Board of Directors

Quinn Simons
Board Chair

Quinn was born and raised in Santa Fe and is a fourth generation New Mexican. After attending undergraduate school at Colorado College (B.A. 1997), Quinn, an avid mountain climber, attempted an unclimbed route on a remote, 25,245’ peak in the Tibetan Himalayas. Due to an unexpected storm and highly technical climbing conditions at high altitude, Quinn suffered severe frostbite, costing him his fingers and feet. Undaunted by the challenges and adversity that ensued, Quinn started and ran a successful construction company in Santa Fe for several years, before moving to Kentucky to train horses.

After years in the horse business, Quinn reunited with his high school girlfriend, Veree, and chose to settle down and raise his family in Santa Fe. Quinn attended the University of New Mexico School of Law (J.D. 2013), and now maintains a successful law practice focused on construction and real estate law and litigation, general business law and litigation, insurance law and DUI/DWI Defense. He is licensed to practice in both New Mexico State and Federal courts with an emphasis on trial practice.

Quinn still spends his free time with Veree and their three children, riding horses and enjoying the mountains.

Luke M. Pierpont
Chair-Elect

Luke Pierpont is a partner with the law firm Harwood Pierpont, LLC. Luke practices in the areas of water law, land use, real estate, and renewable energy development. Luke was raised in Santa Fe and has extensive ties to the community and the landscapes of northern New Mexico.

Prior to starting Harwood Pierpont, LLC, Luke was a partner with the law firm Egolf + Ferlic + Martinez + Harwood, LLC. Luke has served as a board member of the Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Section of the New Mexico State Bar, on the board of the Permaculture Guild, and as a Santa Fe River Commissioner.

Luke received his J.D. from the University of New Mexico, cum laude, and his B.A. from Colorado College. In his spare time Luke enjoys spending as much time out in nature as he can, running, cycling, skiing, rafting, and hiking with his wife Sarah, daughters Leila and Irene, and dog Harley.

Dennis Romero
Vice Chair

Dennis C. Romero is an attorney engaged in the general practice of law in Santa Fe and Taos. His practice currently focuses on land use, commercial and residential real estate litigation and  transactions, business and probate.  He is a graduate of Stanford University, with a degree in American Studies, and he received his juris doctorate from Stanford Law School.  Dennis serves on the advisory board of  Breakthrough Santa Fe, and he previously served as a Trustee of Santa Fe Preparatory School. Dennis has also served on the boards of Santa Fe Pro Musica, Commonweal Communities, and the Institute for Spanish Arts. He is a director of Centinel Bank of Taos, a family financial institution founded by his father. Dennis also coached youth soccer with AYSO and the Northern Soccer Club, and he served on the AYSO board as well. Dennis’ daughter, Gabriela, graduated from Santa Fe Prep, Class of ’15, and from Stanford University, Class of ’19.

Mark Fisher
Treasurer

Mark Fisher is the owner and Principal at Park Five Capital, an investment and advisory firm based in Santa Fe, NM. He is also a founder of the New Mexico Vintage Fund Partners, a $2.1 Million Angel Fund that focuses on New Mexico based startups.

Mark worked in the building product industry for over two decades. Starting as an engineer, he rose to be General Manager of James Hardie Industries, a global leader in cladding and interior building products with a market cap of over $14 Billion.  Mark specialized in the integration of strategy, technology and branding to deliver industry leading results.

Mark received his BSME in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California, an MBA from USC Marshall and attended the General Management Program at Harvard Business School. He is a member of the New Mexico Angels and the Harvard Business School Angels of Chicago. Additionally, Mark serves on the board of the Santa Fe Conservation Trust and the Hephzibah Children’s Association.

Carmela Niño
Secretary

Since earning her Real Estate Broker License in 2000, Carmela has been an active, full-time, full-service real estate professional. True to her Santa Fe roots, she has devoted the last 19 years to helping grow her community by empowering clients, family and friends alike through successful real estate transactions. Working with a professional who attends to their duties with diligence, determination, grace and knowledge ensures both sides of each transaction are highly satisfied. Carmela has earned the respect and trust of her clients and peers by doing just that.

Born and raised in Santa Fe, Carmela has grown to value her natural surroundings and the rugged beauty of the high desert. Attending St. Catherine’s, a local private school for Native American children, exposed her to different cultures and traditions. Sleepovers at the Pueblos and Feast Day celebrations instilled a deep cultural sensitivity and appreciation. It is with that spirit of hospitality, tradition and tenacity that she seeks to serve her clients. Extensive knowledge of this area, its history and cultural evolution have honed her internal barometer, accurately pricing properties and anticipating the market triggers that affect valuations.

Michael Avery
At-Large

Michael is the owner and President of The Muirfield Financial Group, Inc. With extensive experience in employee health benefits and life and disability insurance services, Michael has been assisting corporate and small businesses for over 45 years.

An avid outdoorsman since childhood, Michael enjoys hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, golf and travel. He has a tremendous appreciation for the importance of land conservation and likes sharing his love of the outdoors with others. As stewards of a SFCT conservation easement on their property in the City of Santa Fe and the owners of a historically registered home with the National Register of Historic Places and the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties, Michael and his wife, Kelley value preserving the land and history in our beautiful state.

Born in La Habra, California, Michael is a graduate of the University of Southern California where he received a BS in Business Administration. Michael and Kelley split their time between Los Angeles and Santa Fe.

Carla Chung Mattix
At-Large

Carla Mattix served as attorney at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Division of Parks and Wildlife from 1995 to 2021.  She worked in the Washington, D.C. headquarters office and later in the San Francisco and Santa Fe offices. Carla provided legal counsel and litigation support to the National Park Service in the areas of natural resources law, environmental law, historic and archeological preservation, intellectual property, museum collections, historic tax credits and Native American issues.  She worked on a number of land acquisition projects for the National Park Service including one of the largest interstate land exchanges entered into by the Department of the Interior that eventually added 108,000 acres to Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida.

After retiring in 2021, Carla is currently working on a book project. Ms. Mattix holds a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University.  She is a member of the New Mexico, Virginia and D.C. Bars. She and her husband feel fortunate to experience and help protect the beauty and environment of Northern New Mexico.

Carmichael Dominguez

Carmichael Dominguez, a native of northern New Mexico, was raised in the Catholic faith tradition. His upbringing instilled in him a strong commitment to public service and caring for the broader community. His journey in public life began when he was elected as a Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education member in 2002. As part of the school board, Carmichael championed secondary education reforms and advocated for special needs children. He collaborated with the State Legislature to create a pilot project for automating Individualized Education Plans (IEP’s) within the Santa Fe Public Schools. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Bio-Medical Career Technical Education program at Capital High School, which has gained national recognition.

In 2006, Dominguez secured a seat on the Santa Fe City Council, representing District 3. This district encompasses the lowest income, youngest, and majority Hispanic part of the city. It also borders iconic public lands, including the La Cieneguilla Petroglyph site, the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Historic Trail, and the Caja del Rio plateau. During his tenure on the City Council, Dominguez initiated the Airport Road Overlay, a strategic effort aimed at enhancing the quality of life for residents on the south side of Santa Fe.

Before joining the City Council, Carmichael actively served on the Tierra Contenta Board of Directors and the City of Santa Fe Planning Commission. His commitment extended to various other boards and commissions as well. Currently, he is a member of Earth Keepers 360 and serves on the Hispanic Conservation Leadership Council (HCLC) for HECHO (Hispanics Engaged in Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors). Furthermore, Carmichael has been involved with the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and is a member of the Knights of Columbus. His dedication to public service and community welfare continues to make a positive impact.

Sandra Ely

Sandra is retired from a career in environmental protection.  She served for over two decades at the New Mexico Environment Department in various roles including Environmental Protection Division Director, Air Quality Bureau Chief, and Environment and Energy Policy Coordinator.  Sandra also worked at Santa Fe County for three years as the Aamodt Project Manager. She is a registered nurse and currently serves on the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board.

Sandra holds a MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon, a BS in Conservation and Resource Sciences from the University of California at Berkeley and a BS in Nursing from Creighton University.

Sandra can be found hiking and running the trails around town with her dog Lucy and husband Steve.

Tracy Hughes

Tracy Hughes is a native New Mexican and has lived in Santa Fe since 1986. She has a BS degree in Environmental Economics from New Mexico State University and a JD from the University of Tulsa. With forty years practicing environmental, administrative and elder law in New Mexico, she retired in 2024. She served as the General Counsel for the New Mexico Environment Department and Public Employees Retirement Association. In private practice, Tracy represented clients in civil matters and worked as a hearing officer for various state agencies. She received the Public Law Section’s Public Lawyer of the Year in 2011 and the Environmental Law Center’s Karl Souder Award in 2014. Currently, she volunteers with the Santa Fe Conservation Trust’s trails crew; the NM Historic Preservation Division’s SiteWatch program, an archeological network of trained volunteers who monitor prehistoric and historic resources on public, private and tribal lands. She also volunteers with the United Way’s TaxHelp New Mexico, a program that prepares tax returns for the elderly and financially disadvantaged.

Julie Martinez, MD

Growing up in northern New Mexico, Julie was given many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and natural landscapes. Weekends and summers were spent swimming, biking, hiking, and camping. Though Julie took many of these experiences for granted, she truly realized how lucky she was upon moving from Los Alamos, NM to Houston, TX for college and Dallas for medical school. After spending a decade in big cities she finally returned back to the Rocky Mountain states for a family medicine residency in Pueblo, CO. Following three years of training, Julie and her husband moved to Alamosa, CO in the San Luis Valley and began practicing medicine at a regional community health center. In 2008 they moved to Santa Fe to be closer to family, and after working with several medical practices in town they opened Family Medicine Partners of Santa Fe in 2014. Together they run this independent practice to advocate for patients and effect change on a small, but meaningful scale. In addition to providing evidence-based, current, comprehensive medical care, Julie helps patients strive for healthy living, diet, and exercise, including encouraging them to walk in our outdoor spaces. She is excited to have this new opportunity to work with the Santa Fe Conservation Trust and to protect the landscape that nurtured her and so many in our community.

Ginny Olcott

Ginny Olcott is a native Santa Fean and is recently retired from a 35+ year career as a real estate appraiser. As an appraiser, her practice included all types of real property, with focus on luxury estates, large equestrian facilities, and vacant land, including several conservation easement properties. She served on the New Mexico Real Estate Appraisers Board from 2015 through November 2020.

Ginny graduated from Santa Fe High School, and completed undergraduate studies at the University of New Mexico with honors. Her hobbies include cycling of all types, hiking, skiing, and gardening. She is an accomplished knitter and hand-spinner, winning several awards. She was a search and rescue volunteer for ten years, and a founding member of Atalaya Search and Rescue. She is also a founding member of the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society, where her talents with a rake and McCleod come in handy for trail building. She is a fierce defender of wild lands, wildlife and all critters. Her household includes a rescued blind red heeler and his tormenter, the cat.

Tom Ribe

Tom was raised in Los Alamos and received his BS in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and his MS in Environmental Studies (policy and law) from the University of Oregon. He has worked in interpretation and fire management for the National Park Service in California and New Mexico, worked in NEPA compliance at LANL and for their Environmental Restoration Program and currently at the Bradbury Science Museum.

Tom is Executive Director of Caldera Action, a nonprofit that supports the Valles Caldera National Preserve and helped spearhead its transfer to the federal government in 2000 and to the National Park Service in 2015. He wrote Inferno by Committee II (2025) about the environmental history of New Mexico’s mega-fires and the Cerro Grande Fire in particular. He is on the Board of Directors of the J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee, Western Watersheds Project, and Firefighters for Safety, Ethics and Ecology.

He is particularly interested in protecting federal lands and reforming livestock grazing and fire management policy. He lives in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos with his wife Monique Schoustra and various dogs. He likes to hike out his back door or wherever he can find a trailhead anywhere out West.

James Rivera

James Rivera is the President and Founder of Cornerstone Government and Public Affairs, LLC.  For over 30 years, he has led this Native American/veteran-owned company advocating for causes in New Mexico that impact Federal, State, County, Tribal governments, private enterprises and businesses.  Cornerstone Group, LLC provides services to promote government-to-government relations and consults with tribal and non-tribal tribal entities to advance economic development, energy, education, environmental issues, taxation, transportation, the arts and other economic drivers that enhance the growth of New Mexico.  James is a member of Pojoaque Pueblo and has three children.  He is interested in deepening SFCT’s relationships with the Native community, and ensuring that future generations inherit a vibrant and healthy natural world.

Tunté Vigil

Bio and pic coming soon!