GOVERNOR SUSANA MARTINEZ ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMISSION 

Governor Also Makes Appointments to Military Base Planning Commission and Judicial Standards Commission 

 

LAS CRUCES – Governor Susana Martinez announced today that she has made appointments to the Public Safety Advisory Commission as well as the Military Base Planning Commission and an additional appointment to the Judicial Standards Commission. 

Governor Martinez made the following appointments to the Public Safety Advisory Commission: 

• Chris Padilla of Albuquerque is the former Deputy Chief of Police for the Albuquerque Police Department, a position he held from 1998 until he retired from the force in 2000. He also served as Interim Chief of Police from 1997 until 1998. Padilla served the APD for nearly 20 years and now works as the Deputy Director of Corporate Investigations at Sandia National Laboratories. He holds a Bachelor of Police Science from New Mexico State University. 

• Sandra Russell of Las Cruces is the finance director for the New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. She previously oversaw budgetary matters at the Las Cruces Police Department. Russell holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from New Mexico State University. 

• Christopher Saucedo of Albuquerque is a partner at Saucedo Law Firm, specializing in employment law as well as commercial and construction law and general civil litigation. He is a member of the Albuquerque Bar Association Board of Directors and the Supreme Court of New Mexico’s Code of Professional Conduct Committee. Saucedo holds a B.B.A in Finance from New Mexico State University and earned his law degree from the University of New Mexico. 

• Edward Larrañaga of Albuquerque works as a market executive and serves on the board of directors of the Bank of Albuquerque. He previously worked as a risk management consultant at Manuel Lujan Agencies and was a vice president at Bank of America. Larrañaga also serves as president of the New Mexico Board of Directors of the Golden Apple Foundation. He graduated from New Mexico State University with a B.B.A. in Marketing. 

• David Wallace of Taos Ski Valley is the Director of the Taos Ski Valley Department of Public Safety. He previously served as Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal of The Colony Fire Department in The Colony, Texas. He is a certified paramedic and police officer in New Mexico. Wallace earned a B.S. in Fire Science from Rochville University. 

• Ken Blair of Taos was reappointed to the PSAC. He is the president of Sagebrush Inn, Inc. Blair also chaired Governor Gary Johnson’s Tourism Transition Team and serves as the chairman of the Taos Lodger’s Tax Committee. 

Governor Martinez also made the following appointments to the Military Base Planning Commission: 

• Lee Malloy of Clovis is the president of Honetreat Company. He is also the president of the Clovis Industrial Development Corporation and the chairman of the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce as well as the Chamber’s past president. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University. 

• Tom Phelps of Clovis is the chief executive officer of ENMR-Plateau Telecommunications. He is the current president of the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce and serves on the City of Clovis Aviation Board and the Clovis Municipal Schools Foundation Board. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from California State University, Fresno and earned his M.B.A. from Eastern New Mexico University. 

• Richard ‘Rube’ Render of Clovis retired from the Lockheed Martin Corporation in 2002 after working for over 20 years in program and project management. He is also a retired United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant. Render earned his B.A. in Management and M.A. in Human Resource Management from Redlands University. 

• Michael Connolly of Clovis is a former Commander of Cannon Air Force Base and retired from the Air Force after 25 years of service. He also served as the Clovis City Manager and was a small business owner in the aircraft industry. Connolly graduated with a B.S. in Liberal Arts from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and earned his M.S. in Business Administration from George Washington University. 

The Governor also appointed Joyce Bustos of Santa Fe to the Judicial Standards Commission. Bustos currently works as an independent criminal justice consultant and previously served as director of the Administrative Office of the District Attorneys. She holds a B.S. in Secondary Education and earned her M.P.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of New Mexico.