Board of Trustees

Paul Macks, MA

Board Chair

Paul Macks is a retired not-for-profit administrator. Paul has a BS in Communications from Temple University, a MA in Communications from Ohio University and a Post Master Certificate in Healthcare Administration from Saint Joseph’s University.…
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Robert "Bob" Bidal, MBA

Board Vice Chair

Bob Bidal is the Chief Credit Officer and an Executive Vice President for Century Bank in Santa Fe. He has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Arizona and an M.B.A. in Financial…
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Thom Chesney, PhD

President of SWC, Ex Officio Member

Thom joined SWC as president in July 2024, following presidencies at Clarke University (IA) and Brookhaven College (TX) and prior roles as Associate Professor of Humanities and Associate Provost for Student Success and Assessment, The…
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Katherine Ninos, MA, LPCC

Executive Vice President of SWC and Board Secretary

Katherine is Executive Vice President and Director of The New Earth Institute at Southwestern College. She received her B.A. in Psychology at Alfred University, New York, and her M.A. in Transformational Counseling and Education at…
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Robert D. Waterman, EdD, LPCC

Board Member & President Emeritus of Southwestern College

Dr. Robert Waterman has been a spiritual teacher for over 45 years, teaching classes in the United States, Canada, France, Germany and Switzerland. He is a licensed mental health counselor in New Mexico, a minister…
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Miguel Angel Acosta

Development Committee

Miguel Angel Acosta was born in Chicago but made in Mexico. He is Currently Co-Director of Earth Care, a multi-generational community leadership and learning organization in Santa Fe. He has been the Director of El…
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Allison Frank, MBA

CFO Southwestern College, Board Treasurer

Allison Frank has been the Chief Financial Officer of Southwestern College since 2016. She received her Master of Business Administration from the University of New Mexico, and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of…
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Stephen Wall, JD

Board Member

Stephen Wall is an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation. Stephen was born in Roswell, New Mexico and was raised on and near the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in southern New Mexico. After graduating…
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Elijah Chong, MA

Board Member

Elijah Chong is a graduate alumni of Southwestern College with a Masters in Art Therapy/Counseling and a Bachelors of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University. Elijah is currently on staff at The Life Link in…
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Jess Clark

Board Member

Jess Clark is the Director of Sexual Violence Prevention for the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, a consultant for Catharsis Productions, a transgender education consultant, and the host of Both/And: A Sexual Violence…
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Krishna Madappa

Trustee Emeritus

Krishna Madappa is a Holistic Consultant, educator, clinician, researcher, storyteller, shaman and Ayurvedic specialist residing in Taos, New Mexico. Born and raised in the Andaman Islands of India and educated both in India and USA…
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Jennifer Albright Knash, DAT, ATRL-BC, LPC/AODA, CCTP

Program Chair for Art Therapy/Counseling Program

Jennifer Albright Knash is the Chair of the Art Therapy/Counseling program. She received her Doctorate of Art Therapy at Mount Mary University where she completed research regarding trauma repair in the framework of the Neurosequential…
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Kersti Tyson, PhD

Board Member

Kersti’s early career as a math teacher in Santa Fe and Taos sparked her interest in how children learn. That prompted her to pursue a master’s in intercultural communication through the University of New Mexico’s…
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Denise Montoya, PhD. SHRM SCP, SPHR

Board Member

Dr. Denise Montoya is a distinguished leader with a career-long commitment to serving the community. She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the New Mexico Home Builders Association, following an esteemed career in…
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Micaela Wood, MA, LPCC, ATR-BC

Board Member

Micaela Wood, MA, LPCC, ATR-BC is full time faculty in the Art Therapy/Counseling program. She is a Southwestern College alumnus with her MA Art Therapy and Counseling. She is a licensed professional counselor specializing in…
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Dolores Scarlett Cortez

Student Member

Dolores Scarlett Cortez is an educator and multidisciplinary artist raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She moved to New Mexico in 2015 to study Studio Art at the Institute of American Indian Arts. While in undergrad, Scarlett…
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