The Schedule

AI in Action

Session Host:

Synthia Laura Molina, City of Raton 

Featured Speakers:

• Andrew Woltje, Magnum Companies

• Matthew Ashby, Ayres Associates

• Andrew Aitken, The Center for Rural AI

• Joze Petrich

Gubernatorial Race: Candidates Address Rural New Mexico 

Stephanie Garcia Richard, Democratic Nominee for Lieutenant Governor

Gregg Hull, Republican Nominee for Governor

Transportation Connects Everything:
Regional Growth Through Access to Education, Employment, and Healthcare

Moderator:  

• Si Trujillo, Colfax County Commissioner 

Panelists:  

• Lauren Garduño, Executive Director of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance 

• Mo Moabed, New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT)

• Rob Frei, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)

From Vacant Properties to Homes:
Land, Housing, and Rural Prosperity 

Session Host:

Jaden Welch, City of Raton

Featured Speakers:

• Donna Maestas De Vries, Housing New Mexico 

• Felicity Fonseca, North Central New Mexico Economic Development District 

• Enrico Gradi, YES Housing

Quality of Life and Local Prosperity:
Building a Rural Outdoor Recreation Economy 

Session Host:

Jared Chatterley, OREC Consulting

Featured Speakers:

• Toby Velásquez, New Mexico State Parks

• Gus Holm, Vermejo Park Ranch

• Shelley O’Neill, Philmont Scout Ranch

• Nate Brown, NRA Whittington Center

Building a Rural Workforce: 

Regional Education Efforts and Employer Alignment

Moderator:

Sally Hoger, Raton Education Committee Member, City of Raton

Panelists:

• Kristie Medina, Raton Public Schools  

• Karen Torres and Eric, Luna Community College

• Dustin Eicke, Trinidad State College

Employer Resources in Action: 

Leveraging State and Regional Programs to Upskill Your Workforce

Moderator: 

Dan Gerry, Workforce Integration Network, RDC

Featured Panelists:

• Chicky Lee Gomez, Business Services Specialist, America’s Job Center

• Ruthie E. Mares, Northern Area Local Workforce Development Board

• Nina Valdez, Northern Region American Job Centers

• State Apprenticeship Director, Employment Services Division-Apprenticeship Representative

• JTIP Representative

• Workforce, Innovation, and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Representative

• YDI Representative

• Career Team Representative

Empowering Employers: 

Meet the New Regional Industry Leaders

Moderator:

Synthia Laura Molina, City of Raton 

Featured Panelists:

• Kelsea Winzen, Magnum Companies

• Kevin Davies,  Miller Timber

• James Dietz, Carbogenics

Career Expo and Job Fair 

Career Expo and Employer Job Fair Tables: 

• Magnum Companies

• Philmont Scout Ranch

• Miller Timber / Western Wood Products

• Vigil Maldonado Detention Center

• City of Raton: Public Works, Water Works, Police Department

Career Resources Tables: 

• Office of Broadband Access and Expansion

• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

• Youth Development, Inc. (YDI)

• America's Job Center

• Department of Workforce Solutions Apprenticeship Program

• Labor Relations

• Luna Community College

• New Mexico Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

Roundtable Discussions

• Rural Film Industry Communities - Lead: Ann Theis, El Raton Media Works

  • How can we work together to have a voice in legislative changes that could affect the incentives?

  • How do we attract workforce and support training and upskilling in rural communities without college film programs?

  • How can we support each other when films are coming to rural areas and need more local resources?

• Workforce Pathways with Luna Community College - Lead: President Carol Linder, Luna Community College

  • "You Talk, We Listen" Community Office Hours. Let Luna Community College know what you need!

• From Community Capacity to Economic Opportunity - Lead: Brandy Dietz, GrowRaton

  • How do rural communities build the conditions that allow local people to create businesses, those businesses to grow, and those businesses to become employers?