Our Team

• Leslie Elgood Elgood
• J. Michael Schafer Schafer
• Shyla Sheppard Sheppard
• Mike Emerson Emerson
• Wendy Sandidge Saurman

Not pictured, Thad Porch, Managing Principal, Porch & Associates, LLC and NMCC Contract CFO

Thomas H. Aageson (Santa Fe, NM) the Executive Director GCCE. Tom previously served as the Executive Director of the Museum of New Mexico foundation where he successfully led a $25million capital campaign. Since coming to Santa Fe, Tom has developed New Mexico Creates (www.newmexicocreates.org), an economic development initiative creating market links for New Mexico artists and artisans. He is the co-founder of the International Folk Art Market. Before coming to Santa Fe Tom was director of Aid to Artisans, an international artisan enterprise development NGO. Previous to that he was at the Mystic Seaport Museum where he created the Mystic Maritime Gallery, which led to opening new markets for maritime artists and eventually spawned six for-profit gallery enterprises across the US. The market for maritime art grew by several times as did the prices for maritime artists work. He started a graphics enterprise, Mystic Maritime Graphics, publishing prints, posters and books. Tom created New England clambakes as a catering business as Mystic Seaport Museum. He holds a MBA from Columbia University and BFT from the Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird).

Kim T. Blueher (Albuquerque, NM – former NMCC Board member) is Director of Lending at WESST Corp., a non-profit organization that provides business assistance in the form of training, consulting and access to capital for low-income women and minorities. Kim manages the Loan Program at WESST Corp., which provides small business loans to start-up and existing businesses who are unable to access traditional sources of financing. She also conducts workshops on business plans and simple financial statement projections and analysis, and works one-on-one with clients. Kim has been associated with WESST Corp. since 1990. Kim received her BA in English (1979) from UNM and her MBA in Finance (1982) from the Robert O. Anderson School of Management at UNM. She worked for 10 years in the banking industry as a commercial loan officer in Phoenix, Arizona and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Mary Burns (Taos, NM) Private Investor, has lived in the Taos area since 1985 where she has served on the Boards of many community organizations. She is also an angel investor and has supported several businesses that are, or were, based in Taos and other parts of New Mexico, as well as other US states and abroad. Since 1992 she has been a member of the Investors’ Circle (IC), a national network of socially responsible venture investors who believe that business must lead the transition to a sustainable economy. For eight of those years Mary served as a member of the IC’s Board of Directors. Currently she is a member of the Board of the IC Foundation, working in the dynamic niche between venture capital, philanthropy and social investing. The IC Foundation provides an important vehicle for exploring the power of venture capital as a tool for social change. Mary grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and has a BA in English Literature from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, for which she has also served as a Trustee.

O. Dino Cervantes (Las Cruces, NM) Dino Cervantes is Managing Vice President of Cervantes Enterprises, Inc., a food processing organization specializing in the production of chile pepper products, and General Manager of Cervantes Agribusiness, an agricultural production organization that focuses on intensive agricultural production in southern New Mexico and northern Mexico.  He is a fourth-generation New Mexico farmer. His organization affiliations include serving as Vice-President of the NM Chile Association, President of the Chile Pepper Task Force, and membership in the Las Cruces Business Forum. He also serves on the New Mexico Chihuahua Commission on Economic Development and the Las Cruces Business Forum, a governor-appointed position.  In 2006, Dino received the Leyendecker Agriculturist of Distinction award from NMSU, and is a member of the NMSU Sam Steel Society, which recognizes outstanding community leaders in the agricultural industry.  Dino received his B.S. in Business Administration from New Mexico State University.

Roger Fragua (Jemez, NM) President of Cota Holdings – an international firm consulting with U.S. and Canadian Indian communities. Cota specializes in strategic business planning for emerging Indian owned, operated and managed enterprises with a focus in networking of technology, finance and construction, identifies funding and financing for Tribal projects. Roger formerly served as Deputy Director, Council of Energy Resource Tribes, Denver, CO and Manager, American Indian Affairs, for ENRON in Houston, TX.

Harold Lavender (Albuquerque, NM) Attorney, Harold W. Lavender, Jr., PC.  Formerly Of Counsel at the New Mexico-based law firm of Modrall Sperling. Harold is a 1969 graduate of the University of New Mexico and a 1975 graduate of the UNM Law School, practiced law as an associate at the Ussery, Burciaga and Parrish firm prior to moving to Chicago in 1976. He spent the last 34 years as a trader and broker on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, where he traded Corn, Plywood, Soybean Oil, Soybean Meal, and 5, 10, and 30 year Treasuries. He was twice elected to the Board of Directors of the CBOT, and served 3 years on the Executive Committee.

Davin Lopez (Dona Ana County, NM) MVEDA President & CEO, was born in Michigan, but raised in New Mexico with New Mexican roots going back over 200 years. Prior MVEDA, Davin served as Vice President of the New Mexico Partnership, the private economic development business attraction arm of the State of New Mexico. He also spent two years in private business consulting advising smaller, high-growth companies on their strategic initiatives and growth plans.
Davin holds an MBA from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, San Diego, and is also a licensed real estate Broker in the State of New Mexico.

Kristin Martinez (Albuquerque, NM) Kristin Martinez is an experienced early-stage investor and entrepreneur who has spent the past 2 decades working with new ventures as an entrepreneur, investor, director and advisor.  She is the founder of Sound Point Ventures, LLC, a venture development and management company operating in Seattle, Washington and Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Through Sound Point, Kristin started Angels with Attitude, the first active angel fund focused on sustainability.   Kristin was a director and the first CFO of portfolio company Advent Solar, which was sold to Applied Materials in 2009.  After leaving Advent, Kristin was a founder, director and CFO of medical device startup Acoustic Cytometry Systems, which commercialized technology licensed from Los Alamos National Laboratory.  The angel-funded company was sold to Invitrogen in October, 2008.  She is currently a director of TraceDetect, Mobius Technologies, MACH Energy, and CleanSwitch. She is a member of the New Mexico Angels, and was a founding member of Seraph Capital, a Seattle angel network for women.   Kristin has a BS from Boston University and an MBA from The George Washington University.

Ray Moncrief (Kentucky) has held various positions within Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation since 1984 and is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Ventures, Inc., a Small Business Investment Corporation (SBIC) licensed by the U. S. Small Business Administration and a wholly owned subsidiary of Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation. In these capacities, Mr. Moncrief is responsible for the investing activities of Kentucky Highlands and Mountain Ventures including analyzing new investments and portfolio management. He has served as Chief Executive Officer of five of Kentucky Highlands’ investee companies and has been instrumental in providing financial and operational leadership in many turnaround and financial restructuring situations. Mr. Moncrief has in-depth experience in startup, expansion, and divestiture of businesses.

Jenny Parks (Santa Fe) President and CEO of the New Mexico Community Foundation (NMCF). The Foundation is a 28-year old state wide community foundation that works to bring opportunity and equity to the lives of New Mexico’s most vulnerable people and animals. As an endowment-building and grant-making organization, the New Mexico Community Foundation serves and invests in New Mexico’s people, communities and environment. With partners in every county, NMCF promotes philanthropy as a tool for building community assets, relationships and self-reliance. In 2010, the Foundation granted out over $5.8 million in grants and scholarships to non-profits and individuals in every corner of the state.

Jasper Welch (Farmington, NM) is Director of the Quality Center for Business at San Juan Community College. Since 1991, Jasper Welch has operated a management consulting practice, which specializes in strategic planning, organizational development and personnel management. Educated at the University of Colorado, Jasper is certified in business planning, personnel assessments, quality management and local governance. In 1999, Jasper began work at San Juan College where he is the director of the Quality Center for Business, which includes the B&I Training Center www.training-ctr.com and the Enterprise Center (business incubator) www.sjc-enterprisecenter.com. He developed the Business Development Breakfast and “Brown Bag” lunch programs for EC companies. Jasper hosts numerous tours and visitations of the Quality Center for Business and he has been a champion of business incubation in New Mexico and the Rocky Mountain Region.

Peyton Yates (Artesia, NM)  Yates is a former president of Yates Petroleum Corporation, an Artesia-based energy firm and the largest independent oil and gas company in New Mexico. He currently serves on the company’s board of directors. He is also president of Yates Drilling Company, an oil and gas operator in Artesia.  In addition to the Executive in Residence program at NMSU, the Yates family has played a vital role in NMSU’s Dennis Darnall faculty achievement award, the Gerald Thomas Society, the President’s Associates Scholarship and Endowment Fund and various NMSU athletic programs.  In 2001, John A. Yates Sr. received an honorary doctorate from NMSU. John and Charlotte Yates established a student teaching endowment at the university. Yates earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering in 1965 and his master’s degree in 1966 from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jay Calhoun

Director of Strategic Investments

Cherokee Nation Businesses, Tulsa, OK

Jay Calhoun is the Director of Strategic Investments at Cherokee Nation Businesses, the for-profit holding company of the Cherokee Nation. In his role, Jay oversees all aspects of the direct equity investment program – to further the goals of job growth, capability development and long-term wealth creation for the Tribe.

Jay received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and his Masters of Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He brings to CNB years of problem solving, strategic advisory and leadership experience as an engineer, management consultant and investment banker. Jay is actively involved with science and business education through the American Indian Science & Engineering Society and Junior Achievement. Jay also serves on the Board of Directors of Youth Services of Tulsa.

Jay is a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in Tulsa with his wife (Tracy) and their daughter (Maddie).

Penelope Douglas, Board President

SOCAP, San Francisco, CA

Prior to joining The Hub | SOCAP as President of the Board, Penelope Douglas founded and served as CEO of Pacific Community Ventures. PCV, a nonprofit whose mission is to invest human, intellectual and financial capital in small businesses for the benefit of economically underserved communities, has helped to create more than 5,000 jobs for lower-income workers at 250 small businesses throughout California. Penelope was additionally a partner in Pacific Community Ventures LLC, with $60 million of committed capital.

For nearly three decades, Penelope has applied her strategic acumen and dedication to social change for organizations such as Morrison & Foerster, Odwalla, Ernst & Young, New Mexico Community Capital, Wells Fargo, San Francisco’s Larkin Street Youth Center, Friends of the Urban Forest Juma Ventures, and more. She’s been featured by media outlets such as the New York Times, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle and California magazine, which includes recognition as a pioneer of “compassionate capitalism,” and a Robert A. McNeeley Trailblazer Award winner.

In addition to being a leader of social change, Penelope is an athlete who has competed in ultra marathons and Ironman distance triathlons, and an artist whose paintings and drawings have been exhibited publicly. Penelope is a native of California and a graduate of Smith College.

Richard H. Harding, Managing Partner

International Venture Fund I
, San Francisco, CA

Richard Harding is a Managing Partner with Santa Fe Venture Partners, which is a General Partner with the Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm International Venture Fund I. IVF I is a seed and early stage Venture Capital group with investments in California, Arizona, Utah, Hawaii, and New Mexico.

Since forming Santa Fe Venture Partners in 1998 and becoming a General Partner with IVF I, Harding has been actively involved in technology commercialization at the University of New Mexico, Sandia National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has served on the Board of Directors of Science and Technology Center @ University of New Mexico where he headed the Start-Up Committee. STC@UNM is the technology commercialization arm of the University and the Start-Up committee under Harding’s leadership has identified and guided high potential technologies through the start-up phase. In addition, Harding served as an Advisory Board Member for the Los Alamos National Laboratory Technology Commercialization Office where he assisted in the Lab’s technology commercialization efforts.

Prior to moving to Santa Fe, Harding was a senior executive and member of Managing Committee with Silicon Valley Bank, Santa Clara, CA., the nation’s leading provider of financing to emerging, high growth technology and life sciences companies. At SVB he worked with dozens of start-up ventures to develop successful commercial companies. During his 28 year corporate and banking career, he held senior positions with First Interstate Bank and American Express International Banking Corp. with assignments in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. Over the course of his career, he launched five successful new business entities within these corporate environments.

Harding received his BA from the University of Montana, his graduate degree in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird Campus), and an MBA from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

Owen Lopez, Executive Director

McCune Charitable Foundation, 
Santa Fe, NM

Owen Lopez is currently the Executive Director of the McCune Charitable Foundation.  The Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations in New Mexico, in the areas of Arts, Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, and Social Service programs.

Owen Lopez has been involved in community affairs, serving on the Board of Directors and as President of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival; and as Regent and President of the Board of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and as a member of the Board of Visitors and Governors of St. John’s College.  He also served as Trustee of the International Folk Art Foundation; the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute, and as Commission Member of the National Gallery of American Art of the Smithsonian.  He is currently a Board Member of New Mexico Community Capital.

Born and raised in Albuquerque, Mr. Lopez is the  member of long-time New Mexico family.  Hobbies include golf, squash, skiing, fly fishing and Great Books seminars.

Beverlee McClure, President & CEO

New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry, 
Albuquerque, NM

Dr. Beverlee J. McClure is the president and CEO of the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry (ACI). ACI is the statewide business advocate who aggressively lobbies the state’s legislative, executive, and judicial branches year-round to enact laws and policies that improve the state’s business climate. In this capacity, Dr. McClure is working to facilitate positive change in the laws and regulations that govern business and industry.

Previously, Dr. McClure served as the state’s first cabinet secretary of higher education, a position she held for almost two years. In this position, she created the department and championed such causes as $100 million endowment in the College Affordability Fund to help with meet the financial needs of low-income students. She also worked to implement performance-based funding, and to increase the amount spent for deferred maintenance at our institutions.

In addition to being a member of the New Mexico Women’s Forum and the New Mexico Amigos, she is a founding member and vice-president of the New Mexico Heart Gallery Foundation. She also serves on the board of New Mexico First.

T. Greg Merrion, President

Merrion Oil & Gas, 
Farmington, NM

T. Greg Merrion is the President of Merrion Oil & Gas, a second generation, family-owned independent producer based in Farmington, NM. Merrion Oil & Gas is the 24th largest producer of natural gas in New Mexico, and also has operations in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Prior to coming to work for Merrion Oil & Gas in 1985, T. Greg worked as a production engineer for Superior Oil and Mobil.

T. Greg has a Petroleum Engineering degree from Colorado School of Mines and a Masters degree in Business from New Mexico State University. He is a past president of the Independent Petroleum Association of NM and a past chairman of the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association. He is a graduate of Leadership San Juan and Leadership New Mexico, and currently serves on the Farmington Planning and Zoning Commission and the San Juan College Foundation Board. He’s also a member of the New Mexico Amigos and a Director on the Petroleum Technology Transfer Board.

T. Greg and his wife Susan have four children. His hobbies include snowboarding, golfing, running, and working crossword puzzles.

Kip Ritchie, Chief Operations Officer

Potawatomi Business Development Corporation, Milwaukee, WI

Kip Ritchie is a member of the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe and serves as Potawatomi Business Development Corporation’s (PBDC ) Chief Operating Officer. As COO, he is responsible for managing all hands-on operational aspects of the company. Additionally, he assists the CEO in ensuring that PBDC goals are met or exceeded. Potawatomi Business Development Corporation operates as an economic development and income diversification business company. It offers business development and financial education services, and investment programs. The company, through its subsidiaries, also involves in the commercial and residential real estate, ethanol plants/manufacturing, hospitality, specialty grocery, and software development businesses. Potawatomi Business Development Corporation was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Kip is responsible for driving the company to achieve and surpass sales, profitability, cash flow and business goals and objectives. Prior to his appointment as COO, Kip served as Senior Vice President for the PBDC. Kip holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from the University of Wisconsin. He also serves as the Chair of the Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation Advisory Board, serves on the Advisory Board for the American Indian Business Network, National Indian Gaming Association Associate Member Board, the Native American Finance Conference Board of Directors, and the Native American Contractors Association Board of Directors and the Children’s Health Alliance Advisory Board. Kip works closely with the Indian Country to ensure that tribal economic development opportunities are preserved and advanced for the Forest County Potawatomi Community and all tribes.

Richard Schneider, Managing Director

Easton Capital Investment Group
, New York, NY

Dick is a founding partner of the Easton Capital Investment Group, where he and his partners oversee a group of venture capital and private equity funds with a combined portfolio of more than $200-million.  Prior to joining Easton  Capital  in 1997, Dick was Vice President of Corporate Development at Handy & Harman, a diversified industrial company, and Vice President, Planning & Development at Sequa Corp. (formerly Sun Chemical). At Sequa, he participated in initiatives that increased revenues from $700 million to more than $2 billion and completely restructured the operating base of the company through a series of acquisitions and diverstitures. Before joining Sequa, Dick held senior  development and planning  positions at Continental Grain Company, General Foods and Arthur D. Little.

He received an MBA degree from Harvard Business School and BS and AB degrees from Princeton University.

Dick serves on the Boards of Achronix, Sonics, TLC Envirotech and Java Brands.  He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Upstate Venture Association of New York since 2004, and is also a member of the National Advisory Council of the Sheridan Libraries at Johns Hopkins University.  He has served as a volunteer Investment Manager to New Mexico Community Capital since 2009. He has family in Corrales, NM.

Gayle Watson, Vice President

People Ink, Plano, TX

The former Chief Learning Officer for Bank One Texas, she has over 30 years experience developing corporate universities and facilitating leadership development programs for a variety of industries including health care, financial, retail, technology, customer service, and non-profit.

Watson has designed, written, and taught leadership educational programs for Fortune 500 corporations including American Airlines, Frito-Lay, J.C. Penney, Bank One, Compass Bank, Comerica Bank, H&R Block, Florida Hospital System, VHA, and American Express. She is the author of the CARE University, a curriculum based on the patented version of the Off the Wall Leadership model, distributed by CareLeaders, LLC, through a proprietary online portal to hospitals including Loma Linda University Medical Center and the Florida Hospital System.

Gayle has been an entrepreneur since 1991 and has served on the board of directors and as national president for the National Association of Women Business Owners. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the Center for Women’s Business Research.