NAMI Southern New Mexico is dedicated to building better lives for people affected by mental illness through education, advocacy, and support. We offer education and support services throughout southern New Mexico and we advocate for better treatment options and mental health services at the national, state, and local levels.
Areas We Cover
We can supply on-site and virtual resources to organizations and interested people in the areas listed below to get leadership trained and certified by NAMI to teach classes and facilitate support groups.
- Catron — Reserve
- Chaves — Roswell
- Curry — Clovis
- De Baca — Ft. Sumner
- Dona Ana — Las Cruces
- Eddy — Carlsbad
- Grant — Silver City
- Hidalgo — Lordsburg
- Lea — Hobbs
- Lincoln — Ruidoso
- Luna — Deming
- Otero — Alamagordo
- Roosevelt – Portales
- Sierra — Truth or Consequences
- Socorro — Socorro
- Valencia — Los Lunas and Belen
Meet Our Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors is a diverse group of family members, providers, and peers living with mental illness.
Alicia Blasingame, President
Alicia is certified in NAMI Basics, NAMI Provider Education, NAMI Family Support Group and NAMI Connections support groups. She holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She is a disabled veteran living with a mental health condition and has been active with NAMI since 2014. Her background is in accounting and business management. She has two children, one of which lives on the autism spectrum. Her passion is helping those in the community who may need extra support, especially parents living with a child with a mental health condition.
Jeanette Borunda, Vice-President
Jeanette holds an MSW, LCSW. She has over 20 years of experience working in the mental health field with people from birth to death through non-profit agencies and hospitals. She is currently the Mobile Crisis Response Team CIT Clinical Director for the Alamogordo Police Department. Jeanette is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Alamogordo Counseling Center’s Board of Directors. In addition, Jeanette volunteers with the Otero County Juvenile Justice Restorative Committee.
Liz Liano, Secretary
Additional to being on the board for NAMI, Liz also writes poetry and puts on (currently virtual) workshops in the community. She is also 3 years sober, and stays active in her sober community. As a peer who’s been in crisis, crisis centers and their viability are also important to her. Liz hopes our work together helps us better educate the community and increases accessibility for mental health services!
Ana Rodriguez, Treasurer
Ana Rodriguez is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing in Alamogordo. She received an MS in Social Work UT-Knoxville with a concentration in Organizational Leadership. Ana is committed to social justice and creating change on individual and societal levels. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family.
Evelyn Castro, Director
Evelyn Castro is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She completed her Bachelor of Social Work at Eastern New Mexico University and received her Master of Social Work from New Mexico State University in 2013. Evelyn currently provides therapeutic services to children and families in Alamogordo. She also has experience in domestic violence and inpatient behavioral health.
Cassandra Calway, Director
Cassandra Calway is a CPSW and works in Las Cruces. She has been involved in social justice issues for many years
Robert Maitland, Director
Robert is a Certified Peer Support worker with 15 years in recovery and has worked with the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program and Assertive Community Treatment team for the past two years. His expertise is seeking and securing resources for others and is passionate about helping individuals to improve quality of live from his personal experience.
Meet our Executive Director
Micah Pearson, Executive Director
Micah Pearson is past Vice President and President. Micah is a licensed certified Peer Support Worker and a certified NAMI Connection Facilitator, Peer-to-Peer Teacher, and In Our Own Voice Speaker. He is currently serving on NAMI’s national board. Micah found NAMI through a NAMI Peer-to-Peer class. From there he pursued as many other NAMI signature programs he could which eventually led to his involvement in the leadership of his affiliate. Micah hopes to decriminalize mental health and stigmatization of mental health through art through his/her affiliation with NAMI.
Micah has over 20 years’ experience in Information Technology and Fine Art and Graphic Design, as well as participating in multiple state task forces focused on criminal justice reform. He is a member Cruces Creatives and serves as Chair of Local Behavioral Health Collaborative.
During the 2019-2020 national board term, Micah will serve as chair of the Policy Committee and as a lead on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion workgroup.
