Patricia is 22nd.+ generation New Mexican and is the daughter of a 94 year old (dec) U.S. Army Veteran from Las Cruces, who served in WWII in the 82nd Airborne/Normandy drop, and in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Her father comes from a rich native cultural heritage dating back over a thousand years from the Cacique lineage of the Piro Manso Tiwa Indian Tribe, Pueblo of San Juan de Guadalupe. Her mother, also deceased, was a native of Las Cruces from a Spanish and Mexican lineage. Her parents instilled the core values of a quality education and service to one’s community. This is why they sacrificed and sent her to Loretto Academy, led by the Sisters of Loretto, from elementary through high school. Patricia attained a B.A. from the University of Colorado in Boulder and is holds a dual Masters degree from UNM in Community and Regional Planning and Public Administration. She is currently enrolled as a UNM Ph.D candidate in Chicana and Chicano Studies. She spent over thirty six years as a public administrator and community and economic developer working in low income and working poor communities.    

          Patricia has served in many civic and advocacy organizations and is the immediate past LULAC National Treasurer, immediate past National Parliamentarian for the League of United Latin American Citizens, the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy group in the United States with a history of over 90 years. She has dedicated her life to advancing the economic conditions, educational attainment, political influence, health, and civil rights of the Hispanic/Latino community. She has been a union organizer, shop steward and international representative and a champion of equal pay for equal work and for the rights of all workers to earn a livable wage. As a community economic developer and organizer, Patricia has hands on experience in connecting the community with the resources needed to bring improvements and opportunities to residents for sustainable, clean air, and water and access and opportunities for healthy and affordable living. She has been active in neighborhood coalitions in efforts to gain local government support for the issues she is committed to.

Patricia is Committed to:

• Combating global warming by supporting green and renewable energy.
• Protecting our working families from carrying the unfair burden of paying higher taxes while suffering continued cuts in our public schools and other public services.
• Ensuring healthcare for the under and uninsured and opposes cuts to the Medicaid program.
• Improving infrastructure development to build roads, parks, and multi-generational centers.
• Promoting environmentally friendly investments focused on job creation
Supporting healthy and safe community initiatives.
• Creating educational opportunities for our children focused on a future of technological advancement.
• Helping small businesses and sustainable, quality, job creation.
Advocating for fair and safe work conditions.
• Honesty, fairness, and transparency in government.