SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard announced today that the Senate has confirmed three of her nominees to serve on the State Land Trusts Advisory Board (SLTAB). Under state law, members serve in an advisory capacity, meeting three times per year to provide feedback and insights to the Commissioner of Public Lands on issues regarding state lands. No more than four members of the advisory board can be from the same political party and each must represent one of the following interests: beneficiaries of state trust lands (public schools, universities and hospitals), extractive industries, agriculture, conservation or the general public.
The Senate today confirmed Beverly Allen to represent extractive industries, Mayane Barudin to represent the general public and Heather Miller to represent beneficiaries. Today’s Senate vote was unanimous in favor of the nominees. They join current STLAB advisory board members Paula Garcia (agriculture), Joanna Prukop (conservation) and Col. David West (beneficiaries).
“Our advisory board members are the eyes and ears of the State Land Office, bringing diverse perspectives that help us improve our policies and ultimately make more money for New Mexico’s public schools,” said Commissioner Garcia Richard. “The nominees confirmed today are all leaders in their respective communities and bring with them invaluable knowledge and experience. I applaud the Senate for confirming these three individuals so they can begin contributing to our efforts to maximize revenue for New Mexico’s schools, universities and other institutions.”
More about the nominees confirmed today:
Beverly Allen is the Community Affairs Representative for Chevron’s Mid-Continent Business Unit and has held this position since September 2019. Based out of Carlsbad and Hobbs, she is responsible for managing community and stakeholder relations, social investment, and communications for Chevron’s operations of Permian assets across New Mexico.
Mayane Barudin advocates for inclusive renewable energy policy development and implementation. She founded Sovereign Energy, a native-led nonprofit organization, to help center Tribal energy sovereignty and Indigenous voices within the renewable energy transition to enable energy reparations and sustainability for Indigenous peoples.
Dr. Heather Miller is the Special Education Administrator for the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired – a beneficiary of state lands – where she also advises the school on legal and policy issues. Raised in Alamogordo, Dr. Miller is also a small business owner in her spare time, operating a successful horse hotel near Tularosa.
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Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard has overseen the New Mexico State Land Office since 2019. In that time the agency has raised more than $5 billion for New Mexico public schools, hospitals, and universities. Over 13 million acres of state trust land are leased for a variety of uses, including ranching and farming, renewable energy, business development, mineral development, and outdoor recreation. The State Land Office has a dual mandate to use state trust land to financially support vital public institutions, while simultaneously working to protect the land for future generations.