Born in Los Alamos and raised in
Santa Fe, Michelle has lived in Albuquerque for over 30 years
.A 12th-generation New Mexican, Michelle has devoted virtually her
entire adult life to serving New Mexicans. Public service runs
in her family and comes naturally to her, as the granddaughter of
the late New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Eugene Lujan. Her
father, a highly respected dentist, served New Mexicans in a less
visible but equally important manner, providing quality dental care
to thousands of New Mexico's children whose families could never
have afforded to pay, and her mother was an advocate for blind New
Mexicans.
Michelle graduated from high
school in 1977 and went on to receive Bachelor's and Juris Doctor
degrees from the University of New Mexico. Following law
school and admission to the State Bar of New Mexico in 1987, she
took a position as a Staff Attorney with that organization's Lawyer
Referral for the Elderly Program. Less than a year later she
was named as the program's director.
In 1991 the late Governor Bruce
King appointed Michelle to head up New Mexico's State Agency on
Aging, a position she held in the administrations of three
consecutive governors, including Republican Gary Johnson's. As
a life-long Democrat working within a Republican administration,
Michelle developed the skills essential to working in a bipartisan
environment. Early in 2004 Governor Bill Richardson elevated
Michelle's position to cabinet-level with the creation of the Aging
& Long-Term Services Department, and then appointed her to be
Secretary of Health six months later.
Michelle
left the Richardson Administration in 2007 to seek the Democratic
Party's nomination for the congressional seat once held by her
Republican cousin, Manuel Lujan. Although she was unable to
win that nomination, the campaign left her even more determined to
continue serving the public. After considering several options
for the 2010 campaign season, she decided that she could be most
effective as a Bernalillo County Commissioner, and on December 21st
announced her candidacy for the District 1 seat currently held by
term-limited Alan Armijo. An avid outdoorswoman, she chose the
Rio Grande Nature Center as the site for her announcement,
highlighting the importance of our county's environment, its effect
on the overall quality of life for Bernalillo County residents and
the impact that County Commissioners have on it.
Recently turned 50, Michelle is a
widow and the mother of two grown daughters. She offers voters
in County Commission District 1 a wealth of experience, a proven
track record of tireless service, the proven ability to work across
party lines and an unparalleled dedication to the people she serves.
