Dear Community,

Following the recent death of our beloved President and CEO Sarah Ghiorse, the NewMexicoWomen.Org (NMW.O) Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Dr. Fatima van Hattum and Renee Villarreal as Interim Co-Presidents. We enter this transition period with a firm commitment to the mission that Sarah powerfully stewarded for the past 13 years, confident that Dr. van Hattum and Villarreal will lead in a way that honors Sarah's legacy and carries the work forward with fidelity.

Sarah’s leadership transformed NewMexicoWomen.Org in profound and lasting ways. As we honor her legacy, we are confident in Fatima and Renee’s ability to lead with integrity, vision, and deep care for our communities. Their collaborative leadership reflects the strength and values of this organization.

~ Dr. Patricia Trujillo, NMW.O Board Chair

Villarreal and Dr. van Hattum step into this interim co-presidency with deep roots in the organization’s work and a longstanding record of co-leadership grounded in trust, accountability, and community connections. Both were instrumental in supporting a smooth transition when NewMexicoWomen.Org spun off from New Mexico Community Foundation in 2017 and have co-directed the strategic and programmatic work of the organization for over eight years. For the past three years, Villarreal served as Senior Director of Grantmaking and Community Partnerships and Dr. van Hattum as Senior Director of Research and Strategy.

Villarreal, a native Santa Fean and multi-generational Nuevomexicana, brings decades of experience in place-based advocacy and equitable resource distribution in grantmaking. With a Masters in Community and Regional Planning and seven years as a Community Planner, she has worked alongside traditional and Indigenous land-based communities to support their self-determination and long-term planning with a values-based lens. Since entering the philanthropic sector in 2011, Villarreal has a deep commitment to cultivating meaningful relationships with grantee and community partners and strengthening movements and coalitions across New Mexico. Her leadership is further informed by her public service as a Santa Fe City Councilwoman from 2016 to 2023. 

Dr. van Hattum brings over 20 years of experience across nonprofits and philanthropic foundations with a focus on advancing social justice through research, strategy, and storytelling. She holds a PhD in Educational Thought and Sociocultural Studies and has dedicated her career to community-based research as a powerful tool for systemic change. At NewMexicoWomen.Org, Dr. van Hattum has helped shape the organization’s strategic vision, ensuring its work is grounded in data, lived experience, and a deep commitment to equity. A poet as well as a researcher, she brings a reflective and creative lens to leadership, one that honors complexity, amplifies community voice, and supports values aligned decision-making. 

Dr. van Hattum and Villarreal will serve through December 2026 while we seek permanent leadership.

NewMexicoWomen.Org is deeply rooted in and informed by community - and that will continue to guide us in this transition. This moment of loss calls for steady, intentional, and collaborative leadership, which Sarah modeled and built across our organization throughout her tenure. We are honored to partner with each other, our board, and staff to steward our collective vision for gender justice and healing across New Mexico.

~ Renee Villarreal and Dr. Fatima van Hattum, NMW.O Interim Co-Presidents 

We invite our community to learn more about our Board of Directors, our staff here, and our ongoing work to support communities around the state here. 

We are grateful to you, our community, for your deep support and partnership as we carry forward Sarah's legacy and spirit.

In Solidarity,

The NewMexicoWomen.Org Board and Staff