Meet Our Team

Joe Zupan has been the Executive Director for Amigos Bravos since 2016. In that role, he has focused on policy, advocacy, development and administration, and all aspects of organization management. A native of southern Colorado, he received a degree in chemical engineering from Colorado School of Mines and his career has been focused on environmental engineering. Prior to joining Amigos Bravos, he managed an Austin-based multi-disciplinary environmental consulting firm for over twelve years. Joe is currently registered as a professional engineer in both New Mexico and Colorado. Joe’s passion for the work of Amigos Bravos is matched only by his love of the great outdoors around Taos.

Phone:

575-758-3874

Email:

jzupan@amigosbravos.org

As Deputy Director of Amigos Bravos, Rachel advocates for strong and environmental just local, state, and federal water policy and provides hands-on support to New Mexico communities and groups working to protect their watersheds. She is a leader in the ongoing campaigns to hold Los Alamos National Lab accountable for pollution, designate more of New Mexico’s waters as Outstanding National Resource Waters, protect New Mexico’s ground and surface water from degradation caused by mining, and advocate for strong water quality standards throughout the New Mexico. Prior to joining Amigos Bravos in 2001, Rachel worked in San Luis, Colorado on mining and water contamination issues and in Boston for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

Phone:

575-758-3874

Email:

rconn@amigosbravos.org

Shannon is a full-time employee of Amigos Bravos and is responsible for researching, writing, submitting, and tracking proposals and reports regarding grants from foundations, government agencies, and other contractual funders. She is also responsible for any project related work delegated to her by the ED or Projects Director. Shannon manages our volunteer River Camera program and recently completed a three-year planning and water-sampling effort to decrease bacteria in the Rio Fernando de Taos. She completed her Master’s in Biology at Missouri State University in May, 2012 and wrote her thesis on the effects of wind turbine caused mortality on the future of the federally endangered Indiana bat.

Phone:

575-758-3874

Email:

sromeling@amigosbravos.org

Like most nonprofit staff, Nina wears many hats for Amigos Bravos. As Donor and Communications Coordinator, her primary responsibilities include cultivating and managing an engaged membership base; managing content for Amigos Bravos’ social media channels and website content; planning, coordinating, and marketing outreach activities and events; assisting the Executive Director in maintaining communications with major donors; and managing general office administrative tasks. Since graduating from Indiana University with a BA in Journalism, Nina has worked for a variety of advertising agencies and telecommuted for 10 years as a Digital Marketing Manager for a New Mexico-wide economic development nonprofit called WESST. Prior to joining Amigos Bravos in 2017, she served as the Donor and Communications Manager for the Taos Land Trust. Nina spends much of her spare time hiking in the mountains and capturing the dramatic natural beauty of northern New Mexico through her mixed media art.

Phone:

575-758-3874

Email:

nanthony@amigosbravos.org

Elena is a champion for upholding leadership values in STEM, Environmental Stewardship, Academia, and National Laboratory Suitability. She has contracted as an Environmental Consultant for the Lower Rio Grande Hydrographic Survey on behalf of the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, and as a Research and Development Specialist for the Army Research Laboratory/New Mexico State University (NMSU)/Yale University Atmospheric Aerosols experimental group. Elena serves on the NMSU Engineering Physics Program External Advisory Board (ex-officio), and the Northern New Mexico Citizens’ Advisory Board (DOE-EM-SSAB) for Department of Energy legacy waste cleanup sites in New Mexico. She is also a charter member of the Norwich University Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the National Leadership Honor Society. Her work with Amigos Bravos reaches across the state to the New Mexico Dairy Coalition, the Miranda Canyon Commission for illegal dumping mitigation, and toxic pollutants in New Mexico’s waters.

Phone:

575-758-3874

Email:

efernandez@amigosbravos.org

Steven is responsible for leading policy and project development that improves watershed health, water source protection, and wetland restoration. He also provides research and technical assistance to internal/external requests and works to expand Amigos Bravos’ partnerships with organizations and communities throughout New Mexico. Prior to joining the team, Steven worked on the management of stormwater flows using green infrastructure and the protection of nearshore ecosystems in the Seattle area. He has a Bachelor’s in Economics from Santa Clara University and a Master’s in Applied International Relations from the University of Washington where he focused on the intersection of wetland protection and economic development. In his free time, he can be found skiing or biking in the neighboring mountains and is also a chess and soccer enthusiast.

Phone:

575-758-3874

Email:

sfry@amigosbravos.org

Sarah’s primary  responsibities as a Policy Specialist for Amigos Bravos focus on mining impacts, water policy, regional water planning, and water re-use regulations across the state. Prior to joining the Amigos Bravos team, Sarah was a high school teacher, rank-and-file organizer, and advocate for migrant justice in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 14 years. She is the co-editor and co-author of Capitalism and Education: Struggles for Learning and Liberation (Haymarket Books 2012).  She was the Program Director for the Lannan Foundation’s Cultural Freedom Program for nine years. She is a PhD candidate in American Studies at University of New Mexico-Albuquerque, where she teaches Environmental Justice. She specializes in racial colonial capitalism and its alternatives, with a particular focus on resistance to extractive industries across Turtle Island. She is most often seen rough-water swimming, riding her trusty mare Wolf through the bosque in Albuquerque, elk hunting in the Gila, enjoying live music, and taking wild children on wild adventures.

Phone:

575-758-3874

Email:

sknopp@amigosbravos.org

In the role of Project Associate at Amigos Bravos, Talavi engages in various aspects of work including support for watershed restoration and quality projects, facilitation in the Rio Fernando Revitalization Collaborative, organizing river and canyon clean ups, fostering relationships with partners and community members, contributing to policy initiatives, and undertaking grant writing activities. She holds a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology and Environmental Science from the University of Hawai’i at Hilo and is committed to respecting the well-being of the earth. Talavi has previously held positions that involved significant contributions to water restoration projects as the Reserved Treaty Rights Lands Coordinator for Santa Clara Pueblo Forestry. Additionally, Talavi has led terrestrial and lotic AIM crews across Colorado and New Mexico in the role of Ecological Monitoring Coordinator for Southwest Conservation Corps. Furthermore, Talavi has engaged in food and seed sovereignty initiatives and environmental policy work as the Environmental Justice Manager at Tewa Women United.

Phone:

575-758-3874

Email:

tcook@amigosbravos.org