DesertAcademy

Terry Passalacqua, Head of School
Art Burger, President
Jennifer Pruett, Secretary
Marquita Russel, Treasurer, Finance Chair
Jocelyne Comstock, Faculty Representative

TRUSTEES

Andy Ault, Trustee
Sara Birmingham, Trustee Committee Chair
AJ Forte, Trustee
Ed Hajic, Trustee
Ross Hart, Trustee
Paul Hartsock, Trustee
Sharon Palestine, Trustee
Tom Pratt, Trustee
Al Robison, Trustee
Robin Stumbo, Trustee
David Zlotnick, Trustee

BOARD OF TRUSTEES BIO’S:

ANDY AULT, TRUSTEE
Bio Coming Soon

SARA BIRMINGHAM, TRUSTEE
Ms. Birminghan currently works for the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises funds to support state museums and monuments throughout New Mexico.  She is the buyer for the gift shops at the Museum of International Folk Art , the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, as well as the gifts shops at the Museum of Art and History museums. She coordinates special events to promote new exhibits, with profits going directly to support Kids Education Programs in each museum.  Ms. Birmingham travels quite a bit looking for, and supporting communities throughout Central and South America that are keeping their indigenous arts and crafts alive.  Prior to her move to Santa Fe, she was Vice President of the Accessory Division in California at Nordstrom, a specialty retailer based in Seattle, for 18 years.  Before moving into the world of retail, Ms. Birmingham worked for the University of California, San Diego.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Physical Education, a Teaching Credential and a Masters of Education.  Her education took place at California State University, Fullerton and Chapman College, both in Southern California.

ART BURGER, PRESIDENT (2011-12)
Art Burger is Executive Vice President of Burger, Carroll & Associates, Inc. (BCA), a national public sector management and technology consulting firm.  He holds a bachelor’s and masters degree in Political Science from the University of California at Riverside.  Art is an expert in government service technologies and is a former adjunct faculty of the Information Systems Management program at the University of San Francisco.  Previous volunteer experience includes President of the Turquoise Trail Charter School Foundation and Member of the Board of Directors/Development Chair of the Santa Fe American Youth Soccer Organization (SF-AYSO).  Art co-founded BCA with his wife, Dr. Julie Carroll, MS, DrPH, in 1989.  Their son Toby is in Desert Academy’s class of ‘12.

JOCELYNE COMSTOCK, FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE
In addition to her role as a science teacher at Desert Academy, Jocelyne also serves as the academic advisor for NHS/NJHS, mentor for supercomputing challenge teams, club leader for Project G.U.T.S and has also served on the board of her son’s school for 4 years, (2 as a parent member and 2 as a alumi member).

A.J. FORTE, TRUSTEE
A.J. Forte was born and raised in Santa Fe, graduating from Desert Academy in 2001, and is the first alumnus to sit on the Desert Academy Board of Trustees. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance from Regis University in Denver, Colorado.  To date, A.J. has spent his career in insurance and securities with Financial Concepts, Inc. of Santa Fe.  He also devotes his time to his family’s real-estate company, Tony Forte Realty, and assists with its management.  In his spare time, A.J. is an avid fly fisherman, mountain biker, and skier, spending the majority of his time outdoors.  In addition, he serves on the board for the Grand Prix De Santa Fe.  He and his partner, Amanda D. Lujan (DA 00), divide their time between Santa Fe and their cabin in Southern Colorado.

ED HAJIC, TRUSTEE
Ed Hajic is a Geoarchaeologist, Geomorphologist and Quaternary and Environmental Geologist employed by Foth Infrastructure and Environment, LLC.  He also maintains his own firm, GeoArc Research; is a Managing Director of Pathfinder CRM, LLC, and, holds Research Associate positions with the Landscape History Program at the Illinois State Museum, and the Center for Archaeological Research at Missouri State University.  He holds bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in Geology from Cornell College, University of Iowa and University of Illinois, respectively.  Previous volunteer experience includes serving on the Acequia Madre Elementary School PTC Board, on the board of his landowners association, and on various committee and section leadership posts for the Geological Society of America as well as various technical advisory and regional planning committees and commissions.  Ed’s spouse Maria is a Sales Director at a major art gallery in town.  Their daughter Hayley graduated in the Desert Academy class of 2011.

ROSS HART, TRUSTEE
Ross Hart is President of Hart ADR, Inc. a firm providing alternative dispute resolution services.  Mr. Hart holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from U.C.L.A. and a J.D. from Loyola Law School.  He is a nationally recognized mediator specializing in complex, multi-party construction, real estate, commercial and insurance coverage disputes.  His daughters Maxine (class of ‘13) and Cassidy (class of ‘15) are students at Desert Academy.  His wife Susan is the president of and actively involved in the Desert Academy Parent Association.

PAUL HARTSOCK, TRUSTEE
Paul Hartsock relocated to New Mexico in 2006 to enjoy the community and culture he experienced while working here in the 1980s.  The intervening years were mostly spent working in Asia, based in Hong  Kong, Tokyo, Manila and Hanoi, where he chaired and directed listed companies that invested in the region.  He remains active in various start-up, turnaround and real estate projects.  His wife Carol, a representational artist, maintains a studio in Santa Fe.   His daughter Sydney is a mountaineering and climbing instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School and the beneficiary of a quality independent educational experience comparable to that provided by Desert Academy.   His personal interests include the dynamics of the built environment and he is active with the Frank Lloyd Wright Fellows in finding design solutions to explosive growth in a resource constrained world.   He has an MBA from Harvard, a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Washington and a Bachelor in Mathematics from the University of Cincinnati.

SHARON R. PALESTINE, TRUSTEE
Sharon Palestine was born in Maysville, Kentucky and raised in the Southern Ohio and Kentucky area. She attended the University of Cincinnati majoring in psychology and early childhood development.  She finished her degree studies at Arizona State University and worked at a community mental health center as a member of a children’s therapy team. She volunteered at Phoenix Children’s Hospital raising funds for a Family Learning Center.  Currently she volunteers with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for children in foster care.  She and her husband Dr. Michael Palestine moved to Santa Fe in 1999.  They have three children, Cara, Sarah, and Elliot.  Elliot is a member of the Desert Academy class of 2012.

THOMAS PRATT, TRUSTEE
Mr. Pratt has over 20 years of senior management experience with consumer and industrial products companies.  He has held positions in general management and finance with publicly held, private equity, v/c start ups and family owned organizations.   These organizations inclue Nambe, Premark, Unilever, Harbour Group, Revlon and the public accounting firm of Deloitte.  Mr. Pratt has an MBA with a concentration in Finance from New York University’s Stern Graduate School of Business, a B.A. in Economics from Dickinson College and a CPA from the State of New York.  He currently holds a senior management position with Santa Fe Partners, and assists green technology ventures in the local area.

JENNIFER J. PRUETT, SECRETARY (2011-12)
Jennifer Pruett received her B.A. from Yale in Western American History and her J.D. from the University of New Mexico.  She practiced environmental law at the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) for six years and as a sole practitioner for 15 years before moving into management at NMED.  Jennifer was Costumer for Eldorado Children’s Theater for 5 years, has been active in the Eldorado Fire Department Auxiliary, Assistance Dogs of the West, and the New Mexico Yale Club.  Jennifer lives in Eldorado with her husband, Kennan Girdner, and younger daughter, Karen (Desert class of 2015).  Older daughter, Emily Souder, attended DA for 6 years, graduating in 2009.

AL ROBISON, TRUSTEE, VICE PRESIDENT
Al Robison is a retired New Mexico businessman who currently serves on several boards of directors in Santa Fe.  Al has served on the Board of Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical since 2004 and is Chair of the Finance Committee.  He is also Chair of SVH SupportCo which owns 50% of the hospital.  A goal of SVH SupportCo is to ensure that the community remains an important part of the management and direction of the hospital.  Until retirement, Al worked in the electric utility industry with utilities in New Mexico, Kansas and Kentucky.  Raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Al graduated from New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico.  Al resides in the community of Aldea with his wife Susan Stockstill.

MARQUITA D. RUSSEL, TREASURER (2011-12)
Ms. Russel has more than 20 years of public finance experience and currently serves as the Chief of Programs for the New Mexico Finance Authority.  Over the past 10 years, Marquita has been responsible for program development and policy implementation for the NM Finance Authority’s 15 programs, has served as the primary economic development lender and has been a member of the agency’s credit committee.  Prior to coming to New Mexico, Ms. Russel spent 10 years at the Illinois Development Finance Authority in Chicago where she implemented a micro-lending program and served as the agency’s primary non-profit analyst.  Marquita earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Marquita and her husband Mark Tiarks have two children at Desert Academy, Lily (class of 2013) and Abby (class of 2015).

ROBIN STUMBO, TRUSTEE
Bio Coming Soon

DAVID ZLOTNICK, TRUSTEE
David is a shareholder in the Certified Public Accounting firm of Zlotnick, Laws & Sandoval.  He has practiced in Santa Fe since 1972.  David deals with tax issues with the Internal Revenue Service and New Mexico Department of Taxation and Revenue as well as general business operating questions, tax and retirement planning.  He is a frequent writing contributor to the New Mexico Restaurant Association Magazine.   David was the past president of Santa Fe Economic Development Corporation, the Santa Fe Restaurant Association and currently serves as the President of the Santa Fe First Tee organization which teaches Core Values and life skills to disadvantaged young people.

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