The NMCIC Team
Beth Beloff
Chief Executive Officer
Beth Beloff is Founder and CEO of the New Mexico Climate Investment Center (NMCIC) and has more than 30 years of experience advancing sustainability and climate solutions. She has founded and led several influential organizations, including BRIDGES to Sustainability, the Institute for Corporate Environmental Management at the University of Houston, and served as Project Lead for the Global Commons Project of the National Academy of Sciences and the Houston Advanced Research Center.
From 2015–2018, Beth chaired the Santa Fe Sustainability Commission, leading the development of the city’s 25-year sustainability and carbon-neutrality plan, adopted in 2018. She has served on Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Environment Transition Team, Mayor Webber’s Advancing Sustainability Working Group, and multiple environmental, climate and water advisory bodies. In 2019, she established the Coalition of Sustainable Communities New Mexico, a coalition of NM local governments committed to advancing sustainability policies and actions, where the vision for NMCIC was developed and realized before its launch as an independent nonprofit organization.
Beth holds degrees from UC Berkeley (BA), UCLA (MArch), and the University of Houston (MBA), is principal author/editor of Transforming Sustainability Strategy into Action, as well as author of numerous papers on sustainability.
Michael Athens
Chief Operating Officer
Mike Athens’ career in banking spans over twenty-three years in lending, operations, and executive leadership. Mike served as President and CEO of Rio Grande Credit Union, where he encouraged the development of innovative products and services for members throughout Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties. Prior to serving as CEO, Mike held the position, at RGCU, of Vice President of Operations. He has held other notable leadership positions such as Vice President of Association Services at the Credit Union Association of New Mexico, Senior Vice President and Loan Administrator at the Bank of Belen, and Vice President of Government Lending Products at Bank of America, to name a few. Mike holds a BA in Chemistry and Math from the University of New Mexico and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Mike also serves on the board of a number of nonprofits, including Prosperity Works and the Albuquerque Women’s Housing Coalition.
Emily Leveille
Chief Investment Officer
Prior to NMCIC, Emily was with Thornburg Investment Management for four years, where she was portfolio manager for international and global growth strategies, focusing on fundamental research of publicly listed companies globally to make investment decisions for the fund. Before Thornburg, Emily spent a decade investing in emerging market equities at Nordea in Copenhagen, Denmark and Ashmore EMM in Washington, DC. Emily is a co-founder of the Canyon Road Summer Walk in Santa Fe, and she sits on the development committee of the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute. While living in DC, Emily was the Chair of the Junior Board and a board member for an education non-profit New Futures. Emily holds a BA in Politics from New York University and is a CFA Charterholder. She has two children and lives in Santa Fe, NM where she loves to hike, ski, and backpack.
Zachary Chavez
Director of Market Development
Zachary is a financier turned entrepreneur with over 14 years of capital markets experience. Most recently Zachary was Chief Revenue Officer for Somos Solar, a local renewable energy solutions developer. Prior to that, he worked as a Vice President with Virtua Partners, leading their internal opportunity zone initiative, and was a Capital Markets Trader at The Vanguard Group. In his more recent work, he has been able to leverage his experience in finance to drive the development of financial structures for smart city and renewable energy development projects. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Zachary previously served on the Board of Directors for the New Mexico Climate Investment Center. He holds a BA in Political Science from Northwestern University. He previously held FINRA Series 7, 63, and 57 licenses. His dedication to combining financial expertise with social impact continues to drive his mission and vision in the industry.
Janet Pacheco-Morton
CPA, CGFM, Morton Accounting, LLC, NMCIC Outsource CFO and Accountant
Morton Accounting, LLC (MAS) is a full-service, New Mexico-owned Certified Public Accounting firm. The MAS team has been helping organizations create, maintain and improve financial and operational systems for over 25 years, providing accounting, assurance and financial reporting solutions that create opportunities for organizations to grow, achieve sound financial management and comply with complex regulatory requirements. The key MAS team members, consisting of Janet Pacheco-Morton, CPA, CGFM, managing principal and Kim Keahbone, senior manager, will be managing the day-to-day financial activities of NMCIC. Janet has 25+ years experience in the public accounting industry, auditing and providing accounting services for state and local government, as well as nonprofit organizations. Kim is retired from the State of New Mexico, having served as Chief Financial Officer for New Mexico Department of Health and New Mexico Energy, Minerals & Natural Resource Department.
Amanda Lindell
Executive Administrative Assistant
Amanda Lindell is a proud New Mexican with more than 20 years of experience in leadership, operations, and organizational development. She brings expertise in event planning, logistics, budgeting, strategic planning, and team development, and she applies these skills to advance the mission and operational excellence of the New Mexico Climate Investment Center (NMCIC).
Amanda earned a BS in Education from the University of New Mexico and built a strong foundation in the service industry, where restaurant management sharpened her leadership abilities and commitment to high-quality service. She is known for her servant leadership style and fosters collaboration, communication, and growth across cross-functional teams.
Before joining NMCIC, Amanda served as Office and Contracts Manager for the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP), where her passion for community and environmental stewardship flourished. Outside of work, she enjoys time outdoors with her husband Mike, their son Timothy, and their dogs Champ and Ruby.
NMCIC Board of Director Biographies
Kelly O’Donnell
Chair of the Board
Chief Research and Policy Officer at Homewise
Kelly O’Donnell has over 25 years of experience in New Mexico public finance, having served as a state government official, a UNM research professor, Chief of Research and Policy for a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and as a current member of the New Mexico State Investment Council. Founder and President of O’Donnell Economics and Strategy LLC, O’Donnell has also provided economic consulting services to governments, institutions and non-profits in New Mexico and nationwide for the last 15 years. Alongside public finance, O’Donnell’s career has been defined by a commitment to sustainable economic development, having served as Deputy Cabinet Secretary for the State Economic Development Department and Research Director for New Mexico Voices for Children and as Superintendent of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing department, where she was instrumental in the adoption of the state’s first green building codes. Today she carries that commitment forward as Chief Research and Policy Officer for Homewise. O’Donnell holds a doctorate in economics from UNM.
Ward Hendon
Treasurer
Co-Founder and General Partner of Dangerous Ventures a New Mexico Based Climate Tech Venture Capital Fund
Ward Hendon is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Dangerous Ventures. Backed by the State Investment Council (SIC), Dangerous Ventures is a New Mexico-based climate technology investment fund dedicated to backing companies in our state to build a more resilient future for people and the planet. Prior to his work with Dangerous Ventures, Hendon was a founding team member at Axiom Law, a first-of-its-kind tech-enabled legal services firm that is today an industry-leading player in legal services worldwide. Previously, Hendon served on the Board of Directors of Sierra Nevada Journeys (SNJ), a Nevada-based nonprofit delivering innovative outdoor, science-based education programs for youth, and is currently on the Board of Mount Tamalpais College, a nonprofit organization providing liberal arts education to incarcerated students. Hendon is also a Lecturer at UCLA Anderson School of Business where he teaches entrepreneurship and impact investing from his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Carter Bundy
New Mexico Political and Legislative Director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Carter Bundy has been the New Mexico Political and Legislative Director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) International since 2002. In this capacity, Bundy has been an integral player in significant legislative wins, which includes passing a permanent Public Employee Bargaining Act in 2003, passing state minimum wage law for New Mexicans as lead lobbyist and expert in 2007, securing collective bargaining legislation for home-based child care providers, and achieving bipartisan support to pass “return to work” legislation for New Mexico’s governmental employees in 2024, to name just a few major accomplishments. A lawyer by training, Bundy was also the New Mexico Director of AFL-CIO Election Protection in 2008, and the director of America Coming Together’s New Mexico Voter Protection Program in 2004. Bundy recently served on the State of New Mexico’s Retirement Income Security Task Force and is a current board member of New Mexico Work and Save and serves on the America Votes Steering Committee.
Melia Heimbuck
President and CEO of Credit Union Association of New Mexico
Melia Heimbuck began leading the Credit Union Association of New Mexico as its President & CEO in May 2023. Before taking on this role, Melia led the Association’s legislative, political and regulatory advocacy efforts, assisted member credit unions with all aspects of compliance and risk management, directed education and training programs, and guided governance activities within the Association. Prior to her work with the New Mexico Association, she was the Principal of Risk Management Solutions and Strategic Advisor for CU Solutions Group (CUSG). Previously, Melia spent over 18 years supporting credit unions in Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming through the Mountain West Credit Union Association (MWCUA). Heimbuck is a licensed attorney in the state of New Mexico.
Brian Lewis
Chief Financial Officer at LF Bioenergy
Carol Romero-Wirth
Former Santa Fe City Councilor
Attorney
Gabriel Pacyniak
UNM Professor of Law
Director, Natural Resources & Environmental Law Program
Marty Chavez
Former Albuquerque Mayor
Advisor to New Mexico Governor
Maxine Paul
Vice President, Sustainable Development at High Water Mark
Metta Smith
Chief Lending & Client Experience Officer
NMCIC Partners
Christian Casillas
Executive Director, Coalition of Sustainable Communities New Mexico
Christian was born and raised in Santa Fe and has worked as a consultant on energy policy, renewable energy engineering, sustainable development, and education for close to two decades. Christian has designed and implemented workshops on renewable energy and energy efficiency in the U.S., Nicaragua, India, and multiple countries in Africa. Christian has designed and led community participatory workshops on aspects of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and economic development. He has been the lead author for peer-reviewed papers focusing on energy-access to under-served communities in Science, Climate Policy, and Energy Policy as well as published on community-based participatory processes. His work in New Mexico has included curriculum development for Santa Fe Community College’s smart grid and microgrid training program, designing and teaching energy-related workshops in Santa Fe’s public schools, collaborating on the design of public outreach and engagement for Santa Fe’s 25 Year Sustainability Plan, and he has played an active role advocating for low-income benefits throughout the legislative and rulemaking processes for community solar. Christian was the project manager for Santa Fe’s Solarize campaign to increase access to rooftop solar and energy efficiency, as well as the lead supporting efforts for education and outreach in New Mexico’s nascent community solar program. Christian has a PhD and MS in Energy and Resources from UC Berkeley, an MS in Applied Mathematics from Johns Hopkins, and a BA in Environmental Engineering from Harvard.
Rachel Rosenfelt
Director of Operations and Partnerships, Coalition of Sustainable Communities New Mexico
An Albuquerque native, Rachel is an experienced leader and educator with an extensive background in political organization development, media innovation, and communications strategy. She has led strategic communications work with an expertise in audience development and data-backed results for diverse clients in the non-profit and for-profit world. Previously, Rachel was Creative Director for Verso Books, Executive Producer for Gawker Media, and Publisher and Vice President of the New Republic. Additionally, Rachel was the co-founder, core faculty, and associate director of the first ever graduate-level journalism degree program at the New School For Social Research, Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism (CPCJ), where she taught and developed the program for 6 years. Rachel holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Barnard College, Columbia University.
Paul Scharfenberger
Executive Director, CCEF and NMCIC Green Bank Business Advisor
As CEO, Paul is responsible for developing and overseeing the Colorado Collaborative Energy Fund’s strategic vision and day-to-day tactical operations. Paul combines a unique and extensive background in traditional finance, operations management, and project management that spans more than 20 years. Paul began his career in investment banking before consciously transitioning to the energy field where he was able to combine his financial acumen with his passion for energy management and sustainability. Since transitioning into the clean energy sector, Paul has developed various public private partnerships that have deployed >$350M towards clean energy projects across the State of Colorado. In addition to a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Finance from Fairfield University in Connecticut, Paul holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus in Finance and a Master of Science (MS) with a focus in energy policy, markets, and technologies from the University of Colorado at Boulder.