Board Statement on Leadership Transition at NM Voices for Children
It is with deep gratitude that the Board of Directors announces the departure of Amber Wallin as New Mexico Voices for Children’s executive director. After 11 years at NM Voices, Amber has accepted a senior position at the State Revenue Alliance. Amber’s final day with NM Voices was in October.
Amber has been with NM Voices since 2012, when she was brought on as a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities fiscal policy fellow. She later served as a research and policy analyst, the director of NM Voices’ Kids Count program, and deputy director before taking over as executive director in 2022. Amber is a state and nationally recognized expert on issues related to child and family well-being and fiscal policy. She has served on multiple fiscal policy and child well-being advisory committees among policy networks, philanthropic organizations, and governmental bodies, and regularly shares information and recommendations on how to build greater equity and opportunity for children and families.
As the board searches for a new executive director, two long-term staff members, Bill Jordan (government relations officer), and Farah Council (director of operations and organizational effectiveness) will act as interim codirectors. Our goal is to find the best person to lead NM Voices as it continues its work to improve child and family well-being, to break down the systems and structures that create and exacerbate racial and gender disparities, and to create economic justice so that all New Mexicans have the opportunities and resources they need to thrive.
We’d also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the five members of our policy team who recently received promotions. They are Jacob Vigil, Paige Knight, Javier Rojo, Emily Wildau, and Lydia Paukei.
Although we are saddened by Amber’s departure, we are grateful for all she has done for NM Voices and for children across New Mexico, are excited for her next steps, and wish her the very best with her future endeavors.
Among her many accomplishments during her tenure at NM Voices, she successfully advocated for the creation and then expansion of the state’s Child Tax Credit, as well as the expansion of the state’s Working Families Tax Credit and Low-Income Comprehensive Tax Rebate, was a witness for the groundbreaking Yazzie/Martinez K-12 funding lawsuit, and helped shepherd the successful completion of the nationally recognized constitutional amendment that guarantees permanent funding for early childhood care and education services from the state’s multi-billion-dollar Land Grant School Fund.
Amber is looked to by policymakers and partners alike for her expertise, intuition, skills, and leadership on issues ranging from child well-being to racial and gender equity, as well as fiscal policy. Her stewardship of NM Voices has left the organization in a very strong position both internally and externally. She has helped build a team staffed with incredible talent and visionary thinking across all areas of the organization. Amber will continue to live and work in New Mexico and will keep an active hand in New Mexico fiscal policy given her role in the State Revenue Alliance, of which NM Voices is a member.
