Just Transition Advisor Kayla Lucero-Matteucci
EDD News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) Deputy Secretary Jon Clark has announced that Kayla Lucero-Matteucci joined the department as the new “Just Transition Advisor” to spearhead the state’s initiatives in support of a thriving low-carbon economy.
In her capacity, Lucero-Matteucci will actively engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including local communities, state government bodies, and grassroots organizations, and assist both the Sustainable Economy Task Force and Advisory Council. She will draw upon their expertise and work to design partnerships for a more just, climate-friendly, and diversified New Mexico economy.
Operating within the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office (JEDI Office) of the New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD), Lucero-Matteucci will help ensure marginalized communities are consulted and prioritized throughout the transition to renewable energy sources.
“The Economic Development Department’s goal is to enable all New Mexicans to share in the benefits of this energy transformation,” Deputy Secretary Clark said. “Kayla’s responsibilities encompass shaping EDD’s Statewide Strategic Plan, fostering collaboration among agencies, and enhancing New Mexico’s capabilities in renewable energy development. Her background and experience make her exceptionally qualified for this role.”
“Access to affordable, clean, and reliable energy is directly shaped by New Mexico’s history and the systems we have built,” Lucero-Matteucci said. “As our state transitions toward more sustainable energy sources, we must recognize that community input is key to imagining what a sustainable New Mexico economy looks like. We need to treat communities as the experts on their economic future.”
The work will also be supported by Michael Leon Guerrero with Center for Civic Policy who has been selected as an EDD contractor to work on the Just Energy Transition.
“I am excited to support the work of our state’s Sustainable Economy Advisory Council and Task Force. We are lucky to have partners around the state who have taken the time to educate us about their communities’ needs and aspirations. As our state embarks on a transition toward more sustainable energy sources, community input is vital,” Guerrero said.
Lucero-Matteucci is from the unceded southern Tiwa territories of Albuquerque and Placitas and is a member of the San Antonio de las Huertas land grant. She received bachelor’s degrees in international relations and Spanish studies from Fordham University. As a 2021 Marshall Scholar, she received full funding for master’s degrees in politics and international studies at the University of Cambridge and in climate change and international development at the University of East Anglia.
Her professional background includes work at Cambridge University’s Center for the Study of Existential Risk, the Leverhulme Center on the Future of Intelligence, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Sandia National Laboratories, and civil society groups at the United Nations. She was a 2019 Fulbright Scholar and served in that capacity as a member of several United Kingdom diplomatic delegations to nuclear disarmament initiatives and as a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Science and Security Studies at King’s College London.
