Representative Susan Herrera Contact information

Susan Herrera is a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, representing District 41. She assumed office on January 1, 2019, and her current term ends on December 31, 2024. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Herrera has over fifty years of experience in legislation, government, education, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. She served Chairman Bill Richardson as the director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) in Washington DC before relocating to New Mexico in 1990. She created and implemented the CHC Fellowship program, which has grown into a nine-month paid graduate internship. Hundreds of Hispanic students have launched their public service careers using the fellowship as a stepping stone into their future.

In New Mexico, she has been involved in various initiatives for the last 34 years. She served the University of New Mexico in helping to establish the UNM Taos Branch Campus. She was involved in the development of Northern New Mexico philanthropy when she founded the Northern New Mexico Community College Foundation, now the Northern New Mexico College Foundation.

Herrera served as the founding executive director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation (LANLF). She catapulted the LANLF into a major regional foundation building an endowment of $80 million, while awarding $70 million to educational and community programs over 17 years. Today LANLF’s scholarship program has awarded over $12 million to 2500 scholarship recipients in Northern New Mexico.

She initiated effective programming in the social services sector. Under her leadership, LANLF was instrumental in the expansion of the First Born Program in New Mexico. First Born provides first-time families with professional early childhood development health services. She worked with the Santa Fe Institute and the RAND Corporation to bring an evidence-based program into fruition. Her early work in home visitation has evolved into a $37 million annual state funding stream for New Mexico families.

Herrera has extensive experience in legislation and strategic planning, program development and design, grant writing, non-profit development, and organizational management. Philanthropic fundraising is one of her areas of expertise. Susan served as the President of the New Mexico Association of Grantmakers helping to create statewide initiatives in the philanthropic community.

As a legislator, Herrera has had remarkable achievements in her six years in office. After four years, she was appointed Chair of the Agriculture, Acequias, and Natural Resources Committee. Susan is a key leader in Water legislation in the House and has worked to pass several bills allowing small towns and villages to access state and federal funds for public water projects in the North. In 2024, the funding for water projects in District 41 is authorized for $30 million.

As a member of the Education Committee, she worked to raise teacher and legislative assistant salaries, now the most competitive wages in surrounding states. She helped create the Rural Library Endowment Fund, now at $25 million. With regard to regulating predatory commercial lending, Susan ended a 20-year legislative battle and passed HR 132 to reduce predatory lending rates from 175% to 36%.

Herrera continues to serve today as the Representative for District 41 in the New Mexico House of Representatives, working tirelessly for the betterment of her constituents and the state of New Mexico.