BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Marissa Ruyle

Chair

Account Executive, Federal Solutions at Gordian

Marissa Ruyle has over a decade of experience in commercial construction estimating, residential real-estate knowledge, and international building material manufacturing.

Her creative energy, passion for building science, and love for New Mexico will support her efforts as a Homewise Board Member.

As the account executive at Gordian, Marissa serves the federal market in construction planning and building facility operations by delivering critical data, innovative technology, and client-first services.

Marissa holds a BBA and MBA from New Mexico Highlands University in Finance with a minor in Marketing. Being that Homewise guided Marissa through her first-time homeowner journey, she is passionate about furthering the mission of Homewise.

Dr. Shelle Van Etten de Sanchez

Vice Chair

Director, Cultural Services Dept., City of Albuquerque

Dr. Shelle Van Etten de Sanchez is the Director of Cultural Services for the City of Albuquerque, serving on the mayor’s leadership team.

A business owner, organizer, educator, creative facilitator, and optimist, Dr. Sanchez lives happily with her family in the Barelas neighborhood of Albuquerque.

She has more than 25 years of professional experience and leadership in arts, culture, education, and entrepreneurship in a variety of settings.

She has a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Education, and a B.A. in Spanish and French from the University of New Mexico. Dr. Sanchez is the owner and principal consultant at Collaboristic, LLC, working on initiatives and projects that sit at compelling intersections of arts, education, and community.

Sean Harris

Secretary

Deputy Director, Field Intelligence Element, Sandia National Laboratories

Sean leads efforts to enable the research, development, and delivery of products and services critical to national security.

He has over 20 years’ experience in cyber security, information technology, and software and systems engineering.

Sean holds a BBA with a concentration Management Information Systems from the University of New Mexico, and a M.S with a concentration in Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois Springfield.

He was also the recipient of the 2024 Black Engineer of the Year Award, presented by US Black Engineer Magazine, in the category of Modern Day Technology Leader.

Amanda Kocon

Treasurer

Chief Strategy Officer, Edmentum

Amanda Kocon is the Chief Strategy Officer for Edmentum, an organization committed to being educators’ most trusted partner in creating successful student outcomes everywhere learning occurs.

Amanda works to bring Edmentum’s long-term vision to life by connecting strategy to execution and ensuring that our goals for growth and impact are aligned to the current and future needs of our education partners and the students we serve.

She has extensive experience setting strategy, growing and diversifying revenue across markets, and leading complex change.

Amanda most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer at The New Teachers Project (TNTP) and has also previously held senior leadership positions at JP Morgan Chase, including Chief Operations Officer of Global Futures and Options.

Monique Fragua

Member at Large

Chief Operating Officer, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) and Indian Pueblos Marketing, Inc. (IPMI)

Monique Fragua is from the Pueblo of Jemez and is a portrait of Pueblo women’s strength, determination, and love of community.

She is the first woman to accept a presidency role at the IPCC and IPMI, and now as COO, Monique leads both the non-profit and for-profit entities owned by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico.

She has made it her personal mission to create opportunities for Native communities and individuals by providing encouragement, training, and resources to advance their own goals.

Monique currently serves as Board Chair of the Pueblo of Jemez Housing Authority and serves the Albuquerque Community Foundation as a Board of Trustee.

Josue Olivares

Member at Large

Executive Director, Rio Grande Community Development Corporation

Josue Olivares is the Executive Director of the Rio Grande Community Development Corporation (RGCDC).

A systems thinker, with a strong drive for process and execution, Josue is a serial entrepreneur raised in Monterrey, Mexico. He studied architecture at Universidad Del Valle de Mexico, started several small businesses including a manufacturing company.

He’s intricately involved in the Albuquerque nonprofit sector, having served on many boards and committees. He’s presently is co-directing the Color Theory Initiative, a multi-pronged economic development approach.

Josue is the vice president of the South Valley Mainstreet Board of Directors and a recipient of the 2018 Albuquerque Business First 40 under Forty awards.

Bianca Ortiz Wertheim

Member at Large

Senior Advisor to the Latino Talent Initiative, Equis Research, Inc.

With experience advising Mayors, Governors, and US Senators, Bianca has overseen multi-million-dollar budgets, driven successful legislative campaigns, and delivered on priorities for the people of New Mexico.

As Cabinet Secretary for the NM Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Bianca helped direct millions in federal funding during the state’s response to COVID-19 and natural disasters.

Notably, as one of the first Latinas to serve as US Senate Chief of Staff, Bianca brings invaluable Capitol Hill experience, adept at navigating legislation, federal funding, and confirmations.

Bianca hails from Nambé, a small town north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she was fortunate to grow up in a multigenerational and bilingual household.

Joseph Kunkel

Member at Large

Principal and Director, MASS Design Group

Joseph Kunkel and citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation is a Principal at MASS Design Group, where he directs the Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

He is a community designer and educator, focused on sustainable development practices throughout Indian Country. His work includes exemplary Indian housing projects and processes nationwide. This research work has developed into emerging best practices, leading to an online Healthy Homes Road Map for tribal housing development, funded by HUD’s PD&R Office. His professional career has centered on community-based design, material research, fabrication, and construction. From 2013-2016, Joseph led the development of a 41-unit affordable housing development, supported by National Endowment for the Arts and ArtPlace America.

In 2019 Joseph was awarded an Obama Fellowship for his work with Indigenous communities. In 2018 Joseph received a Rauschenberg SEED grant from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and a 2019 Creative Capital Award. Joseph is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Civil Society Fellowship, a partnership of ADL and The Aspen Institute, and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Most recently Joseph was awarded the 2021 inaugural Elaine Johnson Coates Award, by the University of Maryland’s Alumni Association.

Jay Newton-Small

Member at Large

Jay Newton-Hall is a talented storyteller who has dedicated her career to pulling the threads of narrative out of people and putting them to the page.

Jay authored 2016 best-seller, Broad Influence: How Women are Changing the Way America Works, served as a Washington Correspondent for TIME Magazine, and founded MemoryWell, a national network of 1,000 writers who tell the life stories of seniors to help improve their care.

Jay has an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University and undergraduate degrees in International Relations and Art History from Tufts University.

Daniel Hernandez

Member at Large

Founder of PROYECTO

Daniel Hernandez is a real estate developer, planner, and project manager and the founder of PROYECTO. With more than 25 years of experience, his work spans urban projects across the U.S., including San Francisco, New York City, and Santa Fe. He has held leadership roles managing all phases of development, from programming and planning to financing and execution.

Daniel has worked in the for-profit, nonprofit, and public sectors, with a focus on building civic infrastructure that creates strong, equitable, and sustainable communities. His work builds on place-based assets to generate value and place-making solutions. He has extensive experience in affordable housing, public-private partnerships, large-scale mixed-use development, and arts, community, and education facilities.

Daniel’s work and dedication in real estate has led him to teaching positions at major universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Pratt, on subjects such as socially and environmentally responsible development and planning, and public/private partnership frameworks.

Daniel worked for several years on the Midtown District redevelopment in Santa Fe, NM, as a development consultant and former Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Director. He recently moved to Santa Fe as a full-time resident.

Ryan Centerwall

Member at Large

Chair of the Board for Gridworks, Inc.

Ryan Centerwall has lived in New Mexico since 2006. He is currently the Chair of the Board for Gridworks, Inc a New Mexico based company focused on powering the energy transition.

Ryan is passionate about improving New Mexico and our local community. He enjoys watching organizations develop and take on new challenges. Over the last 10 years, he has served on the board for multiple charitable organizations. He spends his free time with family and is engaged in outdoor hobbies.

Ryan attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and holds a B.S. in Pharmacology.

Joe Neri

Member at Large

CEO of IFF

Joe Neri is CEO of IFF, one of the nation’s leading community development financial institutions (CDFIs). IFF is a mission-driven lender, developer, and real estate consultants committed to helping nonprofits and the communities they serve to thrive. As CEO, Joe leads a staff of over 140 highly dedicated and talented professionals working across finance, real estate, development, policy, research, program management, and more.

With over 35 years of comprehensive community development experience, Joe has broad, direct experience in nonprofit management, community facility finance, planning and development; affordable housing; community small business lending; child care facilities design, finance, systems planning and charter school authorizing; and development. He is a passionate writer and advocate for the power of the nonprofit sector as engine of change.

He is past Chair of the Board and current Treasurer for Allies for Community Business, serves on the Community Advisory Committee for U.S. Bank, leads the CDFI/FHLB Working Group and previously served on the Community Advisory Committee of the St. Louis Federal Reserve and numerous nonprofit Boards.

Joe has held adjunct instructor positions at the graduate planning schools of the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois, Chicago. He holds a Masters in City Planning from UC Berkeley, and a Bachelors in Urban Affairs from Grinnell College.

Sara April

Member at Large

President of Dirks, Van Essen & April

Sara April is president of Dirks, Van Essen & April, the leading merger and acquisition firm serving the U.S. newspaper and media industry. Based in Santa Fe, she has spent two decades advising independent and corporate media owners on the sale, acquisition, and valuation of local news organizations across the country. Under her leadership, the firm has facilitated hundreds of transactions and is widely recognized as a trusted advisor in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

Sara brings deep expertise in both small and large business transitions, community-based enterprises, and the economic forces shaping local markets. Her work centers on helping owners navigate complex financial decisions while preserving the long-term sustainability of community institutions.

A longtime Santa Fe resident, Sara currently serves as a trustee at Santa Fe Preparatory School and will serve as board chair beginning in the 2026-2027 year.