TOTAL NM’s Shared Leadership Approach
To live TOTAL NM’s mission to provide inclusive, accessible, and equitable outdoor spaces that can benefit the educational experience for all learners of all abilities and backgrounds, we know that we must bring inclusivity, accessibility, and equity to our internal work. From the ground up, TOTAL NM was built with shared leadership and currently uses a governing board and action teams to share leadership and responsibility. For the governing board, we utilize a minimally viable board model of the 3 board members who oversee the fiscal and legal responsibility of the organization. To support fulfilling TOTAL NM’s mission and vision, action teams are used to support programming, communications, advocacy, and other related operations needs. Action teams are open to any interested community members. We don’t just talk about sharing power, we actually do it in our day to day operations.
All decisions related to programming and projects are informed by gathering feedback and input from the community through regular, inclusive conversations and programs. Additionally, TOTAL NM strives for inclusivity, accessibility, and equity through providing programming, conversations, and professional learning that is free, open to everyone, and virtual to reach an audience across the large expanse of New Mexico. If you are interested in contributing to our efforts, please consider making a donation here.
Allison Martin, Executive Director
Being outdoors is where Allison found her wings. Some of her earliest and most meaningful learning happened through place-based experiences — lessons she could connect to in her own backyard and carry with her into adulthood. She holds a Master of Arts in Elementary Education with an emphasis in multicultural curriculum and instruction from the University of New Mexico. After a short time teaching in a middle school classroom, she realized her life’s work would be centered on bringing the outdoors into daily instruction and ensuring students experience learning as something lived, not confined within four walls.
Over the past 15 years, Allison has built a career in environmental and outdoor education that spans local, state, and nonprofit leadership. Her roles have included Park Ranger at Petroglyph National Monument, Education Manager at Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District, Equity Fellow and Board Director with Environmental Education of New Mexico (EENM), Program Director at EENM, and now Co-Founder and Executive Director of TOTAL NM (Teaching Outdoors to All Learners). Through this work, she has developed innovative programs, led statewide initiatives, and authored the NM Outdoor Classrooms Framework — a first-of-its-kind, adaptable guide designed to help schools implement sustainable, equitable outdoor learning practices every day.
Allison now leads statewide systems-change efforts to ensure outdoor learning becomes embedded in how schools teach, not treated as enrichment. She provides district-level implementation support, and presents her work at conferences and summits across New Mexico and nationally. By expanding equitable access to outdoor spaces in schoolyards through collaboration, partnerships, and strategic planning, Allison and the TOTAL NM team are working to create lasting change in education so that every student, every day, can learn and thrive outdoors.
Eileen Everett, Board Chair
Eileen brings over 20 years of nonprofit experience to TOTAL NM, with her ongoing commitment to embodied social justice and extensive work in collaboratively changing systems for education, the outdoors, and conservation to be more authentically inclusive, equitable, and just for all. Having worked at all levels of nonprofits, from staff member to serving on boards, Eileen challenges the dominant paradigm to create new ways for nonprofits rooted in shared leadership, transformational leadership, and embodied practices to work with each other.
Eileen served as executive director of Environmental Education of New Mexico (EENM), where she built one of the largest capacity outdoor learning networks in the country serving over 150 organizations that support 285,000 New Mexican youth annually. During her six years in this role, Eileen tripled the operating budget, advanced state-level policy in outdoor learning with a 100% success rate at the New Mexico legislature, left a six-figure operating reserve upon her departure, and created a variety of new programs including the first fellowship program of its kind supporting interconnected interests like environmental justice, conservation, outdoor recreation, and outdoor learning and education . She looks forward to applying these past experiences to support growing TOTAL NM.
Currently, Eileen serves as Chief Transformation Officer for Prospera Partners where she handles business development and systems change consulting and facilitation for the company. With a team of wholehearted people, she works to create real change and learning experiences by transforming out-of-date models, growing leaders, and bringing people together. She serves on the New Mexico State Parks Advisory Board and New Mexico Public Education Department’s Outdoor Learning Advisory Board, and was a co-founder of the Queer Environmental Educators Network (QEEN).
Holly “Noelle” Chavez, Board Director
Holly Noelle Chavez was born in El Paso, Texas. She graduated from Osan American High School in South Korea and moved on to New Mexico State University where she earned her BAS in Criminal Justice and later her MS in Psychology from the University of Phoenix.
She co-owns and manages H2 Academic Solutions, which offers intervention and acceleration tutoring, alternative to detention, diversion, mentoring, and restorative programs in Valencia County. She is a board member of La Vida Felicidad and H2 Academic Solutions Scholarship Fund.
Action Team Members
Laura Lewis
Laura Lewis-Vigil began her conservation work with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in Taos. Having not grown up with much outdoor activity, this experience was eye-opening to the world’s intricate systems and the opportunities we have to observe, appreciate, and connect with those systems. She continued to work in the nonprofit space with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Donation Center, the FoodCorps garden education program, Nature Niños New Mexico, and the New Mexico Wildlife Federation. Her experience in project management, strategic thinking, and collaborative planning draw her to work that builds community-centered programs with systems for sustainable longevity.
Jim Hinde
Jim Hinde is a native of Albuquerque. He spent most of his work career in engineering and aviation, retiring in 2019. The last 27 years of full time work were with the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department, including 8 years as director of the Aviation Department, overseeing the finance, administration, capital improvements and operation of the Albuquerque International Sunport and Double Eagle II Airport. He attended Eastern New Mexico University and graduated with a BS Degree in wildlife biology with major course work in geology and education. He continues to work part time providing consulting assistance in the aviation industry.
Jim is an avid outdoorsman and loves to hike, fish, hunt and photograph the natural surroundings in New Mexico. He stays busy with 4 grandchildren, exposing them as often as he can to the outdoor environment.
He believes that outdoor education should be an opportunity for all students to take advantage of and hopes that his background in funding and project management will help serve the community through the efforts of TOTAL NM.
Allyson Wiley
Allyson Wiley is the Assistant Director of the Wild Friends program at the University of New Mexico School of Law. In 2020, Allyson graduated from The University of Michigan with an MS in Natural Resources and an MA in Educational Studies. She previously worked as an educator for undergraduate students and held various positions in environmental education organizations as she completed her studies. Allyson contributed to Wild Friends’ involvement in outdoor learning legislation during the 2022 NM legislative session (SB 32/ HB 2) which resulted in the creation of the Outdoor Learning Program at the New Mexico Public Education Department.
Victoria Armijo-Rodriguez
My name is Victoria A-Rodriguez. I am a mother, a full-time student and volunteer. I enjoy spending my free time with my family and getting outside. I am working on my bachelor’s degree in Family and Child Studies. When I graduate I hope to begin my career in place-based education because I am passionate about the benefits of students having spaces to learn outdoors and learn about the natural world. I believe that every child (and person) has a place outdoors and TOTAL NM can help them to find it!
