Kathryn Turnipseed

Kathryn Turnipseed serves as the Associate Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico.  Prior to joining the staff in May of 2008, Kathryn created in 2006, Siladana LLC, a small private-company specializing in advocacy, program development, and strategic planning services for the non-profit sector.  In New Mexico she worked as the Executive Director for the Metropolitan Homelessness Project in 2005; Program Manager for the St. Martins Hospitality Center in 2003; and Project Assistant for the Phoenix Rising HIV/AIDS Re-entry Project in 1997.  Kathryn is an active member and organizer in her community, and presently serves as the Board President for the Albuquerque Vipassana Sangha.  She received her BA in Psychology from University of Evansville and her MBA from Rutgers University.

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Erin Pearson, Office Administrator

Erin Pearson joined the staff as Administrative Secretary in 2007. Outside of her work at the ACLU of New Mexico, she is a working artist and metalsmith, and has a 14 year-old daughter. Prior to working for the ACLU, Erin worked in the technical support department for BlackBerry. She attended the University of New Mexico and studied metalsmithing in Tucson, Arizona.

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Kathleen MacRae, Development Director

Kathleen MacRae became Development Director for the ACLU-NM in April 2008. She had worked closely with the ACLU for years in her former position as Director of the NM Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty. Kathleen moved to New Mexico ten years ago after living in Guatemala and Canada where she owned businesses that manufactured and distributed Guatemalan clothing and handicrafts. She received her MSW from Rhode Island College with concentrations in community organizing & development, public policy analysis, and non-profit administration. In addition to her work to repeal the death penalty, Kathleen has been active in the Santa Fe Living Wage Network, the Santa Fe Community Action Network and peace-oriented organizing.

Micah McCoy, Communications Specialist

Micah McCoy serves as the Communications Specialist, managing ACLU-NM media and press relations. Before joining the ACLU in July, 2009, Micah worked as a freelance writer in Austin, TX.

After graduating from Austin College in 2007 with degrees in Sociology and Spanish, Micah spent a year in Kenya working as the Communications Coordinator for the East Africa regional office of Church World Service, a relief, development and advocacy organization. Micah has also served as a volunteer coordinator for No More Deaths, an immigrants' rights and border advocacy organization based out of Tucson, AZ.

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Laura Schauer Ives, Managing Staff Attorney

Laura Schauer Ives joined the staff of the ACLU of New Mexico in
January, 2009, as its managing staff attorney.

After attending the University of New Mexico for her undergraduate
studies in English and Political Science, Laura went on to earn her
Juris Doctor at the University of New Mexico School of Law.  While in
law school, she worked to pass palliative care legislation in an
effort to ensure people receive adequate pain treatment at the end of
life. Since graduation, Laura worked at a small plaintiffs' firm in
Santa Fe, where she represented employees in discrimination cases
including Gates v. Wal-Mart, the largest civil rights class action
ever filed.  She has also served as an Assistant Public Defender.  In
the six years prior to joining the ACLU, Laura was a sole
practitioner, representing plaintiffs in employment discrimination
claims involving age, gender, ethnicity and First Amendment
retaliation.

Laura has two children, two dogs, and one husband.

Brendan Egan,Staff Attorney

Brendan Egan joined the staff in 2006 as a law clerk.  Upon completing law school and passing the New Mexico bar exam in the summer of 2008, he joined the ACLU of New Mexico as its second full-time staff attorney.

Brendan earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the University of New Mexico.  After completing his undergraduate degree, Brendan worked as a bicycle courier in San Francisco, where he was active in unionizing other bicycle couriers.  He also worked as the director of a small shelter for refugees and immigrants in El Paso, Texas, prior to starting law school

Andrew Polnett, Legal Assistant

Andrew Polnett Joined the staff part-time in June and serves as a Legal Assistant for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico. Andrew is a recent graduate of Central New Mexico Community College paralegal studies program and is in the process of becoming a certified paralegal. He plans on returning to the University of New Mexico in the spring where he plans on studying Criminology and Philosophy. It is his hope that he will continue on to University of New Mexico School of Law.

Andrew is a native resident of Albuquerque and is passionate about a variety of issues facing our Nation and communities. He has a diverse background having worked in various fields prior to attending CNM. He is an avid reader and enjoys writing and painting. 

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Diane Wood, Policy Director

Diane Wood serves as Director of the ACLU of New Mexico’s Northern Regional Office and as the organization’s principal advocate at the state legislature.

Diane has lobbied in New Mexico since 1979. Prior to joining the ACLU of New Mexico, she ran a government relations firm that represented a number of public interest clients, including the ACLU of New Mexico. She has also served as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Women’s Foundation and the New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women. Diane began her career in the retail industry, eventually working for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1564 as Organizer, Union Representative and then Political and Public Affairs Director.

Elida Nuñez, Administrative Assistant

A New Mexico native “Edie” Elida Nuñez serves as the Administrative Assistant to the Northern Regional Office of ACLU of New Mexico.  Edie recently retired from state government, after working for city, county and state in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.  To list a few, her experience includes the Office of the Attorney General, Office of the Governor, twelve Legislative Sessions, Public Regulation Commission, First Judicial District Attorney and Mayor’s Office.  Edie is a member and volunteer of several organizations in Santa Fe.

Adam Visher, Intern

Adam joined the Northern Regional Office as a Student Intern in September 2009.  He is currently in his third year at St. John’s College in Santa Fe where he is working on a B.A. in Classical Liberal Arts.  Before coming to Santa Fe, Adam served for three years in the United States Army. Adam got his EMT Certificate while in the Army, after returning from Iraq.  When he got out of the Army in 2005, he worked as an EMT in his hometown of Oakland, California.  After graduating from St. John’s, Adam hopes to attend medical school.

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Vicki Gaubeca, Director

Vicki Gaubeca has more than 20 years of upwardly progressive and leadership experience in community organizing, public affairs, communications, and public health in a variety of settings, but immigrant rights—as well as any civil rights—is an issue close to her heart. Born and raised in Mexico City, Vicki Gaubeca joined ACLU-NM most recently from Tucson, Arizona, where she was a passionate advocate and supporter for both immigrant rights and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT).  She has participated in numerous university and community LGBT groups and committees, including Wingspan, Equality Arizona and the University of Arizona OUTReach group, where she helped obtain domestic partner health benefits for state employees. In addition, she took leadership roles in campaigns that aimed to defeat anti-LGBT legislation in Arizona. She has a B.A. degree in English/Communications and a master’s degree in public health. Ms. Gaubeca, who speaks Spanish and English fluently, completed her public health internship in Guatemala, where she conducted an evaluation of a government health model in the country’s most rural state.

Emily Carey , Program Coordinator

Emily Carey, Program Coordinator for the Southern Regional Office & Border Rights Project, joined the ACLU of New Mexico staff in 2008.  She has been walking with immigrant and border communities in the pursuit of human and civil rights for years. Emily volunteered with a migrant shelter for women in Ciudad Juarez and later served as coordinator for a similar migrant shelter in El Paso, TX. She then worked in Tijuana for a bi-national non-profit focused on sustainable development and social justice education. Following the attainment of her MSW from the University of Michigan where she was able to apply her concentration in Community Organizing/Community & Social Systems to community based policy advocacy with immigrant communities in Detroit as well with a human rights organization along the El Paso border, Emily worked with asylees and refugees, some in ICE detention in the Los Angeles area.  She is pleased to be back walking with border communities, and even more pleased to call the region home. 

Michael Kiehne, Project Coordinator

Michael, a native of Anthony, NM, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from NMSU, with a Supplementary Major in Law and Society, and Minors in German and Philosophy.  Over the course of his four years at NMSU he attended multiple conferences in Las Cruces, NM, and Juarez, Chihuahua that deal with border issues, immigrants’ rights and justice for women in the Southwest . These conferences sparked his interest in international affairs. Upon his graduation in 2008 Michael was accepted into the inaugural class for the International Scholars Programs based out of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  While in this program he studied international business curriculum at local universities in Barcelona, Spain and Shanghai, China during the summer. Upon completing the program Michael received a graduate certificate in Global Enterprise Management and enrolled as a full time graduate student at RPI Hartford in the fall of 2008.  In the spring of 2009, he graduated with a Master of Science in Management degree with a concentration in Global Enterprise Management. He is planning to attend law school in the fall of 2010.

Melissa Bertolo, Intern

Melissa Bertolo joined the Regional Center for Border Rights in August of 2009. She is currently a MSW, MPH candidate at New Mexico State University. Melissa has a strong passion for peace and justice and has volunteered with the Dayton International Peace Museum, No More Deaths, and completed a year of service with AmeriCorps. Melissa graduated from Warren Wilson College, where she was actively involved in campus organizing. Melissa received a B.A. in Environmental and Social Justice in 2006.

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