Coalition and is a member of LC3 Behavioral Collaborative and Doña Ana Resilience Leaders. She received her Infant Mental Health Endorsement I in 2021.
In her work with Jardin, Diana oversees the Flourishing Families Parent Mentoring Program which provides the opportunity for parents of Jardin to gain skills that will support them both personally and professionally through a strong mentorship experience. Additionally, she coordinates the Infant Mental Health Program. This program helps to ensure staff and families are provided the resources and skills they need to foster healthy development and healthy engagement.
Throughout her career, Diana has worked with individuals and families across the lifespan. Her focus in her work is to provide access and opportunity for all children and families in order to support them and move them along the prenatal to career pipeline. Her passion is helping others to see their strengths and feel empowered to set and achieve their goals.
Diana resides in Las Cruces, NM with her husband and two dogs. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and the New Mexico mountains, sunrises, and sunsets.
Diana believes in the power of kindness and is the founder of the Random Acts of Kindtrip- a project developed in 2015, that’s focus is to make the world better, safer, and kinder through acts of kindness and compassion. She is a proud New Mexican and is passionate about serving her community.
Christina found her heart and home in New Mexico over twenty years ago. She met her husband while working for an Early Head Start program in Santa Fe and earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree from New Mexico Highlands University. She spent over seven years with Child Protective Services where she found her spark providing direct support to young children and their families. A brief detour in Bisbee, Arizona allowed Christina to gain both personal and professional experience in infant and early childhood mental health. Christina made the decision to focus on therapeutic interventions with this population and received a Master of Social Work degree from Arizona State University before returning to New Mexico (this time to Silver City) with her husband and two children. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to explore old favorites and discover new gems in the state and the whole family is thriving in their adopted home. Christina currently serves as the WNMU Family Counseling Center Program Director which is embedded in an early care and education lab site specializing in the provision of social-emotional and play-based interventions for young children in classrooms, groups, and individuals. Additionally, Christina is in the process of becoming rostered in Child-Parent Psychotherapy which emphasizes the power of secure, nurturing relationships to heal, develop new patterns of interactions, and alter trajectories for a lifetime.
Staff
Endorsement Coordinator
Katrina has been a lifelong resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico and has always been committed to the Early Childhood field. She has a passion for direct service while contributing to the field as a Master II State Approved Trainer. Katrina attended New Mexico State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master of Arts degree in Special Education with an emphasis in teaching the visually impaired. She has worked with NM GRADS since 2006 as a Director of a Focus 5-Star Center and as a child care mentor and statewide trainer. Katrina has been Infant Mental Health Endorsed since 2014 and has been part of the NMAIMH since 2016. Personally, she is a mom of 7, has welcomed many additional children into her family as a Treatment Foster care parent, and enjoys CrossFit for self-care.
Committees
It consists of not less than five and not more than nine persons, including the officers of the association. The Executive Committee may exercise all powers and authority of the BOD in management of the association between meeting of the BOD’s (within limits prescribed by law) or may have such specific powers and responsibilities as determined by the BOD’s. The President shall act as Chairperson of the Executive Committee. Individuals who are neither directors nor members may participate in Executive meetings upon the invitation of the Chairperson.
Consists of not less than 3 individuals, of whom one shall be a director who will serve as chairperson. This committee assists with Membership promotion and BOD Nominations: call for nominations to the Board of Directors (Follow up on applications, references, create voting ballots, etc).
Assist with promotion of IMH and IMH Endorsement, Coordinate Trainings, Update Website as needed.
(Currently full). The NMAIMH Endorsement Committee’s role is the “keeper” of the copyrighted materials, ensures IMH requirements are being adhered to, and assists with all decisions regarding IMH Endorsement. All committee members must be endorsed and must be recommended by existing committee members (no open invitations).