Who We ARe
Alianza Agricultura de Taos is guided by a board and staff deeply rooted in Taos County's agricultural heritage and community. From multi-generational ranchers and acequia parciantes to public lands experts and community leaders, our team brings together diverse experience in land stewardship, public service, and agricultural innovation. Together, we work to preserve and advance our region's agricultural traditions while building a resilient future for our lands and waters.
tobias ‘toby’ martinez, founder
Tobias was born and raised in Ranchos de Taos as a sheep rancher. He graduated from NMSU with a degree in Range Management and his professional career included 26 years with the U.S. Forest Service, and nearly 8 years as the State Forester for New Mexico. Currently he is on the board of AA-CT, is an acequia commissioner, a neighborhood association board member, a commissioner on the New Mexico Rio Grande Trail Commission, and has served on the board of Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, and for the San Francisco de Asis Church’s 200 year anniversary.
darlene vigil, president
is a Taos County Commissioner and a lifelong resident of Taos New Mexico. She began her career in public service at the Taos County Assessor’s office in 1983, and retired after 31 years after being an assessor for 8 years. She is committed to maintaining traditional and cultural practices that benefit present and future generations in an ever changing world. She believes in the wisdom of the community and continually draws from it!
Darlene serves on the following boards of directors for entities that aspire to keep community in the forefront. These include NM Association of Counties, National Association of Counties Agricultural and Rural Community Affairs, Taos County Cooperative Weed Management, Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area, Taos Valley Acequia Association, and Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC). She also is currently involved with the 100% Community initiative working towards providing essential services for the entire county.
sam desgeorges, Vice-president
: Sam’s background is in Wildlife Management, receiving his B.S. degree from New Mexico State University. He retired in 2015 as the Field Manager with the Taos Office of the Bureau of Land Management. His final project as Field Manager was the designation of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Along with serving on Alianza’s board, he is presently engaged as the President of the Taos Valley Acequia Association, the Project Manager for the Acequia Madre del Rio Grande del Rancho and as a board member of New Mexico Wild. He also manages two farm properties that have been passed down through the generations in his family.
peggy nelson, Secretary and Treasurer
Peggy came to Taos in 1973 to work for Legal Services. After a career in the law and public service, she retired as a District Judge, and happily returned to community activism. She serves as the Vice President of Amigos Bravos; Vice-President of Western Environmental Law Center; and President of the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation. In addition, she has been an active parciante on the San Cristobal Ditch for since 1983.
Lawrence Gallegos, Board Member
Born and raised in Taos, NM, Lawrence now lives in Santa Fe with his wife Julie. He raised cattle in the San Luis Valley for years, where he served as County Clerk for two terms. He serves as president of the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council and as a board member of International Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association. He works as a field operations coordinator for National Grazing Land Coalition’s Western Grazing Network for northern New Mexico. He is the proud father of two brilliant daughters who are both now in college.
Mark Flores, Board Member
Mark Flores is owner and operator of Cordillera Cattle Company, a small-scale operation dedicated to regenerative stewardship. Mark works as the facilities manager for the Town of Taos, and serves as the Town representative to the Rio Fernando Collaborative. He also serves as the president of the Taos Municipal Schools School Board.
Mark is a lifelong resident of Taos and has proudly raised his two daughters here, alongside is wonderful wife Rosa.
Mark Torres, Board Member
Bio and Picture coming soon!
GILLIAN JOYCE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Flor Serna, Operations Director
Flor Serna works as the operations director for Alianza Agricultura de Taos. She grew up in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and currently resides in Ranchos de Taos. She has over ten years of non-profit management experience, specializing in leadership, strategy, finance, and operations. She also works as the coordinator for the De La Tierra Coalition, ensuring that partners (Alianza Agricultura, Taos Valley Acequia Association, Taos Land Trust, and Taos County Economic Development Corporation) who work on land, food, water, and harvest function together to deliver high quality programming to farmers, producers, and land stewards in Taos.
Gillian was born and raised in Taos and returned home full-time in 2014. She holds an M.A. in Sociology with a graduate minor in Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico. Before deciding to focus on agriculture, she worked throughout New Mexico in applied economic research and economic and community development consulting. She has been involved in food production, whether commercially or for personal consumption for over twenty years. She is certified in permaculture planning, is a former Fellow with Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, and is dedicated to supporting the health of the lands and waters of Taos County through traditional and regenerative practices. Gillian also serves as one of two New Mexico Government Relations Representatives for Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, and on the Taos County Agricultural Advisory Board.
