About Harry Montoya

First elected in 2002, Democratic primary as Santa Fe County Commissioner and successfully re-elected in 2006 (ran unopposed), Commissioner Montoya brings a tremendous amount of knowledge, experience and a proven record of public service. In addition to representing the people of New Mexico on the County Commission, Harry Montoya also served the families of Northern New Mexico and their children as a former two term member of the Pojoaque Valley School Board. In 1994, he was appointed to the Pojoaque Valley School Board, and elected in 1995, and re-elected in 1999 (ran unopposed). Harry Montoya served as President of the New Mexico School Boards Association, as well as on various committees for both the National School Boards Association. He is currently on the National Association of Counties (NACo) Board of Directors, representing New Mexico, and has been Chairman of the Labor and Employment Steering Committee for NACo for two years, being appointed by the President of NACo. In September of 2002, he was recognized by De Colores, Inc. as the recipient of the Business Leadership Award. He has also served on the National Board of Directors for the National Drug Prevention League and Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and now serves on the Northern Area Local Workforce Development Board (NALWDB). He also serves on numerous Boards at the local level, including the Buckman Direct Diversion Project (Chairman), Extraterritorial Zoning Authority, Regional Planning Authority, Solid Waste Management Authority, and New Mexico DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) Grant Council. Harry has also consulted with the US American Embassy to the Countries of Argentina and Mexico as a professional in the area of substance abuse prevention and assisting these Countries in the development of substance abuse prevention programs.
Harry is a native New Mexican, born and raised in district three. Harry is married to Doris (28 years) and they have two children, Brian, age 27 and Angelo, age 22, and also have one grandson, Rafael, age 8 and two granddaughters, Lourdes, age 6, and Marireina, age 1.
Commissioner Montoya has a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from New Mexico State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Westmar University in LeMars, Iowa. Harry has numerous publications in journals of research he has accomplished, beginning with his Master's Thesis, continuing through his work with HACC
As CEO of Hand Across Culture Corp. (HACC, pronounced "Hawk"), he leads an a successful non-profit agency which is involved in community mobilization efforts and has taken on a much broader focus to include all types of educational, health, and social services programs. In 1998, HACC was recognized by the Clinton White House as an exemplary program for their work in the community in the area of substance abuse prevention.
He has had the opportunity to travel throughout the country (Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Washington state and DC, Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, and many other states), as well as internationally (Argentina, South America, Chiapas, Mexico) to provide training and technical assistance in working with multicultural populations. He has been involved in the alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) field for the past 15 years, working both in prevention and treatment programs. He also developed a dual-diagnosis program (chemical dependency/mental health) while he worked at a psychiatric/chemical dependency hospital. Commissioner Montoya's job includes cognitive and interactive experiential methods of community mobilization/organization, with major emphasis in intercultural participatory learning.