Community Matters: Quivira Coallition
Quivira Coalition
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
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This month on Community Matters, we speak with Leah Ricci, Interim Executive Director of the Quivira Coalition, and Nina Listro, Director of Quivira’s Carbon Ranch Initiative, about the importance of regenerative agriculture in New Mexico. They share their collaborative approach to supporting healthy working lands and resilient food systems — and explore how shifting priorities at the federal level are impacting local farming and ranching communities.
Leah Ricci - Leah is currently the interim executive director, after five years of directing Quivira's New Agrarian Program. Based in Santa Fe, she is providing leadership and organizational oversight during Quivira's executive director search.
Nina Listro - Nina is the director of Quivira's Carbon Ranch Initiative which conducts research, facilitates stakeholder engagement and educational outreach, and provides direct technical support to build the capacity of land stewards to test and implement evidence-based land management practices. She lives in San Pedro, NM where she operates a small educational farm.
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About Community Matters
Our monthly radio show invites subject experts and community leaders to talk about the challenges and inequities our region faces and possible solutions that could contribute to its growth. Hosted by Santa Fe Community Foundation staff, Community Matters airs on the third Wednesday of every month at 6:00 PM on KSFR (101.1 FM). Listen to past episodes here.
Community Matters: Human Rights Alliance
On this episode of Community Matters, we celebrate the Human Rights Alliance, recipient of the Santa Fe Community Foundation’s 2026 Courageous Innovation Piñon Award. Host Sandra Session-Robertson speaks with Executive Director Kevin Bowen about HRA’s growing year-round work to support LGBTQ+ communities and how all of us can help foster a more inclusive and connected northern New Mexico.
Community Matters: Education, Youth & Lifelong Learning
Learning doesn't stop when we leave the classroom. On this episode of Community Matters, host Sandra Session-Robertson sits down with Dave Warren of the El Rito Public Library to explore how rural libraries support lifelong learning, preserve northern New Mexico's cultural heritage, and serve as vital community hubs. Together, they discuss the importance of investing in these trusted institutions and the role they play in expanding educational opportunities for people of all ages.
Community Matters: Arts, Culture & Our Creative Safety Net
What role do artists play in building a thriving community? On this episode of Community Matters, host Christopher Goett sits down with Raashan Ahmad of Vital Spaces to discuss the importance of supporting New Mexico's creative community. Together, they explore how affordable creative spaces, community partnerships, and programs like Unhoused Art are helping artists thrive, and why a vibrant arts and culture ecosystem is an essential part of our community's safety net.
