Nonprofit Board Fundamentals

A graduate of the University of Phoenix and the University of Texas, El Paso, Alberto has lived for over twenty years in Santa Fe. Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy, he worked for twelve years managing the business operations of an Oscar-nominated entertainer and entrepreneur and ten years at two non-profits with a social justice mission. He is active in immigrant rights activities and fluent in Spanish. Passionate about health and physical fitness (you can find Alberto at the gym very early, every morning), or on a bicycle-having cycled across Portugal, the Adriatic coast, and the foothills of the Apennines of Italy and from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C.

Angel Charley is a New Mexico State Senator, strategist, and facilitator whose work centers on community-centered leadership, systems change, and relationship-building. In addition to her legislative work, she leads Desert Rain Strategies, a consulting practice focused on communications, facilitation, and organizational strategy at the intersection of culture, policy, and community impact.

Angel brings extensive experience working withnonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, Tribal communities, and public sector partners across New Mexico. Her facilitation style is interactive, grounded, and action-oriented, helping groups move from reflection and relationship-building into practical implementation.

Her fundraising training approach reframes fundraising as trust-building, storytelling, and long-term community engagement rather than transactional “asking.” Participants leave with practical tools, clearer messaging, and actionable strategies they can immediately apply within their organizations.

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Marcia Swain retired from her practice as a lawyer and mediator in 2010, having spent her career in Colorado. Throughout her career, she served on boards of directors of numerous community-based nonprofit organizations with diverse missions. She joined SCORE Santa Fe & Northern New Mexico in 2012, where she mentored both small businesses and nonprofits and served the chapter in a leadership capacity. Believing passionately in the power and potential of nonprofit organizations to deliver programs that benefit all people and the planet we share, she withdrew from active SCORE mentoring in 2020 to found her own business, Social Profit Advisors, whose mission is to provide information, inspiration, and support to nonprofit organizations and their leaders through education, mentoring, and consulting.

Nelsy Domínguez, MSW leads c3 Perspectives Consulting, LLC. As consultant to philanthropy and nonprofits she applies her many years of organizational ,grantmaking, leadership, programmatic, and equity-focused experience to expand the potential of the sector’s impact. Nelsy was the Program Director at Con Alma Health Foundation, a statewide health-conversion foundation and was integral to the New Mexico Community Foundation becoming a leading transformative statewide funder, executing place-based equity-driven capacity-building initiatives, and partnering with national and local foundations and grant recipients.

Areas of expertise and experience:

·        Grants & Program Development

·        Proposal Reviewer, Writer, Editor & Evaluator

·        Collaborative Strategic Planning

·        Equity Focused Solutions

·        Creative Thought Partner

·        Moderator and Facilitator

·        NGO Board &Staff Teambuilder, Motivational Coach, and Recruitment  

·        Event Planning

·        Administrative & Organizational Restructure

·        Alignment of Mission, Values and Action

·        Formulation ,Creation & Refinement of Policies, Procedure Manuals, Processes & Timelines

·        Budget Development, Management & Financial Oversight  

·        Interpersonal Supervision

·        Fund & Donor Development

·        Assessment & Support of Organizational Cultural Sensitivities

Robert Blanquera Nelson is a Pilipino immigrant, working for racial justice in Albuquerque, NM. He has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 10 years. He has worked predominantly in homeless and housing services, having helped found Albuquerque’s first community housing-first initiative, Albuquerque Heading Home. He recently served as the Program Manager for Pivotal New Mexico, specializing in developing resources and investments for New Mexico. Currently, he serves as nonprofit consultant and anti-racism educator, having trained with the local Anti-Racism Training Institute of the Southwest (ARTI) and the Peoples Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB). He currently serves on the Housing and Neighborhood Economic Development Fund Committee with the City of Albuquerque and is the Co-Chair for Asian American Association of New Mexico, working to build a vibrant Asian Pacific Islander community throughout the state. Lastly, he is a community organizer for the Historic Neighborhoods Alliance in downtown Albuquerque. In his spare time, Robert is an avid swimmer and enjoys mobile video games, cooking, writing, reading, and playing guitar.

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Roger Gullickson worked in the business world for over 40 years including owning an experiential marketing company before coming to Santa Fe. Both before and after moving he served on numerous nonprofit boards and is currently on the board of The Mountain Center. He is passionately interested in making a difference in the lives of youth both in his work with the center and with his Alma Mater as well as having taught entrepreneurship here in Santa Fe. He has been a SCORE Volunteer for eight years.

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Sarah is a Chicana with Mexican, Spanish, and Indigenous roots, born in Las Cruces and raised in Vado, New Mexico. A graduate of Gadsden High School, she comes from a family of farmers and mechanics. After graduating at the top of her class, Sarah moved to San Francisco, California, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in Theology and Latin American History from the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit institution.

While living in El Salvador, Sarah learned community organizing from Catholic nuns—an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to social justice. After six years of community organizing in San Francisco, she returned to Las Cruces and, in 2009, founded a nonprofit focused on grassroots organizing.

Sarah is a community organizer, former executive director, and certified coach for people working in social movements. She is the parent of two teenagers and the partner of someone living with a chronic illness. In her personal life, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and learning new things.

She identifies proudly as both Chicana and New Mexican and is intentional about creating brave, accountable spaces. Sarah is unapologetic in her belief in the power of vulnerability, an understanding of power dynamics, and consistent practice as pathways to lasting change. Open-minded and curious, she encourages clients to examine their behaviors and mindsets in order to explore new possibilities and choices.

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Dr. Everette W. Hill is the Principal and Managing Director of Social Innovation Strategies Group (SISG), an Albuquerque-based consulting firm specializing in organizational development, equity-centered strategic planning, and community design. With over 25 years of experience in human services and community development, Dr. Hill partners with public, private, and philanthropic sectors to build inclusive economies and sustainable systems across New Mexico.

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A recognized leader in ethical leadership and systemic equity, he was honored with the 2024 PNM Award for Individual Excellence in Ethical Business Practice. Dr. Hill holds a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Organizational Learning from the University of New Mexico, and he continues to drive regional impact by transforming organizational cultures and public policy frameworks.

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