Hires, Applause, ETC: Albuquerque Journal Business Briefcase

Welcome

Molly Swank has been named executive director of Common Cause New Mexico, a non-partisan voting rightsgroup. Swank served as community engagement director for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, directing field operations and electoral campaigns in a four-state area, including New Mexico. Previously, she served as legislative and advocacy associate for Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin. Swank has worked as a campaign and programs director for the Center for Civic Policy and as a field education coordinator for the master’s in social work program at Highlands University. She is a graduate of Emerge Wisconsin and several Wellstone training programs, where she was trained in volunteer engagement and voter mobilization. Swank holds a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Dan Lewis has been named executive director at the Asphalt Pavement Association Of New Mexico. Lewis has held positions such as the president of Desert Fuels, owner of Refined Fuels Transport and most recently the director of operations at Davidson Oil. He has experience in public policy and public works. The Asphalt Pavement Association of New Mexico represents the interests of the asphalt pavement material producers, paving contractors and agencies requiring asphalt paving in the state.

Michael Sage, has been hired as assistant commissioner of commercial resources at the State Land Office. Sage is a certified economic developer with more than 16 years of economic development experience. Most recently, Sage served as both deputy director of the Greater Gallup Economic Development Corporation and regional economic development manager for the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments. Sage was named Developer of the Year in 2020 by the NM IDEA and in 2023, was named a Top 40 Economic Developer under 40.

Ethan Orlando Ortega has been hired as assistant commissioner of cultural resources at the State Land Office. Ortega previously served as the division director of the Cultural Resources Office. Ortega holds a bachelor’s from Eastern New Mexico University, a master’s degree from the University of New Mexico and he is currently enrolled as a doctoral student at the University of New Mexico.

Tony Andrade has joined Modrall Sperling. Andrade works in the areas of real estate and commercial matters in the litigation and transactional arenas. Tony counsels clients on issues involving contract formation and negotiation, property and land use analysis, boundary and easement disputes, condemnation, construction defect claims, residential and commercial leasing, foreclosure and creditor’s rights. Prior to joining Modrall Sperling, he advised Silicon Valley real estate startups through formation and corporate acquisition.

Celina Baca has joined Modrall Sperling in the firm’s litigation department, focusing on personal injury, products liability and insurance disputes. During law school, she tutored students in torts and criminal law, completed an externship with Judge Julie J. Vargas at the New Mexico Court of Appeals, and was a member of the National Hispanic Bar’s moot court team. Prior to joining Modrall Sperling, Baca served a two-year term as a law clerk for Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon at the New Mexico Supreme Court.

Taryn Osborne has joined Modrall Sperling in the firm’s litigation department. Osborne earned her bachelor’s degree from Ohio University. She then attended Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where she was an executive articles editor of the Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, and spent a semester externing in Colorado’s First Judicial District Court. After law school, Osborne moved to Santa Fe to clerk for Justice David K. Thomson of the New Mexico Supreme Court.

Yarithza Peña has joined Modrall Sperling. Peña’s work focuses on the representation of oil and gas operators in compulsory pooling actions and clients who seek drilling approvals for both vertical and horizontal, saltwater disposal and acid gas injection wells before the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division and the Oil Conservation Commission. Peña attended the University of New Mexico School of Law where she gained experience in criminal law, family law and immigration law matters during her time in the Community Lawyering Clinic at UNM.

Benjamin Rossi has joined Modrall Sperling in the firm’s litigation group. His focus is on personal injury claims, product liability cases and class actions. Rossi earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago with honors. He went on to obtain a master's and PhD at the University of Notre Dame. Rossi attended Duke University School of Law, where he was senior research editor at the journal “Law and Contemporary Problems” and graduated cum laude.

Promotion

Kathryn Coppinger of Amarillo has been named a key account manager working with Xcel Energy’s commercial and industrial customers in the company’s Texas and New Mexico service area. Coppinger is a graduate of West Texas A&M University. She started at Xcel Energy as an administrative assistant in 2015, and became an operations program manager in the company’s contracting organization in 2016. In 2021, Coppinger was a recipient of both the “20 Under 40” and the “Citizens on the Move” business professionals awards recognizing younger people making a difference in the community.

Karli Pigg of Lubbock has been named a key account manager working with Xcel Energy’s commercial and industrial customers in the company’s Texas and New Mexico service area. Pigg is a native of Amarillo and a graduate of Texas Tech University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. She started her career in the manufacturing industry, and joined Xcel Energy four years ago as an engineer in Distribution Design. While at Xcel Energy, she obtained her engineer-in-training certification, and is currently studying to become a professional engineer.

Etc.

Commercial Real Estate Women New Mexico has announced its 2024 officers and board of directors. The new board members are:

President: Rathi Casey, Homewise, Inc.

Past-President: Ron Sisneros, ISHC, Inc.

President-Elect: Genieve Posen, NAI SunVista

Treasurer: Claire Kowalski, Southwest Capital Bank

Secretary: Jamie Field, Beck Total Office Interiors

Directors:

Kelly Atwood, Southwest Insurance Group

Tamara Beall, REDW

Jennifer Greenwood, Centric Title and Escrow

Mary Jury, Own It Couch

Gabi Marques, New Mexico Minority Business Development Agency Business Center

Myra Villalobos, Villalobos Builders LLC

Historian:

Alex Pulliam, NAI SunVista

Associated Contractors of New Mexico has announced members for its board of directors. The members are:

President — Shawn Hammer. Hammer has served on the board of directors of ACNM for the last five years and has worked in the construction industry for 29 years, focusing primarily in heavy highway construction.

Board members:

Keith Sampson, regional sales manager for Wagner Equipment.

David Shoup, chief executive officer of Constructors, Inc. and president of the GP for United Materials and TDM Leasing

Bulletin Board

SCORE Albuquerque will host its workshop titled “Ask the Expert Q&A: Business Funding” from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday via Zoom. Stephanie Skaggs, SCORE funding and financing expert, will answer questions regarding business funding such as growing a company, bank loans and business funding alternative financing options in this Q&A-style workshop. This workshop is free; register at score.org/albuquerque.