Monica Griego
UWNNM News:
The United Way of Northern New Mexico (UWNNM), the philanthropic nonprofit working to improve the lives of children and families throughout Los Alamos and Rio Arriba counties, announces that it has hired Monica Griego as its new executive director. Griego fills the vacancy created by the recent retirement of Cindy Padilla.
UWNNM Board President Liddie Martinez said that the organization is ready to move to the next level.
“In 2021, the United Way of Northern New Mexico has achieved a four-star rating from Charity Navigator,” Martinez said. “This is the highest rating and is reserved only for charitable organizations that exceed industry standards in financial health, accountability, and transparency and that outperform other charities in its cause. We’re proud of this achievement and our organization is committed to achieving mighty change in the region under the leadership of Mrs. Griego.”
Griego comes to northern New Mexico by way of her work in community health, marketing, campaign leadership and fund development in Washington D.C., California and Colorado following positions with the White House, New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange and Sancre Productions among other organizations. She also has worked as a fund development consultant and in advisory and board capacities for various organizations and nonprofits, both in and out of New Mexico. Griego is a graduate of Georgetown University.
Griego tells the Los Alamos Daily Post that she will usher in a new era of multi-faceted fundraising initiatives and strong presence within the community.
“I’m really looking at creating a powerful partnership,” Griego said. “Where our local nonprofits are supported to work hand-in-hand with our partners, donors, funders and government agencies to create a regionally responsive, integrated local health and human service system and meaningfully address food insecurity, quality education, homelessness, and substance misuse and violence in our region.”
Most recently Griego has served as producer with film and concert production company Sancre Productions that she co-founded with her husband and has in the past three years produced the largest public events in Los Alamos and Rio Arriba history. In 2018 the kickoff event of ‘A New Normal.Life’ Campaign, an opioid overdose public health campaign, drew 5,000 people to its launch event, which included a health fair, community college tour, and a free community Ozomatli concert.
In 2019, Sancre Productions brought 9,000 attendees to the Chevel Shepherd concert at Ashley Pond Park in Los Alamos in one of 15 concerts the company produced for the Los Alamos Summer Concert Series.
In both projects Griego was responsible for raising and administrating 100 percent of the budgets through awarded grants and public, private and corporate sponsorships. Given Griego’s community engagement expertise, she will focus on bringing in as many donors, businesses and community voices to the table as possible.
“Nonprofits in our region are doing more to reach and serve those families in financial hardship following the global pandemic with higher caseloads and limited resources. They’ll have my full support,” Griego said. “We will be reaching out to the community to support the mission of UWNNM through donations, volunteering and planned giving. Our nonprofit sector can’t exist without our strategic and targeted support.”
Griego is already thinking of cultivating targeted Campaigns to raise funds for the upcoming Fall grant cycle.
“It won’t happen all at once. It will take a phased implementation approach, Griego said, but I am committed to seeing this work through over the long haul because I care deeply about the people and communities of Northern New Mexico.”
To find out more about how to donate or volunteer with the United Way of Northern New Mexico, please visit www.UnitedWayNNM.org or connect on Facebook @UnitedWayNNM.
