Executive Director Learning Circle

Marsie Silvestro brings four decades of expertise to her roles as an intuitive and dynamic Executive Director, Board and Staff Trainer, Group Retreat Facilitator and Mentor. Her leadership experience spans work on both the local and national levels. She is proficient in the Appreciative Inquiry Strategic Model which focuses on identifying an organization's strengths through individual and group interviewing progresses that honors what has been done, creates transformative collective dreaming and creating effective solution based and accomplishable work plans that will move an agency toward growth and a new pathways toward a successful mission.

Marsie believes that no matter what someone’s position is in an agency or the community, all are needed to steer towards a future that elevates the voices and needs of those they serve, as well as ensures that staff and board members feel heard, listened to, included, and appreciated as a thread in the web of service and safety.

Ross Chaney is a seasoned nonprofit and business consultant who specializes in strategic planning, writing, executive coaching, and applications of AI for nonprofits and small organizations. He has 20 years of experience in northern New Mexico nonprofit and public service, working across different leadership roles and diverse sectors. Ross’ experience includes:

1. Coaching for ED’s and program staff for leadership development
2. Governance, organizational development, operations and strategy
3. Policy issues, program/operations expansion or reduction
4. Budgeting and finance coaching
5. Reviewing grant proposals, reports, and other documents
6. Exploring the potential of AI for your organization
7. Extensive knowledge of Native American and NM culture

Carla Romero (she/her/ella) is the Executive Director at the McCune Charitable Foundation. She has worked in the non-profit sector for close to 30 years and has worked at the McCune Charitable Foundation in Santa Fe, New Mexico since January 2012 (as Administrative Director, Interim Executive Director and now as ED).  Carla is interested in fostering a collaborative and equitable culture for her lean team and the communities they serve. Her passion to create more access to opportunities and remove barriers, especially for students of color, was fueled by her first job in student development as part of the University of New Mexico’s NASA Training Project and deepened in her role as Director of the Academic Center for Engineers at the University of Texas at El Paso (a center run by students for students). She came to the McCune Foundation from the Computing Research Association where she served as the Director of Programs, working toward increasing the number of women and people of color in the field of computing research. Carla works with the McCune Board and leadership team to advance the Foundation’s mission and strategic plan as well as manage the Foundation’s resources and operations. Carla is a first-generation college graduate, and holds an undergraduate degree from UNM and a Masters of Public Administration from UTEP. She enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, cooking and exploring paths by her home along the acequias of the semi-rural Village of Los Ranchos.

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Dennis provides coordination and leadership for Con Alma’s program work. He assists our applicants, grant recipients, and partners, and supports the Foundation’s communications, and grant portal processes. As a first-generation college graduate, Dennis identifies with many of the communities Con Alma supports. He likes to learn about the incredible work grantees and partners do across New Mexico and looks for opportunities to help spread their messages. He focuses on his health by walking daily, and eating as fresh and local as possible. Both at Con Alma and personally, he loves learning new things and has numerous interests, including reading, drawing, writing, and movement. Dennis is a fan of road trips, where he can revel in our state’s abundant open spaces, and rich cultural diversity. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s in Social Work, and an associate’s in Human Services, areas of study that foster an ethic of life long learning and service to our communities and people.

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Diane Hamamoto is the Director of Grants & Community Impact at the Santa Fe Community Foundation. In this position, there are two primary goals: deploying money to nonprofits as quickly and efficiently as possible through our grants processes (donor-advised, competitive, emergency grants),and building strong relationships with our area nonprofits by listening, learning, and sharing information.

Prior to joining the community foundation in 2010, Diane worked for 27 years mainly in the corporate legal area, and law firm administration. She attended the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources in the early ‘80s – hence the decision to move to Boston and work in the much more lucrative legal field.  

 Outside of the office, you will find Diane playing in the kitchen or outside in the garden, growing and learning the medicinal qualities of plants.

Horacio R. Trujillo regularly advises senior leadership of philanthropies, businesses, governments, intergovernmental organizations and social purpose agencies worldwide on strategy, long-range planning and learning practices to improve humanitarian, development and environmental efforts, and has taught at universities on leadership, humanitarian action, economics and political economy, socioeconomic development, global security, public policy and policy analysis. His published research covers governance, counterterrorism, disaster response, prevention of election-related violence, large-scale violence and mass atrocity prevention, and civic leadership. He has advised the Ford, Gates, MacArthur, Packard, MasterCard and Nike Foundations; the World Bank, UNDP, USAID and DFID; the US Institute of Peace; Oxfam, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council and Technoserve; C40, RMI and Clean Air Task Force; and business–social purpose initiatives such as the UN Global Compact and EDF’s Corporate Partnerships Program. He helped launch Humanity United from the Omidyar Network, served as senior advisor to the Metanoia Fund, and for over a decade was a featured speaker for The Philanthropy Workshop (now Forward Global).

He has co-founded, served on or advised boards including Soliya (fostering understanding between Western and Arabic/Islamic youth post-9/11), the Harry S Truman Foundation (promoting lifelong public service), People For the American Way (defending inclusive American democracy), the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, A Place Called Home, Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, and the New Mexico Climate Investment Center. Before advising leaders, he worked on US foreign and economic policy in the House and Senate. His university teaching includes creating Occidental College’s international political economy, development and human security studies and courses at Stanford, Pepperdine and the University of Kabul. He has been a fellow or scholar with Stanford’s SCCN, George Mason’s ICAR, Columbia’s Saltzman Institute, the Santa Fe Institute and the University of Jakarta’s Institute for Social and Economic Research. He holds degrees from Georgetown SFS (international political economy and development), Oxford’s International Development Centre, Stanford GSB and the RAND Corporation, where his doctoral work combined qualitative and quantitative methods to guide governments, businesses and social purpose organizations on complex issues in economics and international security.

Joseph Hill is a passionate change maker who has spent over 20 years transforming communities through public health, coalition building, and grassroots leadership. Currently serving as Health Council & Public Health Specialist with the New Mexico Alliance of Health Councils, he leads statewide capacity-building programs and advocacy efforts that lift up the voices of underserved communities across the state. Before his current role, Joseph served as Director of Prevention and Community Collaborations at New Mexico's Public Health Institute, The Center for Health Innovation, where he championed statewide initiatives through community-based programs. He also held multiple leadership positions at the National Center for Frontier Communities, including Director of Community Wellness and Education, where he supported county health councils, mentored coordinators statewide, and led multi-county coalitions focused on behavioral health, substance misuse prevention, and youth engagement. Through both roles, he directly stewarded over $6 million in public health funding while building meaningful connections from individual relationships to statewide partnerships that create lasting community change.

A skilled facilitator and trainer with a rich background in the clergy, Joseph holds undergraduate degrees in Human Services, Business, and Education, as well as an MS in Management and Leadership (expected to be completed in December 2025). Whether working one-on-one with community leaders or advocating before state legislators, Joseph brings both strategic expertise and genuine heart to everything he does, because he believes that when communities are empowered to lead their own change, incredible things happen.

I have worked as a filmmaker, and taught multimedia content creation and communication studies since the 1990’s. My research and consulting services are designed to help individuals and organizations create and tell their unique story. Since 2005, I have worked with students, business owners, and corporations to design open innovation research methodologies that leverage community voices through current and emerging technology. I have over 20 years experience working alongside New Mexico community leaders and I am constantly learning new ways to observe our world and tell the stories that inspire us. You can find out more about my work at www.moniqueanair.com

Nathana Bird, M.A. is from Ohkay Owingeh and Kewa Pueblo, a life-partner to chef Ray Naranjo and mother of four. She has served in many roles and currently serves as the Executive Director of Tewa Women United, where she leads with respect, honesty, and compassion, and carries forward the vision of TWU’s founders to nurture healing, cultural resilience, and community self-determination. She previously served as Program Manager for the Women’s Leadership and Economic Freedom Program, grounding her work in the values of reciprocity and connection to community.

Her journey as an organizer began in Northern New Mexico and across the region through youth organizations, with a strong focus on environmental justice and education. She holds an M.A. in Language, Literacy & Socio-Cultural Studies with a concentration in American Indian Education and a B.A. in Integrated Studies in Psychology.

Rooted in the teachings of her people and the wisdom passed down by mothers and grandmothers, Nathana is passionate about creating spaces where young people, families, and communities can thrive. She credits the elders, community, and staff of TWU for shaping her own path of healing and empowerment, and she remains committed to serving the communities of the Española Valley with love, care, and accountability.

When not working, she enjoys tending her plants, road trips, organizing, and spending time with family.

Steve Smaby is the founder of Collins Lake Outdoor School and board chair of the Collins Lake Autism Center, which he established in 2010. With degrees in mechanical engineering (BSME, MSME) and business administration (MSBA) from Michigan Tech, Steve brings both technical expertise and strategic insight to his work.

As the father and primary caregiver of his 29-year-old autistic son, Steve has spent decades deeply engaged in his son’s education and therapy, including direct participation in ABA programs and close collaboration with schools. Now retired from his professional career, he devotes his time to strategic planning, fundraising, and advancing inclusive opportunities for neurodiverse learners.