Keith Gardner
House Minority Whip Keith Gardner, R-Roswell, will resign from his legislative position to become Gov.-elect Susana Martinez’s chief of staff.
Martinez announced the “nucleus” of her team today. In addition to Gardner, they include:
- Ryan Cangiolosi, who served as Martinez’s campaign manager. He will be deputy chief of staff overseeing boards and commissions.
- Brian Moore, a former state legislator from Clayton. He will be deputy chief of staff and legislative director overseeing policy and cabinet issues.
- Jessica Hernandez, who will be general counsel.
- Matthew Stackpole, who will be assistant general counsel.
- Scott Darnell, who will be communications director.
- Matt Kennicott, who will be director of policy and planning.
“These individuals will constitute the nucleus of Governor-elect Martinez’s team on the fourth floor of the Roundhouse and help lead an administration that is focused on instituting fiscal restraint and getting the state’s books in order, creating jobs with pro-growth economic policies, reforming education to produce results in classrooms across the state, and ending the waste, fraud and abuse in state government,” a news release from the Martinez team states.
Here’s more on each member from the news release:
Gardner
“Keith Gardner serves in leadership in the New Mexico Legislature as minority whip in the House of Representatives, in addition to representing District 66 and the people of Chaves, Eddy, Lea and Roosevelt Counties. Gardner is the managing partner of Sprint Sports Rehabilitation Clinic in Roswell where he has resided for the last 17 years.”
Cangiolosi
“Ryan Cangiolosi most recently served as director of personnel for the Governor-Elect Martinez Transition Committee. Cangiolosi also served as campaign manager for Susana Martinez for Governor. He has extensive business experience and is an officer in the United States Naval Reserve. Cangiolosi has a BA and an MBA from the University of New Mexico.”
Moore
“Brian Moore most recently served as director of policy planning for the Governor-Elect Martinez Transition Committee. Moore is a business owner from Clayton and was a candidate for lieutenant governor in 2010. He was a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 2000-2008 serving on numerous committees including legislative finance and was a strong advocate for New Mexico’s rural communities.”
Hernandez
“Jessica Hernandez is a director in the litigation department in the Albuquerque office of Rodey, Dickason, Sloan Akin, & Robb, PA. Hernandez specializes in cases involving product, premises and general liability matters. She has served as a law clerk for the Honorable James O. Browning, United States District Judge for the District of New Mexico and received recognition as the youngest member of the New Mexico State Bar in 2003, 2004 and 2005.”
Stackpole
“Matthew Stackpole most recently served as director of support and coordination for the Governor-Elect Martinez Transition Committee. Stackpole served as deputy director of campaign operations for Susana Martinez for Governor. Previously, he assisted Richard J. Berry’s campaign for Albuquerque mayor, as well as field operations for the Republican Party of New Mexico. Stackpole graduated from the University of New Mexico Law School in May 2010.”
Darnell
“Scott Darnell, a Farmington native, served as the communications director for the Republican Party of New Mexico and worked as a weekly commentator on the KNME-TV political discussion program, “New Mexico in Focus.” Darnell is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and received a Master in Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is currently completing his work as a teaching fellow in the Department of Government at Harvard University.”
Kennicott
“Matt Kennicott most recently served as director of legislative and constituent affairs for the Governor-Elect Martinez Transition Committee. Kennicott was previously director of campaign operations for Susana Martinez for Governor. He has served as the chief of staff for the House Republican Caucus in the New Mexico House of Representatives.”