Our Team
Téyo Saree Abraham
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Téyo Saree is a many-generation desert dweller, with roots in southwest New Mexico and Texas. They come to this work as a creative, graphic notetaker, facilitator, and nepantlere. More specifically, they come to this work with a deep passion for, and orientation to cultural organizing: social change work that is rooted in the liberating power of the arts, culture, and creative storytelling. They have worked in a variety of movement and political education spaces, from youth organizing, solidarity economy work, racial and immigration justice, to birthing and gender justice.
505.750.1732
teyo@newmexicowomen.org
Sarah Ghiorse
PRESIDENT & CEO
As a leader in philanthropy, Sarah has helped mobilize millions of dollars toward work at the intersection of personal and social transformation. She believes the power of deep imagination is the generative force behind lasting cultural and systemic change and is committed to centering community voices in all of NMW.O’s philanthropic and programmatic work. She holds a MA in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, and a BA in Women’s Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Sarah is a student of astrology, using it as a guide for navigating these tumultuous and unprecedented times. She also enjoys cooking, hiking, and spending time with her teenage children.
505.750.1732
sarah@newmexicowomen.org
Gwen O'Hearn
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Gwen O’Hearn grew up in Utah and Arizona and comes to NMW.O with a background in learning design, having previously worked as the eLearning program manager for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in Washington, D.C. As a nonbinary transfemme and former public school teacher, Gwen carries a deep passion for gender justice work and how conversation and education can create pathways for culture change. In their free time, Gwen enjoys watching independent films, creating visual art, and exploring the Southwest through hiking and road trips.
505.750.1732
gwen@newmexicowomen.org
Carli Romero
PROGRAM MANAGER
Carli Romero, is a multi-generational New Mexican, with a background in community organizing and embodied feminine leadership and facilitation. She is devoted to racial and gender equity and has served local organizations from Las Cruces to Albuquerque over the last ten years. She holds an MA in Educational Leadership, from UNM, a BA in Political Science and a BA in Economics, from NMSU. Carli is also a poet, new to motherhood, and is currently working toward her certification as a Clinical EFT practitioner.
505.750.1732
carli@newmexicowomen.org
Renee Villarreal
Senior Director of Grantmaking & Community Partnerships
Renee Villarreal is a native Santa Fean and a multi-generational Nuevomexicana and Chicana. She is deeply committed to place-based community work centered on equity, social and gender justice, mutuality, and self-determination.
Renee earned a Masters in Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico in 2006 and worked as a Community Planner for Santa Fe County for 7 years where she gained valuable experience advocating for traditional and indigenous land-based rural communities. She began working in the philanthropic sector in 2011 where she served as Director of Programs for New Mexico Community Foundation and oversaw all statewide program grantmaking and partnership building for over 6 years. She transitioned to working with NewMexicoWomen.Org in 2018, starting as a Program Co-Director. Renee is also a former elected official, serving as a Councilwoman for the City of Santa Fe from 2016 to 2023.
505.750.1732
renee@newmexicowomen.org
Melanie Garcia
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Melanie is native to New Mexico and comes to NewMexicoWomen.Org with 25 years of experience in accounting and operations. She has spent her non-profit career working with organizations committed to equity through arts, education, and family and youth support services across southeastern and northern NM counties. Her strong curiosity surrounding human potential led her to become a certified life coach in 2021. Melanie also serves as Board President for Queen Bee Music Association and volunteers with the Santa Fe Community Foundation grants committee. She is the mother of two beautiful young men, is partnered with her high school sweetheart, and is a lover of personal growth, nature, art, and design.
505.750.1732
melanie@newmexicowomen.org
Elsa Lopez
PROGRAM MANAGER
Elsa Lopez is originally from a small farming community in Chihuahua, Mexico and has lived in New Mexico for 25 years. She has a BA in Finance and Marketing from UNM. Elsa has spent over 20 years spearheading racial and economic justice campaigns in New Mexico and nationally to build power and advocate for immigrants and low wage workers. Her commitment to racial and economic justice is rooted in her own experience as an immigrant student. She continues to be inspired by the tenacity, resiliency, and courage of her community who dare to reimagine and create a more just and equitable future for our familias. Elsa loves food, hiking, gardening, and photography.
505.750.1732
elsa@newmexicowomen.org
Rachel Rodriguez
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Having lived in eight states across the country, Rachel has been planting roots in New Mexico for 20 years. Driven by keen curiosity and a love of justice, Rachel has dedicated her 30-year career to a variety of local and national schools and nonprofits. At NMW.O, Rachel is grateful to use her skills and experience to cultivate awareness of and support for gender justice and healing across the state. She holds master’s degrees in social work (MSW) and public administration (MPA) from Syracuse University, focusing on nonprofit administration and conflict resolution, and a BA in English from Colorado College. Outside of work, Rachel can be found on the cycling trails in Albuquerque, appreciating beauty with her family, or with her nose in a book.
505.750.1732
rachel@newmexicowomen.org
Fatima van Hattum
Senior Director of Research and Strategy
Fatima was born in Española and raised in Abiquiu, New Mexico. She has nearly 20 years of experience working in nonprofits and philanthropic foundations focused on gender and racial justice, post-colonial development, food justice, and labor rights. She has a PhD in Educational Thought and Sociocultural Studies and an MSc in Globalization and Development. She draws upon her academic training in intersectional feminism, critical race theory, and decolonial thinking to engage in community-based research oriented toward social change. Fatima is also a poet.
505.750.1732
fatima@newmexicowomen.org