Susan Crockett is a proud native of Eddy County and a long-standing leader dedicated to the growth and well-being of her community. First elected as Eddy County Commissioner in 2012, she served with
distinction through 2020, championing initiatives that strengthened local infrastructure, economic
development, and quality of life.

She currently serves as Chairman of both the Eddy County Planning and Development Board and the
Carlsbad Solid Waste Board and holds influential roles in multiple local and regional organizations,
including the Mayor’s Nuclear Task Force. Susan is the current President of the Carlsbad Department of
Development, Chairman of the CEHMM Board of Directors, and Government Affairs Chairman for the
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, where she also serves on the board.

With more than 25 years of management and government affairs experience, Susan is recognized for
her strategic problem-solving, collaborative leadership, and unwavering community advocacy. She is the founder of Acclivity Consulting and a consultant with Santa Fe–based Cambiar Consulting, continuing her commitment to driving progress and creating positive change across the region.

A former state representative for the people of southeastern Eddy County, New Mexico. He chaired the Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee of the New Mexico State Legislature. Receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of New Mexico and subsequently became a Fellow in the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. He practiced primarily in southern New Mexico, where he owned and operated several pharmacies and many other allied businesses.

Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology/Toxicology of the College of Pharmacy at the University of New Mexico (UNM). He is also an adjunct scientist at the Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute in Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Hadley is the author or co-author of more than 50 scientific papers. He earned B.S. (Pharmacy), M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in pharmacology/toxicology from Purdue University.

The former chief of the Carlsbad Fire Department, a licensed paramedic, and a Certified Hazardous Materials Technician specializing in chemistry. He teaches training courses in the chemistry of hazardous materials, hazardous materials transportation regulations, and incident command. He holds two Associates’ degrees, a Bachelor's degree, and is pursuing an M.A. in fire and emergency management administration.

Paul Shoemaker is a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico. His undergraduate education is in physics, in which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from NM Institute of Mining and Technology. He subsequently earned a Master's degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Shoemaker served in multiple positions in NM and TX state government before joining Sandia National Laboratories in 1981. Since then, he gained significant technical and administrative experience while working at Sandia, including advanced batteries, electronic subsystems, and project planning for nuclear weapons development. In 1989, Mr. Shoemaker joined Sandia's nascent corporate planning group and served as staff on a 3-person team that guided Sandia's top management through the creation of the Laboratories' first-ever strategic plan. He has won 4 Sandia National Laboratories Awards for Excellence. In 1990, Mr. Shoemaker served as head of Sandia's corporate planning group. In 1996, he moved up to executive staff and served as deputy director. In 1999, Mr. Shoemaker took the role of Deputy to Sandia’s Sr. Vice President in charge of the Nonproliferation and Materials Control Strategic Business Unit (SBU), one of the Laboratories’ 4 SBUs. In 2000, he led Sandia’s technical support work for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). In this capacity, he managed Sandia’s 2nd largest remote site, where he and 60+ employees and contract associates lived and worked, in Carlsbad, NM. He provided leadership to the WIPP community in achieving the first recertification of the WIPP repository by the US Environmental Protection Agency. In 2005, Mr. Shoemaker joined the team assembled by Lockheed Martin Corp. to pursue the management and operating contract for Los Alamos National Laboratory. Mr. Shoemaker served on the Lockheed Martin team, ending his service with them as Deputy Transition Director. In 2006, Mr. Shoemaker returned to Sandia National Laboratories, where he contributed his talent to Sandia’s Nuclear Weapons Strategic Management Unit – a one-billion-dollar enterprise – where he served as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the Unit. In 2011, Mr. Shoemaker returned to his former position in Carlsbad, NM, serving as the Sr. Manager in charge of Sandia’s Carlsbad operations. There, he continued to support the U.S. Dept. of Energy as the Science Advisor on the WIPP project. In addition to promoting strategic and operational planning at Sandia, Mr. Shoemaker served as consultant and facilitator on many assignments for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), leading senior management from DOE's Defense Programs (predecessor of the National Nuclear Security Administration) through 3 strategic planning exercises. He guided what was then known as DOE's Albuquerque Operations Office through the creation of its first strategic plan and a subsequent update. He conducted strategic planning sessions for DOE operations offices and facilitated meetings in which Secretaries of Energy, Asst. Secretaries of Energy, U.S. Senators and other high-ranking government and political figures participated. He orchestrated meetings of the directors of DOE's national laboratories and consulted design to oversee a series of meetings entitled, "Beginning a Dialogue on the Changing Environment for the Physical and Mathematical Sciences," sponsored by the National Research Council. Mr. Shoemaker has facilitated assemblies among staff and the top management group at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria and has designed and conducted planning processes for academic institutions, including Stanford University, the University of NM, and NM Institute of Mining and Technology.

During her 32-year career with the BLM, she has accepted various positions and assignments in several locations to obtain a diversity of experiences. With a degree in Wildlife Science from New Mexico State University, Linda entered the Agency during the tumultuous years following the Federal Land Policy Management Act's passage when the first iterations of multiple-use land planning were being prepared. She worked in field positions as a Range Conservationist in Las Vegas, Nevada, and a Wildlife Biologist in Roswell, New Mexico. This was when she began a lifelong enchantment with a rapidly declining species, the lesser prairie-chicken—along the way gaining extensive experience in the management of both renewable and non-renewable resources, including controversial programs such as oil and gas, helium, and coal leasing and oversight. During an assignment to the Agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC, she accepted a one-year detail to Sen. Pete Domenici staff, deceased, then Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. She became one of the first female line managers in the Agency. Following a stint in Anchorage, Alaska, she became the New Mexico State Director, a position she held for almost nine years. Retired in 2011, Linda is actively engaged in various volunteer activities with her Church, including missionary work in Honduras and serving on the Executive Board of Santa Fe’s Interfaith Community Shelter for the homeless.

The Vice President for Research and Economic Development at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech). He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in physics from New Mexico Tech and a Ph.D. in physics from the State University of New York. Dr. Romero’s current research includes developing a state-of-art astrophysics observatory to investigate near earth objects and deep space phenomena; the detection of explosives using Nano-Technology films; renewable energy reliability in power grids; and decontamination of produced water.

Emily K. Wirth was born and raised in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Feel free to ask her all

about Ground Hog Day. After earning her Master of Science degree in Biology from the

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, she began working for the University of Florida, where she

wrestled alligators in the Everglades. Emily joined the CEHMM team in 2011 as a Wildlife

Biologist. She then took the reins to create a new division within CEHMM and develop the

Environmental Services Program. While working as the Project Manager of the new program,

she was offered the Operations Manager position. Having a thorough understanding of every

aspect of CEHMM, it was obvious she was by far the best candidate to fill the role as Executive

Director when the previous director retired. Emily has over ten years of experience in wildlife

research and conservation and more than seven years of NEPA experience. Emily and her

husband, Kevin, have two beautiful daughters.

Darin Knicely leads RW Energy and has 25 years experience in project leadership, federal grants, budget forecasting, capital raising, multi-stakeholder engagement, workforce development, systems integration and state and local community collaboration. When not leading RW Energy Darin enjoys hunting, serving the community, traveling with his wife, their two children and the family labrador.