Meet Our Board of Directors

Executive Director

Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council’s PeaceKeepers Program

Ms. Tsoodle-Marcus currently serves as the Executive Director of the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council’s PeaceKeepers program. She is from the Taos Pueblo (fluent) and Kiowa tribe (fluent) and actively participates in cultural and religious functions in both tribes. For over 40 years, Ms. Tsoodle-Marcus has dedicated her career to the criminal justice field, including but not limited to, tribal Chief judge, police, courts and corrections. From 1972-1982, Judge Tsoodle-Marcus was an Indian Justice Specialist for the NM Criminal Justice Department. She was responsible for developing the first Police, Court, and Corrections programs under the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration for tribal reservations in New Mexico. As the NM Criminal Justice Department transitioned to the NM Corrections Department, Ms. Tsoodle- Marcus worked for another 15 years under the NM Corrections Department. Her educational degrees are from Monterey Peninsula College, California and New Mexico State University. Judge Tsoodle-Marcus worked for Taos County for five years as a Jail Supervisor/Warden. She served Taos Pueblo as a Tribal administrator for the Governor of Taos Pueblo in 1993. She also worked as a professor at Northern NM College, where she taught Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Criminal Justice/Community Relations. Ms. Tsoodle-Marcus’ long dedicated career has included work for State, County and Tribal Government of Taos Pueblo.

Assistant Controller

Pueblo de San Ildefonso

“CSVANW’s mission to provide ‘support, education, and advocacy … to create violence-free communities’ struck a cord with me because of the violence I experienced in my family as a child and continue to witness as an adult.”

A citizen of the Taos Pueblo Nation located in Northern New Mexico, Daniel has personal knowledge of the violence that permeates many Native communities. In his first job upon his graduation from UC Riverside with a Bachelors in Business, he worked as a native community youth activities coordinator in Los Angeles County, California. This experience provided a view into the types of challenges with violence that are a daily reality for many Native families in urban settings. From this experience and from a desire to give back more to his community, Daniel set out to acquire a Master’s degree in accounting.

It has since become his personal goal to lend his fifteen plus years of accounting, analytical and management experience working with private, governmental and not-for-profit entities to CSVANW and other organizations, whose mission it is to end violence in our communities, in either leadership or supportive roles that help to create long-term sustainability.   Daniel proudly serves as the CSVANW Board Treasurer.

An avid hiker and overall outdoor enthusiast Daniel enjoys spending time traveling to remote locations with his wife Germaine Omish_Lucero and his son Samuel Lucero. One of the most pleasurable activities remains for Daniel, time spent with close family and friends in whatever setting.

Daniel may be reached via email at lucero.dr@gmail.com or through Facebook.

Williamson’s Survivors Justice Initiative

Coleen Widell is executive director of The Nest, Lincoln County’s shelter for victims of domestic violence.  She is also president and co-founder of the American Institute on Domestic Violence.  With degrees in psychology from Western Washington University and the University of Washington, she has held professional positions in criminal justice, direct service and public administration.

Ms. Widell has served as a Probation Officer in Washington for fifteen years working with criminal offenders and victims of domestic violence.  She also conducted investigations of child abuse and neglect for the Department of Social & Health Services.

In 1998, Coleen founded the American Institute on Domestic Violence (AIDV), which provides national consulting services for the business community on domestic violence spillover into the workplace.   She authored the book “Domestic Violence Targets the Heart of American Business” which outlines workplace training programs she created for AIDV.  These programs have been highlighted by the National Crime Prevention Council as a “Best Practice” for employer intervention to address domestic violence as a security threat and workplace issue.

Coleen has been at HEAL for ten years.  Her primary work involves legislative advocacy, government relations, community mobilization and messaging.  In 2010, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson honored Coleen as one of the state’s Outstanding New Mexico Women for her exceptional contributions to the state as evidenced by her exemplary leadership and advocacy.  She served as the Board Chair of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence from 2009-2011.

Corn Pollen Consulting, LLC.

President/Owner

Joannie Suina Romero is from the Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico and is the Founder and President of Corn Pollen Consulting, LLC (CPC). CPC is a 100% Native American, woman-owned small business dedicated to providing alternative and innovative approaches to solve the educational, economic, political and social issues facing Indian Country in the 21st century. Joannie also serves as Adjunct Faculty at the Institute of American Indian Arts, in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she teaches Federal Indian Law, Creative & Critical Inquiry, and Decolonization & Applied Theory of Post-Colonialism.

As an undergraduate at the University of New Mexico, Joannie pursued a Native American Studies degree with a concentration in Education & Language. Most recently, Joannie earned a Master of Jurisprudence in Indian Law from the University of Tulsa, College of Law where she focused her research on the marginalization of Pueblo Communities through Federal Indian Policy. Joannie is eager to continue her research studies towards trauma-informed community planning for Pueblo communities.

Joannie is a proud wife and mother to four amazing children. She is extremely passionate about teaching Keres to her family, practicing archery with her compound bow, fly fishing, as well as being a part of her Tribal community through ceremony and community-based initiatives.

Social Services Manager

Pueblo of Santa Ana

Theresa Ortiz grew up within the Pueblo of Isleta. Growing up, Theresa witnessed domestic violence within her home; it was something that her mother experienced as a young bride and mother of young children. As Theresa learned more about her mother’s experience, she learned that her mother did not have any help, but went through this very heartbreaking experience alone. Theresa centered her own experiences and those of her mother, and through the awareness, she developed a passion for advocacy.

Theresa’s mother later shared that there was no help for Native women who were experiencing the violence she went through. Theresa has always felt that in her heart, this was her purpose: to help those who may be vulnerable, may not have a voice, and felt helpless in their situations, specifically for women who have been violated and who have been abused. She feels it is very important that we have every opportunity to teach and empower our women of every generation by acknowledging their value and worth as Native women.

Because of her mother, Theresa pursued her education, receiving a BA in Psychology from the University of New Mexico and then a Masters in Social Work from New Mexico State University. She is a Licensed Social Worker and is currently working on attaining her Independent License. She is a mother of three: Joe, a freshman at the Air Force Academy; Melanie, a senior at Cibola High School, and Jeremiah, an 8th grader at Taylor Middle School. She is also a breast cancer survivor and a survivor of sexual assault. Her hope is to bring the awareness and education of domestic violence and sexual assault to the forefront of the communities that she works within so that we may provide those with a voice and support needed to become a survivor.

VOICES Program Manager

Tewa Women United

Kena Leigh Chavez is an enrolled member of the Pueblo De Cochiti, NM.  She is also from the Hopi Tribe from the Village of Walpi and is of the Coyote Clan.  Ms. Chavez is the Tewa Women United V.O.I.C.E.S. Program Manager, a culturally-based response to sexual violence and other trauma related to sexual violence in the diverse communities located in Rio Arriba and northern Santa Fe counties, and the Pueblo and Tribal Nations in New Mexico.  Ms. Chavez received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The College of Santa Fe and her Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice from Central New Mexico Community College, NM.  Previous to TWU Ms. Chavez worked with both her Pueblo & Hopi Tribes. Former Social Services/ICWA Coordinator for Pueblo De Cochiti And former Project Coordinator for The Hopi-Tewa Women’s Coalition to End Abuse.  She also has experience as a Juvenile Probation Officer and photographer.

Ms. Chavez is a survivor of sexual assault & domestic violence.  She has a handsome son, Yursh age 16, and two beautiful daughters,  Skada age 11 and CeCeKa age 8.   She shares her story openly in hopes that she can help at least one of her listeners.