Think New Mexico

Think New Mexico is a results-oriented think tank whose mission is to improve the lives of all New Mexicans, especially those who lack a strong voice in the political process. We fulfill this mission by educating the public, the media, and policymakers about some of the most serious challenges facing New Mexico and by developing and advocating for enduring, effective, evidence-based solutions. Our approach is to perform and publish sound, nonpartisan, independent research. Unlike many think tanks, Think New Mexico does not subscribe to any particular ideology. Instead, because New Mexico is at or near the bottom of so many national rankings, our focus is on promoting workable solutions that will lift all New Mexicans up.

Think New Mexico was founded with the idea that a nonpartisan, results-oriented think tank could hel

Goal One: Research, develop, and advocate for public policy reforms that improve the lives of all New Mexicans, especially those who lack a strong voice in the political process.

Goal Two: Develop New Mexico’s future leaders with our paid Leadership Internship program, which trains students in how to develop and enact sound public policy and networks them with New Mexico leaders.

Goal Three: Help New Mexico students and families engage with the policymaking process in order to improve the quality of public education, lifting up student proficiency and long-term student outcomes.

Think New Mexico actively invests in the leadership of its staff by mentoring them and providing opportunities for staff members to engage in public speaking, presentations to policymakers, public communications, policy research and analysis, and other relevant areas. Staff members beyond the Executive Director serve as the face of the organization in media interviews and public presentations. Think New Mexico also provides time and funding for staff members to complete professional development trainings. For example, Think New Mexico funded both our Associate Director and Field Director to participate in the Emerging Social Sector Leaders Program, organized by the Santa Fe Community Foundation. This intensive program focuses on networking with peers in other nonprofits and developing future nonprofit Executive Directors.

When the pandemic hit, Think New Mexico was fortunate that much of our work could be conducted remotely. From March 2020 through April 2021, Think New Mexico’s staff worked primarily from their homes, coordinating our efforts via zoom, email, phone, and text. This included hiring and supervising six Leadership Interns, who also had to work remotely during 2020. The constraints of the pandemic required our staff to be creative and put in extra effort. For example, we organized zoom sessions for our interns to meet and talk with state leaders including legislators, a former state secretary of Education, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Lt. Governor Howie Morales. Similarly, we organized many zoom sessions to build coalitions in support of our 2020-2021 policy proposals. The most challenging part of the past year was that the 2021 New Mexico legislative session was conducted entirely virtually, which made it significantly harder to coordinate testimony from coalition members and other allies, advocate with legislators, and engage in our usual grassroots outreach and education. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Think New Mexico’s staff, we were able to overcome those obstacles and win passage of several policy reforms, including making the state’s infrastructure funding process transparent and ending the taxation of delivered groceries.