Women’s Summit 2023 | ballroom
We have an amazing lineup of speakers for this event. Their bios are listed below in order of their appearance.
Lisa Curtis
Lisa Curtis, Chair of the NM Commission on the Status of Women & Founding Partner of Curtis Law Firm
For 28 years, Lisa has dedicated her career to helping and protecting victims killed or permanently harmed because of the wrongful conduct of others. Primarily a malpractice trial lawyer, Lisa graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law, and has handled and tried cases on behalf of hundreds of victims. She has worked directly against insurance companies for bad faith insurance practices, automobile and semi-truck crashes, products liability cases, Fair Labor Standards Act violations and violent torts, most notably helping children who were the victims of sexual abuse. It was because of this work that Lisa introduced key legislation in the 2012 session to extend the time a victim of childhood sexual abuse can pursue charges against their abuser.
Lisa was appointed by the NM Supreme Court Rules of Evidence Committee, is one of two NM lawyers on the American Association for Justice Board of Governors, is the Chair of the NM Commission on the Status of Women, and a member of the NM Citizen Redistricting Committee. Lisa is married to husband Bob Curtis, and has four adult children and three grandchildren.
Jenifer raphael getz
The Executive Director of the NM Commission on the Status of Women, Jenifer Raphael Getz is a social justice activist with a lifelong commitment to women’s issues, and a belief in making change by engaging multiple stakeholders to identify shared goals. She is active in New Mexico’s non-profit community, having served as Interim Executive Director and Vice President of the Board of the Southwest Women’s Law Center, and consulted and written grant proposals for Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund, the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
Jenifer has a background in finance, administration, and management, working previously as a senior auditor with Atkinson and Co., a small business owner of Sunquest Aviation, and Treasurer of the Board of the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation. She has raised two adult children in New Mexico with her husband of 30 years.
SONGTREE PIOCHE
Songtree Pioche – Commissioner, New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women – (she/her/auntie) is Taos Pueblo and Oglala Lakota married to Sanchez Pioche Sr. (Navajo) Songtree and mother to Cheyenne, Cash, and Sanchez Jr. She is an educator and community leader. A proud UNM Lobo with a degree in Native American Studies (Magna Cum Laude) She is committed to equity and inclusion in education. Songtree also serves as the Chair of the Native American Democratic Caucus of NM and Secretary of the Aztec Baseball Board. She enjoys traveling with her family to sporting events and lake days with friends.
Mimi Stewart
Senator Mimi Stewart – (D) – President Pro Tempore has lived in Albuquerque for 45 years. She earned her Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology and History from Boston University and her Master’s of Science in Education from Wheelock College. She retired from the Albuquerque Public School District after 30 years as an elementary special education teacher, with an expertise in teaching reading.
As a legislator, Stewart has led initiatives to increase educator pay, expand early childhood education, advance renewable energy and assistance for workers, require insurance companies to provide all forms of contraception, and initiate a statewide Paid Family Medical Leave program.
Stewart is the recipient of the numerous awards, including New Mexico’s Most Effective Legislator from Fiscal Note in 2017.
SUZAN REAGAN
Suzan Reagan has been with the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business & Economic Research (BBER) since 2013 and oversees the BBER Data Bank. Suzan has over 20 years of experience in analyzing industry and occupation statistics for New Mexico’s economy. Prior to working at BBER, Suzan worked for New Mexico’s Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS), Economic Research and Analysis Bureau, where she worked on a variety of programs involving labor market Information. As a labor economist, she over saw the Workforce Information Database at NMDWS and wrote many articles for the Labor Market Review.
Deb Haaland
Deb Haaland is a proud New Mexican from Laguna Pueblo. She graduated from the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 1994, and from UNM School of Law in 2006. She has worked hard in New Mexico politics, volunteering for campaigns and running for office.
In 2016, she led the State Democratic Party to victory as chair, and she was elected in 2018 to represent congressional district one in the United States House of Representatives.
Haaland’s distinctive voice resonates for many people who have not seen themselves in our political landscape. Her ascent in political prominence is felt deeply by Indigenous communities both at home and globally.
Songtree Pioche
Songtree Pioche (she/her/auntie) is Taos Pueblo & Oglala Lakota married to Sanchez Pioche Sr. (Navajo) Songtree is mother to Cheyenne, Cash, and Sanchez Jr. She is an educator and community leader. A proud UNM Lobo with a degree in Native American Studies (Magna Cum Laude) She is committed to equity and inclusion in education. Songtree also serves as the Chair of the Native American Democratic Caucus of NM and Secretary of the Aztec Baseball Board. She enjoys traveling with her family to sporting events and lake days with friends.