ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – On October 2, 2025, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government will honor five New Mexicans and one family with the 2025 Dixon First Amendment Freedom Awards, celebrating their commitment to government transparency and free expression.
This year’s award ceremony, themed First Amendment Freedom Fiesta, begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Sandia Casino Golf Event Center with a luncheon featuring a frybread taco buffet, tres leches cake, and apple empanadas. Guests can also enjoy a silent auction with items like four courtside tickets to Lobo men’s basketball, a hot air balloon ride, and diamond-sapphire jewelry.
All proceeds benefit the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG), a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring public access to records and meetings — so every New Mexican can see what their government is doing. The Dixon Awards are one way the nonprofit keeps this promise to the public.
“The Dixon Awards celebrate the vital work of citizens across New Mexico who make sure open and transparent government is more than just lip service,” said Daniel Russell, chair of the Dixon Awards Committee. “Those being honored are among the best at turning that principle into reality — by exercising the rights we all have — and ensuring everyone has access to their government.'
Join us in honoring these deserving individuals by purchasing tickets or tables, or by becoming an event sponsor. You can find out more at nmfog.org.
This year, one individual and one family will be recognized with Lifetime Achievement awards — the Lang Family, of the Albuquerque Journal and Kathi Bearden, retired publisher of the Hobbs News-Sun.
Bill Lang is the current owner and publisher of the Journal, having assumed the role following the passing of his brother, Tom Lang. The Lang family’s commitment and support for transparency in government is unmatched in New Mexico over the last 50 years. The New Mexico Foundation of Open Government (NMFOG) would not exist without their support. Tom Lang provided financial assistance and other essential resources that were crucial to the founding of NMFOG, with Bill Lang continuing this support. Since the 1990s, NMFOG and the Journal have joined forces several times to bring lawsuits against government entities that illegally withheld public records.
Kathi Bearden spent more than 20 years as publisher of the Hobbs News-Sun, the daily newspaper covering Lea County. In that position, she was an early advocate for the establishment of NMFOG. She supported news coverage strengthening the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act and its Open Meetings Act so citizens could use the laws to increase their access to government. She made sure every new reporter at the News-Sun was provided with a tutorial about both laws ensuring they were fully equipped to do their jobs. She has served several times as the president of NMFOG’s Board of Directors and is a past recipient of the Dixon Freedom Award in media. She once wrote, “The battle against government secrecy is a lifelong battle that many appreciate, but few wage.”
The other Dixon recipients are:
GOVERNMENT CATEGORY Katherine Garcia-Gallegos Records Custodian/IPRA Manager for city of Santa Fe
In November 2024, Katherine Garcia-Gallegos ushered in a new era at Santa Fe’s Records Department by putting all traffic reports online. Up to 80% of the city’s public records requests are for crash reports, often with six or more requests per report. By posting the reports, the volume of requests dropped significantly, easing the workload for the records department. More importantly, the change made it easier for the public to access the records they need. Her efforts have made Santa Fe a model for how records departments statewide can manage growing demand.
Sarah Silva
State Representative, District 53, Doña Ana & Otero
In her first year in the Legislature, Rep. Sarah Silva introduced a bill requiring lobbyists to disclose the legislation they were paid to influence and who was funding their efforts. The bill passed both chambers — a notable achievement for a freshman lawmaker — but was vetoed by the governor. She also introduced a bill to protect journalists from being forced to reveal anonymous sources or disclose unpublished information. That measure stalled in committee, but despite these setbacks, she remains committed to government transparency and protecting the freedom of the press.
MEDIA CATEGORY Diego Lopez Editor, Cibola Citizen
In December 2024, Diego Lopez began a series of articles about the Cibola County Commission, which had nominated a state representative from District 69 to fill a vacancy in District 6. The nominee, who planned to give up his current seat, changed his address on his voter registration to District 6 on the same day the outgoing District 6 representative announced his retirement. After the New Mexico Justice Department confirmed he did not live in District 6, the governor rejected the nomination, and a Cibola County Commissioner was appointed instead. It’s this dedication to transparency, investigative reporting, and the ability to explain complex constitutional issues that earned him a Dixon Award.
Milan Simonich
Columnist, Santa Fe New Mexican
For decades, Milan Simonich has held politicians in Santa Fe and across New Mexico accountable. As a columnist for The Santa Fe New Mexican, he has written extensively on First Amendment rights and the state’s Sunshine Laws. He spotlighted free speech issues after UNM police charged a student group over $10,000 to host a controversial speaker. He covered open meetings law when state senators forced a reporter out of a meeting that should have been public. And he highlighted public records law by reporting that the New Mexico Department of Justice — tasked with enforcing the Inspection of Public Records Act — had paid settlements for violating it.
The Dixon Awards honor the late William S. Dixon, a First Amendment advocate and FOG cofounder. For the past 23 years, NMFOG has honored his memory by inviting members of the public to submit nominations for the awards.