Meet the board
Board Officers |
President
Heather is the Senior Program Manager for PreK-12 STEM Education for Project ECHO for Education, where she runs a number of support networks for teachers across the state. She is also a member of numerous STEM education organizations, both regional and national. The President is responsible for management and oversight. She calls board meetings and sets the agenda. Being president is a 6-year commitment – from president elect to present to past president. | President Elect
Daniel is currently the lead science teacher/PLC leader at Cuba High School. He serves his district in other capacities, which include being a grant administrator, canvas captain, and teacher leader. He is proud to serve you as Vice President for NMSTA, as well as being a Los Alamos National Laboratories College/Career Coalition Member, Future Focused Education Capstone Practitioner, and NMPED Teacher Mentor. The President Elect is responsible for external affairs of our association. This includes professional learning, the fall conference, and mentorship. He also will assume duties when the present is not able. He is chair of the Conference Committee and the Program Chair reports to him. | Past President Christy Krenek
Christy has been in public education for over twenty years as a science educator, department head, New Mexico Math and Science Advisory Council co-chair, new teacher mentor and served as the Science Specialist for the state of New Mexico from 2019 to 2022. Christy is currently teaching 7th grade science for Santa Fe Public Schools. The Past President serves as an advisor to the President and oversees internal affairs – including nominations, elections and training for the board. She is chair of the Governance Committee. |
Vice President Allison Fitzgerald Heneghan | Treasurer Kira Klaussen | Secretary Jennifer Neakrase, Ph.D.
Jennifer finished her doctorate degree in Science Education under Dr. Julie A. Luft at Arizona State University-Tempe in 2010. Prior to working on her doctorate, she received a Master of Science degree in Physics from Arizona State University-Tempe, and a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Astronomy/Astrophysics from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. She has worked on a National Science Foundation study of beginning science teachers, where she focused on the pedagogical content knowledge and practices of in-field and out-of-field Physics teachers. She has presented her research at national conferences, including the American Association of Physics Teachers, the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, and the American Educational Research Association. For the last 10 years, Jennifer has been teaching 8th grade science at Sierra Middle School in Las Cruces, NM in a science magnet program. |
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Community Representatives |
Southwest Region Open Position Contact pastpresident@nmsta.org if interested in this position. Picture and Bio Soon | Southeast Region Open Position Contact pastpresident@nmsta.org if interested in this position. Picture and Bio Soon | Northwest Region Marianne Kaye Cabugnason
Marianne Kaye Cabugnason is a dedicated high school science teacher committed to promoting equality in science education. As a member of Future Focused Education’s Practitioners Community of Learning and her school’s Equity Council, she strives to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment for both educators and students. She is honored to represent and support educators in her role as the Northwest Regional Representative for NMSTA. Marianne is always willing to support others and will do her best to make a positive impact in the education community. | Northeast Region Brad Thompson
Brad currently teaches 7th and 8th grade science as well as a robotics class. He has been teaching science for 14 years. He was in the US Navy for nuclear power technology before teaching. He has presented at multiple science teaching conferences in Texas. He is a 2nd degree black belt. He lives in Dalhart, Texas. Changing time zones lets him joke with incoming 7th graders that to be their teacher, he had to become a time traveler. |
Central Region Gwynneth Mortel Picture and Bio Soon | Program Chair Marjorie Egerton Picture and Bio Soon | Workforce Representative Cynthia Connolly
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