New Mexico Art Education Association

Board of Directors Biographies

2010-2012

 

Michelle Lemons, President

Albuquerque Public Schools, Elementary Art Teacher

Michelle holds a BA degree in art and design/ JLMC, with a minor in marketing from Iowa State University. She has over 10-years experience in marketing, promotions, and graphic design/ advertising. 
 
Michelle received her MA in art education with K-12 licensure from the University of New Mexico. She has been teaching with Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) for 12 years, and is a Level III teacher.  For the last 9 years, she has been an itinerant elementary art teacher with the APS Fine Arts Department. Michelle mentors new teachers, student teachers, and has co-created her department standards curriculum. She enjoys working with students and is inspired by their creativity and enthusiasm daily. She has presented workshops at various schools throughout the district, the Albuquerque Museum Summer Art Program and NMAEA and national conferences. She hopes to help promote collaboration and professional development within our profession and across the state, and is excited and proud to be your NMAEA president.

 

Phyllis Royal, President-Elect

Santa Fe Public Schools Elementary Art Teacher

Phyllis is a native of Santa Fe and has been teaching for 13 years. Her family traces back to the Pueblo Revolt. She has had the privilege of living in different parts of NM and has experienced diversity through the traditions, customs, and foods of the different cultures here in the state. She received her BFA from New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico with an emphasis in printmaking and art history and an MFA in education: studio art teaching, from Boston University. 

Presently, Phyllis lives in Santa Fe and teaches art at Pinion Elementary School. She has past experience as an early childhood educator and is a true believer that art is the foundation for successful learning in the 21st Century.

As former membership chair and NAEA delegate for New Mexico since 2004, she feels she has experienced tremendous growth attending the Western Regional Leadership conferences for the past two years. The experience she has gained will help her represent the association and NM as president-elect. 

 

Djean Jawrunner, Secretary

Higher Ed, Mesalands Community College

D'jean Jawrunner is the entire art faculty at Mesalands Community College and an active artist. Between teaching art during the week, and making art on the weekends, she is the director of the college’s bronze foundry program. Although primarily a sculptor in bronze, D'jean creates metal jewelry and works in various other metals. She also hosts an iron pour at the foundry twice a year at Mesalands. She can almost always be found in the Mesalands Community College's studio.
 D'Jean is a teacher with varied interests from pouring iron to enjoying long walks at sunset around Tucumcari, New Mexico. D'Jean Jawrunner and The Mesalands Iron Pour can be viewed on You Tube. D'jean was written up in the October 2008 issue of New Mexico magazine (pg 68-69).

 

Nancy Chavez, Treasurer

Farmington Public Schools, Elementary Art Teacher

Currently, Nancy is teaching for the Bloomfield Municipal Schools in Bloomfield, New Mexico.  She teaches art to kindergarten through sixth grade students at Blanco Elementary and Bloomfield Early Childhood Center.  She hosts an Art Club where fifth and sixth graders learn to throw clay on a pottery wheel.  She also holds an Art Focus group for teachers interested in learning how to make art.
    

Nancy graduated from the University of New Mexico where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in art history (1995) and a Master’s Degree in art education (2000). 

Nancy has been Treasurer for the New Mexico Art Education Association for the past eight years.  She enjoys oil painting, ceramics and painting sets for annual high school plays.

 

Roni Rohr, Past President

Santa Fe Public Schools, K-8 Art Teacher

  

Vicki Breen, Visual Arts Director

NM Public Education Department

Vicki has worked locally and nationally with artists, arts teachers and classroom teachers for more than twenty years to conduct professional development workshops that are focused upon teaching and learning through the arts. These workshops are theme-based and relevant to participants’ professional growth and development. This work has been conducted across agencies and organizations, including The New Mexico Alliance for Arts Education, the New Mexico Advisory Council on Arts Education, the New Mexico State Department of Education, Very Special Arts, and the Office of Cultural Affairs. She has also worked with museums throughout the state, New Mexico Arts, The New Mexico Film Office, Universities and Community Colleges, and other New Mexico businesses to plan and implement an artistic and professional development venue for New Mexico.

As our state visual arts director, the NMAEA welcomes Vicki to our board of directors!

 

Denise Rudd, Communications Director

Albuquerque Public Schools Fine Arts Resource Teacher

Denise Rudd is an art resource teacher with the Albuquerque Public Schools Fine Arts program. She is in her sixth year in this position, having been an itinerant art teacher with the program for eight years before that. She attended the University of Massachusetts where she received her Bachelor's Degree in fine arts/printmaking, and attended the University of New Mexico where she received her Master of Arts in art education, and a teaching license for grades K-12. She has experience in serving on a board for a non-profit organization, serving as vice-president and newsletter editor for the Albuquerque Press Club in 2008. As communications director for NMAEA, Denise hopes to keep the membership up-to-date on current events, accomplishments, and the work that is being done by the board on their behalf for the advancement of art education in New Mexico. This will be accomplished through an informative newsletter sent out to membership, and a website that is updated regularly and linked to members’ blogs, classroom pages, wikis, and galleries. Through a network of communication, Denise hopes that NMAEA can grow as an organization.

 

Janine Shafer, Membership Director

Rio Rancho Public Schools, Art Teacher

As a NAEA member and certified art educator for almost two decades, Janine Shafer appreciates how membership provides her with professional development and networking experiences to keep her up-to-date with new innovations and methods to enhance student learning. 

Janine is currently is teaching art at Colinas del Norte Elementary School in the Rio Rancho Public School district.  As the district elementary visual arts PLC leader, she shares her annual experience of revising the written art curriculum, assessment, and student outcomes with district teachers, student teachers and new educators in the classroom and through workshops. She has completed the requirements for the National Board Professional Teaching Standards, earned a master's degree in education with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction, along with two bachelor's degrees. Her majors include secondary art education and elementary education.  Her minors include elementary art education and English education.  Her emphasis in her art major was ceramics.  Before entering the education field, she had a home business for fifteen years creating hand-thrown pottery.  Janine has studied with Korean potters and studied Japanese techniques in the states and in Japan. She continues to enjoy working with clay & teaches her students how to hand build & throw clay. A variety of community, out-reach and multi-cultural interests are found in her classroom lessons, philosophy of education, fund-raising activities, and grant proposals.  

  

Cinamon Gentry, Elementary Division Director

Albuquerque Public Schools, Elementary Art Teacher

Cinamon Gentry was born and raised in Albuquerque NM and currently has no desire to ever leave this beautiful city. She and her husband John have been married for 10 years now and are the proud parents of two beautiful little girls. As a young child she was exposed to a lot of art through both the Saturday Arts For Kids program at UNM and her father, Mr. Walt Pinto, who has been an art teacher with both APS and UNM throughout the 36 years of Cinamon’s life. She has earned both her bachelor of arts in fine arts and her Master's Degree in art education from the University of New Mexico and is currently a part of the APS Elementary Fine Arts staff. Cinamon is in her sixth year of teaching art in the classroom and is looking forward to many more years with the program. As an artist, she enjoys creating digital photographic collages, weaving, and jewelry. 

 

Cynthia Gail, Middle School Division Director

Grants Public Schools, Middle School art Teacher 

Cynthia teaches 7th  and 8th grade art at Grants Middle school in Grants, NM where she serves as the FAE advisor. Cynthia has a Sales and Management vocational degree from Albert Lee, MN (1984), an Associate of Arts Degree from Austin, MN (1990), as well as a BFA in art and BS in teaching with licensure from Mankato State, MN (1992).

In addition, Cynthia has served on both the board of directors for the Farm Bureau in Albert Lee, MN and the board of directors for the Salvation Army in Alamogordo, NM. Currently she serves as first vice president of the Gallup chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Upsilon, an international society of women educator’s. Her extensive experience will be of great service to the NMAEA membership.

  

Diane Lea, High School Education Director

Rio Rancho Public Schools, High School Art Teacher

As high school education director for NMAEA, Diane acts as a point of contact liaison for all high school art educators in the state and cultivates National Art Honor Society (NAHS), future Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, classroom technology, and AP art studio classes, as well as identifying high school needs and developing workshop recommendations for future professional development.

Diane's personality, dedication to the profession, years of experience, and work ethic make her an excellent candidate for the position. Her high school art position in Rio Rancho Public Schools is an added benefit for NMAEA members since one of the downsides of FAEA funding for schools is that high school and mid school support lacks in comparison to elementary, and NMAEA recognizes that as an area of needed representation, advocacy and growth. Diane received the New Mexico Art Educator of the Year Award 2012 from NMAEA for her dedication to the profession.

  

Dr. Laurel Lampela, Higher Ed Division Director

Professor, UNM Art Education Department

Laurel Lampela is a Professor of Art Education at the University of New Mexico.  She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses focused on current trends in art education, art criticism and aesthetics for teachers, secondary art methods, and printmaking and digital arts for the K-12 schools.  Dr. Lampela is the author of the forthcoming book from Kendall Hunt Publishers, A Practical Guide to Supplement the Teaching of Secondary Art Methods.  She is also co-editor of From Our Voices: Art Educators and Artists Speak Out About Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Issues (Kendall Hunt) and has written numerous journal articles on quality instruction in visual arts education that includes information relating to the understanding of lesbian and gay content in artists' works and their lives.  She has shown her art in juried and invitational exhibitions in New Mexico, New York, Ohio, and Texas and has curated several art exhibitions at university galleries and an independent gallery.  She is co-founder of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Issues Caucus of the National Art Education Association.   

 

Jackie M., Museum Education Director

Director of Education and Public Programs, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Jackie M. has worked with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum since its opening to create and implement the educational and public programs.  She has a BA in art history from the University Michigan, Ann Arbor and was in the master's program in the history of photography at the University of New Mexico.  Jackie was the curator of education and public programs for SITE Santa Fe and was the Santa Fe coordinator for Very Special Arts. Jackie helped start the Santa Fe Gallery of Photography and the Performance Space. In 2006, Jackie was presented with the Mayors Award for Excellence in the Arts. In 2008, the O’Keeffe Art and Leadership Programs for Girls and for Boys, founded by Jackie M received national recognition as one of the top youth development projects in the country from the President’s Council on Arts and Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Jackie served as the chair of the board of Creative Santa Fe, an organization that supports the creative industries and she was the Southwest Regional Alliance co-chair of ArtTable (a national organization for women in leadership positions in the visual arts). Jackie M. has also worked in New Mexico as an artist-in–residence and toured internationally as a performance artist.  

 

Mona Kirk, Multicultural Education Director

Creative Learning Center Director, Roswell Public Schools

Mona Kirk was born in Abilene, Texas.  Her family moved to Roswell, New Mexico when she was one year old.  Here she has spent most of her formative years.  She attended Roswell Schools and graduated from Goddard High School in 1974.  She attended college at Eastern New Mexico University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in education and Master of Education degree in elementary education and administration.

Ms. Kirk began her teaching career in Magdalena, New Mexico.  She taught elementary physical education and coached girls’ varsity volleyball, basketball, and softball. After a year, she moved to Farmington, New Mexico.  While in Farmington, she taught ninth grade English and coached ninth grade girls’ volleyball.  The following year, she moved back to Roswell to be closer to home and family.  She obtained a job at Mountain View Middle School, where she taught English, language arts, and math.  She also coached seventh grade girls’ basketball, and seventh and eighth grade girls’ gymnastics.  

In 1996, Ms. Kirk entered the field of Administration when she became the Assistant Principal at Mesa Middle School.  She served in that capacity for two years.  In 1998, the Superintendent assigned her to the position of Principal at Chisum Elementary.  In 2004, Roswell ISD reorganized and Chisum Elementary was closed.  Ms. Kirk was then assigned to the position of Principal at El Capitan Elementary, which she held for seven years.  In September of this year she assumed her current position of Director of the Creative Learning Center. 

 Ms. Kirk has served on numerous boards:  United Way, Youth United Way, Leadership Roswell, Teen Leadership Roswell, and the original Board of Character Counts of Chaves County. 2002-2004, she served as President of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a club for Professional Women Educators.  She joined the State and National Association of Elementary School Principals in 2000 and in 2008-2010 she served as State President of the Elementary School Principals’ Association, and as a member of the Coalition of School Administrators Board.  In addition to professional service, she finds time to serve in her community too.  She is the Second Vice Chairman of the Extraterritorial Zoning Commission. 

 

Judy Harney, Special Needs Education Director

Santa Fe School for the Deaf, Art Teacher

Judy holds a MST from Rochester Institute of Technology in art education, 1999. She has certification with a Master of Science degree in secondary education for deaf and hard of hearing Students, 2002. She has taught at the Oregon School for the Deaf from 2003-2008 and is currently the art teacher at the Santa Fe School for the Deaf.

Judy has special and unique instructional and educational perspective that she can bring forward for the association. Judy will be developing support for students and teachers who face the challenges of special needs art instruction by identifying resource materials and teaching strategies for the membership at large.

 

Woody Duncan, Retired Director

Albuquerque, Kansas et al.

Woody is a retired middle school art teacher from Kansas who moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2005. he has maintained his own personal web site called taospaint.com for ten years. Frani (his beautiful wife of 45 years) and Woody have two sons and six grandkids. Three came as a set (triplets). They also have three great-grandsons. Frani makes quilts and Woody paints with watercolors.  

Being retired, he has time to do the stuff he and his wife both enjoy.  He is a docent at the Albuquerque Museum.  His team gives tours for school children twice each month.  He is also active in the New Mexico Watercolor Society.  He served as president of NMWS for 2007-08. Back in Kansas he was active on the KAEA board. From time to time Woody does workshops for art teachers at state or national conferences.  After moving to Albuquerque, he changed his NAEA membership from Kansas to New Mexico.  He then volunteered to create the first website for New Mexico Art Education Association.      

His teaching degree (1976) is from the University of Kansas in Lawrence (Go Jayhawks).  As far back as June 1985, he began driving from Kansas City to Taos, New Mexico to paint watercolors.  He continues to attend the Adams State Watercolor Workshop at the Sagebrush Inn, in Taos, every June.

  

Maggie Robinson, Student Chapter Representative 

UNM Student, UNM Student Chapter President

Maggie represents the UNM art education student body as president of the student chapter and is completing her teaching degree in art education with licensure. Maggie’s first-hand knowledge of pre-service teacher needs is a valuable and welcome insight for the NMAEA membership.