Leadership

About Our Team

SWIFT represents a coming together of three prominent community school organizations in New Mexico: Communities In Schools in northern New Mexico, NEA New Mexico’s Center for Community Schools in southern New Mexico, and ABC Community School Partnership in central New Mexico.

Executive Director

Naomi Chavez Lopez

Executive Director, Board Member

Naomi Chavez Lopez, a proud bilingual New Mexican, was born and raised in a small border-town in New Mexico, where her passion for advocating for her community began at a young age through the cultivating from her grandparents and parents.

With a background spanning over a decade in secondary language arts teaching and assistant principal roles, Naomi brings a wealth of experience to her current role. She served as the Community Schools District Manager for Las Cruces Public Schools, leading the expansion and implementation of the Community Schools framework. Her efforts focused on creating inclusive environments that prioritize belonging, safety, and care within educational settings.

Naomi is driven by her vision of transformative education systems through the community schools strategy. Her advocacy aims not only to enhance educational outcomes but also to foster holistic community development.

At home, Naomi and her husband have demonstrated their commitment to these values by enrolling their son in a community school since Kindergarten, reflecting their belief in the principles they advocate professionally.

Naomi is a proud New Mexico State University Alumni, holding a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction and a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications and a proud graduate from Deming High School.

Our Board of Directors

Angelo Gonzales, Ph.D.

Michelle Katz

Patricia Jiménez-Latham

Yolanda Montoya-Cordova

Officers

Angelo Gonzales, Ph.D. — President

Angelo Gonzales, Ph.D., has spent much of his career working at the intersection of education, government, and non-profit organizations, bringing data, research, and community voice to bear on many of New Mexico’s most pressing social and educational opportunities. Currently, Dr. Gonzales serves as the Chief of Staff at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), where he serves on the college's strategic executive team and oversees strategic plan implementation for CNM.

His prior experience includes serving as the Founding Executive Director of the Southwest Institute for Transformational Community Schools (also known as SWIFT Community Schools); serving as Managing Director and, later, Interim Deputy Secretary for School Transformation and Innovation at the New Mexico Public Education Department; working for U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman in multiple roles in his Washington and Albuquerque offices; serving as Associate Director and Research Assistant Professor of the University of New Mexico (UNM) Center for Education Policy Research (now known as the Cradle to Career Policy Institute); and leading community-based social change on behalf of United Way of Central New Mexico and its collective impact partnerships, Mission: Graduate and Mission: Families.

Born and raised in New Mexico, Dr. Gonzales is a proud graduate of Del Norte High School, a community school in Albuquerque, and he holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley and a B.A. in Chemistry from Pomona College. He is also a former Children and Family Fellow with the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Michelle Katz, M.A. — Vice-President

Michelle grew up in Ohio, but has lived across many western states in her professional and personal pursuits. With a deep-rooted value in education, Michelle is a lifelong learner who earned an MA in Counseling and holds several certifications including life coaching, yoga instruction, rites of passage guiding and eco-psychology. During her career, she has developed and coordinated various programs for teen and adult learners. She was a therapist at various agencies, before she began leading initiatives for programs that meld mental health and education into daily practices, including training school staff on positive behavior interventions and supports, and providing consultation on trauma informed care implementation. She believes the success of every student/human has its foundation in meaningful relationship. She is excited to be the Interim Executive Director for Communities in Schools New Mexico and to serve on the SWIFT Board!

Patricia Jiménez-Latham, Ed.D. — Secretary

Patricia has 39 years of experience in K-20 education settings and the non-profit sector. Patricia’s years of experience have centered on ensuring equity and access to high quality education experiences for diverse student populations and the educators who welcome them into their classrooms.

Patricia was the former director of the Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations at New Mexico Highlands University where she served in various roles for over 18 years. She continues to be part of the New Mexico Highlands School of Education family as an Alternative Certification Teaching Program Field Supervisor. Patricia served as project manager for Transform Education New Mexico, a grassroots non-profit organization created by advocates across the state to ensure implementation of the landmark lawsuit, Martinez/Yazzie vs. the State of New Mexico (2018).

Yolanda Montoya-Cordova — Treasurer

Yolanda Montoya-Cordova is a lifelong resident of the South Valley Community in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of New Mexico and a Master Degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Montoya-Cordova currently serves as President for the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education. She worked for the State of New Mexico as a Deputy Secretary for the Department of Workforce Solutions and Director of School Health for the Department of Health. Ms. Montoya-Cordova has led the implementation and development of several projects statewide including the expansion of school-based health centers, community schools, youth suicide prevention, youth engagement and leadership, and advocacy training for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Ms. Montoya-Cordova specializes in public policy and administration and has taught at the post-secondary level with Highlands University and El Paso Community College.

Directors

Shawn Morris

Channell Segura, Ed.D.

Danette Townsend

Mary Parr-Sanchez

Deanna Creighton Cook

Andrew Montoya

Shawn Morris

Shawn Morris has a 26-year career in K-12 education, including over ten years as a community schools administrator. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Mark Armijo Academy in the South Valley of Albuquerque, NM. Before this role, Mr. Morris was the principal at Robert F. Kennedy Charter High School and Van Buren Middle School and held positions as both vice-principal and principal at Jefferson Middle School in the Albuquerque Public Schools system. He participated in Principals Pursuing Excellence Cohort 5 and was honored as New Mexico Teacher of the Year in 2012 for his content area. Shawn also served in the United States Navy as an Intelligence Officer and Yeoman 3rd Class. He earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts from the University of New Mexico and received his administrative license from the New Mexico Public Education Department in 2013.

Channell Segura, Ed.D.

Dr. Channell Segura recently joined the Albuquerque Public Schools Executive Leadership Team as the Chief of Schools. For the past two years, she was the Superintendent at the Truth or Consequences Municipal School District where she worked to maintain on-going support to ensure a safe learning environment with high academic expectations of teaching and learning for all students and staff during a global pandemic and shutdown. She facilitated the District’s transition to a balanced calendar; worked with her legislators on policy; wrote the applications and budgets for ESSER I, II, and III federal grants; implemented multiple upgrades to district technology and safety and security; and collaborated with her School Board to research, support, and guide the district to achieve its strategic goals. She also worked for 15 years in the Santa Fe Public School District, which included teaching high school English Language Arts and the AVID Elective, and leading as a high school Principal and Assistant Superintendent of School and Instructional Support.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and dance; a Master of Arts in Secondary Education; an Educational Specialist Certificate; and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership, all from the University of New Mexico. She is very familiar with the cultural, political, economic, and social fabric of New Mexico and has great experience in working with pre-K-12 school district stakeholders and community partners. She is passionate about critical pedagogy, discourse surrounding educational theory and leadership, problem-solving and collaboration with her colleagues, utilizing data to inform our micro and macro decisions, and advocacy for all students and families regardless of their life circumstances.

As a teacher, she received the “Teacher Who Inspires” Award from the school district, and as a principal, she received the “Excellence in Student Achievement” Award from her district. She believes that together we can accelerate the positive outcomes that we expect of ALL our students through intention, focus, and care.

Danette Townsend

Danette joined the ABC Community School Partnership as Executive Director in April 2018. ABC is a unique cross-sector, joint powers agreement between Bernalillo County, Albuquerque Public Schools, and the City of Albuquerque. The partnership also includes the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Central New Mexico, the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Teachers Federation, and NM Department of Workforce Solutions. Danette served as an ABC board member from 2006-2012 and staff member from 2012-2015. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the New Mexico Coalition for Community Schools and has over 25 years of experience in the areas of out of school time, positive youth development, youth prevention and intervention, and community school development. Danette has a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, a Master's degree in Counseling and is a Certified Dare To Lead™ Trainer. Danette has also owned and operated a New Mexico-based business since 2002.

Mary Parr-Sanchez

Mary Parr-Sanchez, the former President of NEA-New Mexico, served in Executive Leadership in NEA-NM for over 10 years. She taught middle school history, civics, and geography for 25 years where she learned firsthand the power of Community based curriculum. Mary has been a constant advocate for students, families and staff in Las Cruces and across the state and was a longtime leader in NEA-Las Cruces where she championed local control of school communities. She led the movement for Community Schools in Las Cruces and is now working to support the statewide expansion of Community Schools at the state level, serving as Co-chair to the NM Coalition for Community Schools.

Deanna Creighton Cook

For the past 7 years, Deanna has worked as a Special Projects Coordinator for ABC Community School Partnership in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She holds a Master's degree in Educational Leadership from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Studies in Law degree from the UNM School of Law. Deanna was the Community School Coordinator for 5 years at Manzano Mesa Elementary, where she worked alongside the principal, families, and community partners to integrate the community school framework and strategies into the school’s plan for continuous improvement. Some of the programs started at Manzano Mesa, such as Homework Diner, Community Academic Mentoring, and the Preschool Parent Coop, have spread throughout the ABC network of community schools and even across the country. In her current role, Deanna designs the professional development of community school coordinators who are implementing the community school framework, builds system-wide partnerships, and works with the ABC team to create supportive community school policies and practices.

Andrew Montoya

As a born and raised New Mexican, classroom educator, community, state, and national organizer, consultant, and director, Andrew’s professional experience has been fueled by his drive to advance education justice through a participatory approach with transformational outcomes. From his experiences as a first generation college graduate, to raising two children in the Mesilla Valley and enrolling them in public school, his passion for public education is evident in his personal journey as well. “Students are why we do what we do, and ensuring their educational journey prepares them to become architects of their own future is the north star which guides me to help navigate our collective voyage to transform education for all of New Mexico’s children.” As the Director of the National Education Association of New Mexico’s Center for Community Schools, Andrew looks forward to weaving together opportunities in support of planning, implementation, and sustainability as well as expanding our statewide movement for Community Schools from the grassroots to the grasstops.

Consultants & Affiliated Partners

Timothy W. Hand, Ph.D.

Founder, Ocotillo Strategies

Ocotillo Strategies was founded to serve as an intermediary strategic partner to connect education policy to practice and practice to policy in New Mexico. Ocotillo Strategies believes that by amplifying community-connected, innovative practice and weaving the vast cultural, linguistic, and financial resources in the state with lived experience of those closest to the impact of policy and practice, New Mexicans can nourish the education ecosystem and continuously improve upon the student experience of learning. Student success happens one meaningful conversation at a time, and we aim to cultivate these conversations to strategically improve education outcomes in New Mexico.