Our Team
NMCAN’s team is a group of dedicated professionals, accountable to each other, our Youth Leaders, and the young people we serve.
Board of Directors*
President
Sara Keller
Nusenda Credit Union
Vice President
Stefanie Vigil, MPH, LMSW
Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico
Treasurer
Laura Rummler
Albuquerque City Council
Secretary
Carmen C. Meyer RN, BSN, CCM
Independent Healthcare Consultant
Members
Holly Patterson
Change Labs
Jessica I. Martinez, JD
New Mexico Immigrant Law Center
Staff
Erin Meadors, Associate Leadership Development
Erin (she/her) supports leadership and advocacy programming for young people to strengthen their voice and uplift their stories to make change in legislative structures. Erin has worked for several years teaching the arts to students in the juvenile justice system as a healthy means of self-expression. Through teaching these system-impacted youths she became more involved in advocacy, and is motivated to help empower more young folks to take ownership of their stories to make structural change in the systems that have previously failed them.
Ezra Spitzer, Co-Executive Director
Ezra (he/him) co-leads the organization to fulfill its mission and oversees the implementation of its strategic goals, objectives, and policies. He joined NMCAN in 2007 and had the privilege of being Executive Director from 2012 to 2022 when NMCAN revised its organizational structure to a co-director model. Previously, he served in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Central Asian Republic of Uzbekistan where he worked closely with a women’s crisis center and a youth empowerment center to build organizational capacity and cohesive strategies. Ezra also worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, helping resettle political refugees, and has mentored youth from the juvenile justice system as they transition to adulthood. Ezra holds a Master of Public Administration and previously served on the NM Children’s Court Improvement Commission and the NM State Workforce Board.
Lorilynn Violanta, Co-Executive Director
Lorilynn (she/her) co-leads the organization to fulfill its mission and oversees the implementation of its strategic goals, objectives, and policies. From 2015-2022, Lorilynn served as Director of Advancement, guiding fundraising, communications, public relations, and strategic partnerships. Lorilynn is dedicated to advancing socially just and influential change in our community, and prior to joining NMCAN, she managed a $2 million portfolio at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. She also guided fundraising activities for The Posse Foundation and Free Arts of Arizona. Lorilynn has a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College in New York City.
Marissa Vigil, Associate Community Building
Marissa (she/her) supports the implementation of programming that is centered around building social capital, community spaces for young people that strengthen their sense of belonging and promotes healing. Marissa spent 6 years in foster care navigating the system. She is an active advocate in the community and has been a part of different aspects of NMCAN since 2013. Marissa has also served as a Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative Young Fellow. She is passionate about being a strong mother, an artist, and a powerful advocate in her community. Someday soon, she hopes to operate her own non-profit that provides support to young women around healing and self-empowerment and to teach them “everything a mother teaches you.”
Yvonne Gallegos-Schobel, Senior Associate, Operations and Programming
Yvonne (she/her) provides direction for Operations and Programming at NMCAN. She began her community activism and systems change journey while working for Albuquerque Public Schools. She helped unhoused families navigate the educational system while working at the Title I Homeless Program. She continued her work in the school system by helping to develop processes and resources for students with disabilities to gain skills and maintain meaningful employment. She later went on to coordinate and manage strategic partnerships, such as food insecurity and basic needs. During her time at APS she was honored by the Board of Education for her work supporting students in the foster care system, as well as being named as Equity Champion.
*The Board of Directors meets the second Friday of every other month; please call us at 505-217-0220 for more information.