New role at NMDCA solidifies the agency’s commitment to engagement and education statewide 

April 21st, 2022

Santa Fe, NM - The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs (NMDCA) is pleased to announce that New Mexico State Librarian Eli Guinnee will also join agency leadership with the additional role of Chair of Engagement and Education, effective immediately. 

Guinnee’s new role as chair both formalizes the work that he has tackled throughout his time at NMDCA and deepens the agency’s commitment to accessibility, engagement, and education. Since joining the department, he has led efforts by NMDCA divisions to critically engage with their communities throughout the state, meeting with staff regionally, building a shared space for educators across the department to collaborate with one another and schoolteachers directly, and improving the lines of communication between divisions across the board. Under Guinnee’s leadership, this group produced a series of activity books and kits that were distributed to libraries throughout the state in 2020 and 2021 and will be again in 2022, as well as interdepartmental initiatives in professional development and community engagement. 

Guinnee is excited to push these initiatives even further. “A lot of this work has been informal and grassroots,” he said. “Now, we are recognizing that working together on education and engagement initiatives is a priority of the department.” 

“I am grateful for Eli’s leadership in the areas of engagement and education,” said Debra Garcia y Griego, NMDCA Cabinet Secretary. “He has a proven ability to meet the people we serve where they are and energize our divisions to improve their services. In his new role as chair, he will be empowered to do just that.”