ALBUQERUQE, N.M. – The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government has elected two new members to its Board of Directors. They are: Chris Keller, managing director of Albuquerque Business First, and Rebecca Valdez, assistant news director KOB TV 4.
Before joining the print and digital publication Albuquerque Business First in 2017, Chris Keller worked at the Los Angeles Times. He also has spent time working for Southern California Public Radio. He has been honored by several journalism and other organizations.
Rebeca Valdez oversees the news content for her station’s weekday newscasts. Prior to joining KOB TV 4, she was a Producer/Interim Morning Executive Producer for CBS4 Denver, Denver, Colorado. She has also worked as a morning show producer and an executive producer. Ms. Valdez also was a producer at KRQE TV 13. She grew up in Espanola and is an Eastern New Mexico University graduate.
In addition to the new members, the FOG board elected new officers and its executive committee for the 2023 year. They include Karen Moses, editor of the Albuquerque Journal, president; Jessica Onsurez, news director of the southern New Mexico and Farmington Gannet papers, vice-president; Rashad Mahmood, codirector of the New Mexico Local News Fund, secretary; and Sammy Lopez, executive director of the New Mexico Press Association, treasurer. As FOG’s immediate past president, Kathi Bearden, former Hobbs News-Sun publisher, remains on the board’s executive committee. Also on the executive committee are two at-large members Daniel Yohalem, Santa Fe attorney, and Paula Maes, president of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association.
As an advocate for transparency in government, NMFOG’s mission is to defend the public’s right to know and to educate citizens and government agencies about their rights and responsibilities under New Mexico’s open-meetings and open-records laws. Founded in 1990, NMFOG is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that serves the open government interests of the general public, the business community, elected officials, journalists and lawyers. If you have any questions or concerns regarding IPRA or the OMA, you can contact NMFOG at 1-505-764-3750.