EDD Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes looks back at 5-year tenure

In a world of economic development, Alicia J. Keyes knew the importance of the film industry.

A former executive at Walt Disney Co., she came back to New Mexico to create film, often putting on her producing hat for locally-made films.

Then the Albuquerque Film Office came calling — where she led the office and was able to help bring Netflix to the city.

By 2019, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Keyes to become secretary of the New Mexico Economic Development Department.

For the last five years, Keyes and her staff have not only been instrumental in keeping the state’s film incentive package competitive, but they have also bolstered movement in areas such as the border, outdoor recreation and the Spaceport.

Keyes departed her position on July 13.

“Secretary Keyes’ commitment to carrying out the vision of my administration and her dedication to making New Mexico a great place to live have been integral to the economic health of our great state,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

In the five years, Keyes’ main goal was to bring and keep jobs in New Mexico.

It’s a difficult task in general, but she and her staff also had to deal with a pandemic and the aftermath of that.

If Keyes had been asked about having a public sector job a decade ago, she would have never seen it in her future.

She says during the Trump administration, she felt like she needed to step up and give back to her community.

“Everything that was going on federally felt negative,” she says. “As a woman, I wanted to stand up for us and all of those are underserved. When I started with film, I knew I could succeed with it. I knew the industry well, and it was time that we cemented New Mexico not just as a place to shoot a film or TV show, but as an ecosystem where you can live and work and have a family.”

With knowing film like the back of her hand, Keyes admits that the cabinet secretary position came with a learning curve.

“My learning curve was so massive,” she says. “Luckily, the Economic Development Department has an amazing staff. We brought in John Clark as deputy and that’s really when global trade, aerospace, outdoor recreation came into play. I had no experience in these sectors, but they all just started opening up.”

Though it was scary, Keyes knew she had to hit the road and travel across the state to get herself familiar with each sector.

“I think the work that I did on the border is probably the most memorable for me because it wasn’t only economic development, it was international relations,” Keyes says. “We were working with Mexico and in order for deals to go through, you need to make sure both countries are on board and spending money on infrastructure. With the Asian companies coming over, it’s helping that area of the border.”

In 2019, the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division was created and began to highlight the state’s outdoor recreation economy.

Her work with the Spaceport gave her an opportunity to dig deeper and find out what’s working well.

“Having Virgin Galactic and these successful flights has been amazing,” she says.

Keyes says getting Netflix to expand, as well as NBCUniversal and 828 Productions to all have production hubs and become state film partners is another highlight to her five-year tenure.

With the successes came some tough times.

With the pandemic taking hold in 2020 and fires in northern New Mexico last year, Keyes found it difficult to see and hear that people were struggling.

The department created a hotline where companies could call and get one-on-one information with federal programs.

“Our department took money and helped contribute to the fires in Las Vegas,” she says with tears in her eyes. “Through COVID and the fires, the EDD staff stepped up. During that time, helping people was what we had to do.”

As her tenure ends with the state, Keyes is looking forward to her future after she returns from a much-needed vacation.

She feels fortunate to have had the capacity to give back to the New Mexico community — because this is where her roots are.

“The difference between the public and private sector has similarities,” she says. “With the public sector, I got to say, ‘How can I help?’ and that’s been wonderful. I was hands-on with film and TV, the border, Spaceport and outdoor rec,” she says. “Those were the four areas that needed help, and when moved forward, could have the biggest impact. We did a lot of good work. To be able to be in that conversation has been amazing.”

SEND ME YOUR TIPS: If you know of a movie filming in the state, or are curious about one, email film@ABQjournal.com. Follow me on Twitter @agomezART.