Albuquerque Press Women

Join us at our luncheon meetings the second Monday of the month
at 11:45 a.m. at the MCM Elegante, 2020 Menaul Blvd, just E of University Ave.

Alan Martinez, deputy secretary of the New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services, will speak to Albuquerque Press Women addressing the U.S. troop withdrawal in Iraq, and what this means for New Mexico service men and women, including the potential impact on Veterans' services.

A New Mexico native from Espanola, Martinez joined the Veteran Service Commission in 1993 as a file clerk and soon worked his way up to State Benefits Manager. In 2003, Gov. Bill Richardson elevated the commission to a cabinet level agency, naming Martinez State Benefits Division director. He has pushed for the passage of more than 50 bills benefiting New Mexico Veterans and their families, including the expansion of the Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption, the World War II and Korean Veteran High School Diploma, the Military Funeral Honors Program, the Alexander Jordan Military Funeral Protection Act, the soon to be built Veteran’s Museum, and the Native American Veteran Income Tax Settlement Fund, among many others.

Luncheons are open to the public. For reservations, contact Janet by the Wednesday before the luncheon at 720-7821 or E-Mail. Members and their first-time guests, $15; nonmembers, $21. You may join at the door and pay the member price. Vegetarian meals available. Your reservation is our commitment to reserve your lunch and your commitment to pay. Persons who have luncheon reservations and who do not attend will be billed unless we are notified by 10 a.m. on the day of the luncheon

Missed a meeting and want to catch up?
Go to: www.youtube.com/nmpresswomen and see the video. A number of the meetings have been recorded.

Link to article on Dec. meeting: www.clearlynewmexico.com/journalwatch/?p=2933

2012 Meeting Schedule (Second Mondays)
February 13
March 12
April 9
May 4-6 NMPW state conference
June 11
September 10
October 8
November 12
December 10

November--Albuquerque Mayor R.J. Berry talked about his efforts to create a better infrastructure for the city in the wake of a voter turndown of a bond project that would have built new sports fields and set aside money for reconstruction of the Paseo del Norte interchange on I-25.

October--John Garcia, director of the City of Albuquerque Economic Development Department, discussed the challenges of the state Tourism Department and the State Fair, historically and in the current economy.

September--Economists Paul Gessing from the Rio Grande Foundation and Kelly O'Donnell, an economic consultant who was former superintendent of the NM Regulation and Licensing Department, presented their perspectives on the economy, jobs and the state budget

June--Two prominent union leaders discussed labor issues, politics and related issues.

May--Monica Armenta, executive director of communications for APS, spoke on the day to day activities in her department and how she handles overall communication for the state's largest school district.

March--Ihab El-Kady, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, will spoke on "A Muslim Perspective: Life in Albuquerque, Strife in the Mideast."

Jan--State Representative Larry Larranaga and State Senator Dede Feldman took a critical look at the upcoming session.

Dec--Marijuana, Minors and the First Ammendment--Martin Esquivel, president of the Albuquerque Board of Education and an attorney with extensive First Amendment experience, and Susan Leonard, a retired journalism teacher, discussed walking the tightrope between working with student journalists who want to stretch their wings and concerned parents who worry about them flying into dangerous territory.
Link to article: www.clearlynewmexico.com/journalwatch/?p=2933

Oct--NMPW members Sandy Schauer and Denise Tessier, authors of “The History of New Mexico Press Women 1950-2010,” told us about instrumental NMPW members of the past 50 years.

2009-2010 MEETINGS
June--Nadine Scala from the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History talked about the museum and the current state of nuclear activity around the world.

May--T.J. Wilham, Public Safety Communications Director, and Darren White, Public Safety Director who oversees Albuquerque's police and fire departments, the Emergency Management Office and the Safe City Strike Force,spoke about their new positions with the City.

March--Cathy Robbins spoke about her experience writing for San Diego's Web news site, one of the national models for such sites, and the changing face of print news.

Feb.--Laura Marrich, editor in chief and food editor at the Weekly Alibi,
and Gwyneth Doland, editor of the New Mexico Independent and a correspondent for New Mexico in Focus, the public affairs program on New Mexico’s PBS affiliate, KNME, spoke.

Jan.-- State Senators Dede Feldman (D-District 13) and Sander Rue (R-District 23) spoke about the deficit facing NM and other issues.

Dec.--Sports Writer Gregg Archuleta and Lobo Club VP J.C. Lopez spoke about the Lobos.

Nov.--Mayor-elect Richard Berry, along with newly elected councilors Dan Lewis and Michael Cook, spoke about their plans for Albuquerque's future.

Oct.--KOB Investigative Reporter Jeremy Jojola spoke about his work.

Sept.--Gregory J. Fouratt, U.S. Attorney, discussed several of NM's highest-profile cases.

2008-09 MEETINGS
June--media lawyer Chuck Peifer, Former Chief Assistant Attorney General for NM, gave a quick refresher on libel in the ever-changing world of the Web.

May--Fran Maher spoke about starting and publishing IQ Magazine

April--State conference

March--Sandia National Laboratories' Chief Economist Arnold B. Baker discussed the state of the economy and the stimulus package.

February--TELEVISION DIVISION-- Mike Burgess, vice president and general manager of KOB-TV in Albuquerque, Franz Joachim, production manager at KNME-TV, discussed the move to digital TV

January-- Miss New Mexico 2008 Christina Olmi, Miss New Mexico 2007, Jenny Marlowe, and Joe LiRosi, director of the Miss Albuquerque pageants spoke about the role of pageant winners

December--Sherri Burr, UNM Director of the Africana Studies Program, and Hakim Bellamy, program specialist in the NM Office of African American Affairs, spoke about the changes brought by the recent presidential election.

November--Dr. Lonna Rae Atkeson, a Professor and Regents' Lecturer in the Political Science Department at UNM who studies the politcal process and is one of the state's foremost authorities on voter issues and politics, spoke about the major 2008 election, what happened, and why.

October--Scott Goold, a political economist currently conducting economic and policy analysis for the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration, spoke on the economy.

September-- John Fleck of the Albuquerque Journal headed a panel providing tips on incorporating environmental issues into your beat.

June-- Annual Meeting and Luncheon -- Trip Jennings, a former Albuquerque Journal staff writer, discussed the New Mexico Independent, a new news and opinion Web page run by some of New Mexico's best-known journalists that was launched by The Center for Independent Media, of Washington D.C. in New Mexico, at www.newmexicoindependent.com, on April 15.

May--Networking of members
April--state conference

March--PR Newswire in Albuquerque. A joint meeting with PRSA. Janine Caldwell, director of western operations for PR Newswire (prnewswire.com), told how the company located a center in Albuquerque last year with plans to employ more than 125. Established in 1954, PR Newswire has offices in 135 countries. Used by reporters, investors and public and private individuals, it bills itself as "the world leader in the electronic delivery of news releases and information directly from companies, institutions and agencies to the media, financial community and consumers."

February--Lester Berman, producer of ABC's Wildfire, spoke on NM's film industry and his experiences. Berman is an active producer and production manager and has worn many hats in film, mostly behind the camera, but with brief acting credits also. He was a unit production manager of "Suspect Zero," the first film to use the state's film incentives including film investment loans and 25 percent tax rebates on all direct production expenditures, including New Mexico labor.

January--From the Keyboard and the Airwaves: Gene Grant on Writing and Talking in Albuquerque's Media. Gene Grant, co-host of KNME's "New Mexico In-Focus", discussed how he hit the hot seat in Albuquerque.

2007 MEETINGS
December--Making it BIG: Arts professionals told us how it is done
Danny Lopez, marketing director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and Sophie Martin, president of the New Mexico Advertising Federation and marketing communications instructor for the Anderson School of Management at UNM, discussed how to get great media exposure for arts events in Albuquerque.

November-- Steve Terrell, Santa Fe New Mexican political reporter, discussed current political events caused by Senator Pete Domenici's (R, NM) decision to end his senatorial career.

October-- The Demise of the Albuquerque Tribune. Phill Casaus, Trib editor, talked about the impending closing of the paper.

September-- Current Issues in APS. Martin Esquivel, District 4 board member of the Albuquerque Public School, discussed current issues in APS.

June--The Story at UNM Press: Luther Wilson. Wilson gave us the "Big Picture at the University Press" and talked about the current plans for the Press.

May--What is Happening with the David Iglesias U.S. Attorney Situation?
A New Mexico story took a national angle. Albuquerque Journal investigative reporter Michael Gallagher gave us the story behind that story when he talked about covering the David Iglesias U.S. Attorney situation. Gallagher is an award-winning local reporter who has covered many breaking news stories and made news with his coverage.

March--Marketing: What's in it for me?
Nationally recognized speaker Ray Shewnack, CEO of the Wright Edge Corporation, a local agency, demystified the concept of marketing in N.M.

February-- Politics New Mexico Style: An update on the 60 day session
Joe Monahan, author of the well-read statewide blog: "New Mexico Politics with Joe Monahan" (joemonahansnewmexico.blogspot.com/) brought us up to date on the 2007 New Mexico State legislative session. The 60-day session began Jan. 16, 2007. Monahan's blog has become must reading for those addicted to the state's political issues. We heard what Monahan's "alligators" were saying about the session.

January--Journalism in New Mexico
Members discussed their work and the current aspects of journalism in Albuquerque and New Mexico.

December-- The Nuts and Bolts of Blogging
Pari Noskin Taichert, Albuquerque author and blogger, www.murderati.com; Jon Knudsen, adventure traveler whose eclectic career included 31 years as an elementary teacher and Duke City Fix blogger Johnny Mango along with Sophie Martin and Nora Heineman-Fleck, all at www.dukecityfix.com; Christine Robinson; and Marisa Demarco discussed how they use their blogs and how others can use blogging for their own purposes.

November
Brian Sanderhoff, president of Research & Polling, Inc., brought us his insights on the election polls and Lonna Atkeson, UNM professor of political science, added some perspective on this year's races and how money is used by groups to get their message out.

October (article at: www.dukecityfix.com/index.php?itemid=2157)
Quality of Life referendum--David Campbell, an Albuquerque attorney and volunteer with the Quality of Life initiative and Pamela Chavez, co-chair of the QOL, an Albuquerque group that supports the passage of the referendum in Albuquerque's Nov. 7 general election, spoke about what the referendum is and how money will be spent. Terri Cole, president & CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and Sherman McCorkle president & CEO of Technologies Venture Corporation (TVC) offered reasons not to support this initiative in its current form.

September
Diane Velasco, executive director of The Citizen Media Group, and a former Albuquerque Journal business reporter, told about founding a non-profit Web-based news source and about how it differs from traditional news organizations.

June
What's up in the state's J-Schools--Communication and journalism chairs from NM universities and colleges discussed their programs and how instruction differs in an ever-changing technological world.

May
Letter to Editor=Sedition?--Laura Berg, VA nurse investigated for sedition after she wrote a letter to the Weekly Alibi criticizing the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq war, and Larry Kronen, one of the ACLU attorneys handling her case, discussed the case. A representative from the VA was been invited to join them. NOTE: Based on APW's nomination, Berg received the Albuquerque Community Foundation's 2006 Linda Estes Giraffe Award for sticking out her neck.

April
State Conference

March
NM's Sunshine Law--APW recognized National Sunshine Week by hosting Elizabeth Staley, recently appointed deputy executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG).

February
Sports Media--Steve Hurlbert, Isotopes press guy, and Greg Remington, UNM Athletics Media, discussed sports media.

January
Media's coverage of crime in Albuquerque--Trish Hoffman, public information officer for the Albuquerque Police Department, and Stuart Dyson, veteran news reporter, discussed the media's coverage of crime in Albuquerque.

2005 Meetings
December
The Local Book Scene--David Steinberg, book editor for the Albuquerque Journal, spoke about the local book scene followed by a book fair with APW author members.

November
Anonymous Sources and Shield Laws--A discussion by Albuquerque attorney Jim Dines, Bob Johnson, executive director of the Foundation for Open Government, and Kate Nelson, Albuquerque Tribune managing editor.

October
Minimum Wage Issue-- Just days after the issue was decided, business professor Allen Parkman and former state economist Gerry Bradley to discussed ramifications of the hot-button topic of the 2005 city election.

September
Eileen Longsworth, City of Albuquerque library director, discussed the FBI’s recent, controversial use of a Patriot Act provision and ACLU N.M. Executive Director Peter Simonson provided an update on the Congressional discussion and/or debate as to whether to amend or extend the Act.

June
Bob Gassaway, University of New Mexico journalism professor, Phill Casaus, Albuquerque Tribune editor-in-chief, and Belinda Rawlins, Managing Director of New Mexico Media Literacy Project, discussed how journalism ethics are being addressed in both professional and educational settings.

May
Dennis Herrick discusses the business dynamics of journalism and the role of mass media. A UNM Communication and Journalism Department faculty member, he spent 10 years as a daily newspaper reporter, 8 as a congressional chief of staff and 12 as owner and publisher of a weekly newspaper group.

March
Where was Larry? No one seemed to know where he was, but on Monday, March 14, Larry Ahrens, the new morning host at the new FM talk station 106.3 KAGM, surfaced to speak to APW.

February
Fresh from a month on the ground with troops in Iraq, Bob Martin, reporter and helicopter pilot for KRQE-TV, Ch. 13, spoke to the Albuquerque Press Women.

January
Larry Waldman, senior economist at the Bureau of Business and Economic Research, University of New Mexico, reviewed the state of New Mexico's economy and what might be discussed, voted upon and enacted during the 2005 New Mexico Legislative Session.

January
Steve Terrell, The Santa Fe New Mexican’s Capitol Bureau Chief, shared his insights, predictions, and inside stories about the last and

the upcoming legislative sessions.

February
Zelie Pollon, Santa Fe journalist, and photographer Laurent Guerin gave their view of Iraq today from an Iraqi’s points of view. Pollon and Guerin recently returned from Iraq, where they interviewed 100+ Iraqis about the war and American presence.

March
Albuquerque Journal business writer Rosalie Rayburn addressed "Bias in Coverage of the Middle East." A long-time journalist, Rayburn has resided in Saudi Arabia. She discussed some of her experiences, media coverage of the Middle East and Arab censorship.

April
APS Chief of Staff Tom Garrity, a public relations and marketing specialist, discussed ways to handle the media during a crisis.

May
New Mexico Press Women State Conference, Albuquerque, Uptown
Sheraton. Visit New Mexico Press Women for details of the conference.

June
Sandoval County Clerk Victoria Dunlap thrust Bernalillo into national spotlight when she issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples. She discussed the issue and offered suggestions on possible next steps.

September
New Mexico Film Office Director Lisa Strout discussed the value of attracting film projects to New Mexico in terms of jobs and the economy.

October
"The 2004 Political Scene" was discussed by New Mexico Political Science lecturer Gilbert St. Clair, an expert on national and New Mexico politics and public policy.

November
Political consultants shared information "they wished the media knew about political campaigns" and analyzed the local and national election results.

December
A panel discussion on "Work+Life: Employers Weigh-in on the Balancing Act" was presented by Susan Carkeek, associate vice president/director of Human Resources, UNM; B.J. Jones, director of Human Resources, Sandia labs; and Terri Cole, Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce president and CEO.