Congratulations to your newly elected UA-UNM Officers for 2026-2028, who will begin their term on May 28, 2026. This is the third election since ratification of our first Collective Bargaining Agreement.
President, Beth Ratay
Beth Ratay (she/her) is a Term Teacher in Theory and Composition for the Department of Music. Beth is a composer of contemporary classical music, passionate educator of musicians of all ages, and a Union activist and organizer. She lives in Albuquerque with her husband, two boys and two cats.
Secretary, Jennifer Jordan
Jennifer Jordan is a Latinx writer and assistant professor in the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences. Jennifer is an Open Educational Resource (OER) Librarian, which means part of her job is spent helping faculty find open source materials to replace commercial textbooks. She grew up in New Mexico, graduated from UNM two times, and has two kids, a loving partner, two dogs, and two cats.
Treasurer, Stephanie Telles
Stephanie Telles, MBA, CFE, (she/her) is an adjunct faculty member with the UNM Anderson School of Management’s MACCT program, where she teaches Fraud Examination and Forensic Accounting. She is the Founder of Otoño Consulting, LLC, a Latina-owned firm advancing inclusion, ethics, and fraud prevention through innovative strategies in fraud prevention, advocacy, ethics, and governance. She previously served as Director of the GAO and Spokesperson for the NM Office of the State Auditor. She lives in Albuquerque’s Westside with her husband and young daughter.
Vice-President of Albuquerque, Jessamyn Lovell
Jessamyn (Jesse) Lovell (they/them) is a Principal Lecturer III in the Department of Art at the University of New Mexico Albuquerque campus, Organizing Fellow (2024-current), and UA-UNM founding member. They have taught visual art for twenty-five years and have a background in organizing and in the non-profit art world. Jesse is a licensed private investigator living in Albuquerque with their spouse, child, and bossy chihuahua.
Vice-President of Albuquerque, Andrea Román Alfaro
Andrea Román Alfaro is an Assistant Professor of Sociology & Criminology at the University of New Mexico and has been a Unit 1 member of UA-UNM since January 2025. From 2018 to 2024, she played an active role in the labor movement as a steward, organizer, and General Vice President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 3902 (CUPE 3902), representing 10,000 academic workers at the University of Toronto.
Vice-President of Gallup, Kristian Simcox
Kristian Simcox (he/him) is an Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Division of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the UNM-Gallup campus. Along with teaching courses in philosophy and religion, his work currently focuses on issues in environmental philosophy and philosophy of education. Kristian has happily called New Mexico home for over twenty years, including the last decade-plus in Gallup, where he lives with his wife, dog, and two cats.
Vice-President of Valencia, Justin Bendell
Justin Bendell is an Associate Professor of English at the University of New Mexico – Valencia Campus. He lives in Albuquerque with his partner & their dog, Henrietta.
Vice-President of Unit 2, Emmy Alameda
Emmy Alameda is a Unit 2 instructor for Core Writing at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Campus, and an Organizing Fellow with UA-UNM. Working with the Union, and building solidarity across campus, has greatly improved Emmy’s experience working for UNM. Emmy is a creative writer with her MFA in fiction from UNM. Emmy loves to read and write queer stories that subvert patriarchal and colonial narratives. She lives in Albuquerque with her wife and three cats.
There are two remaining opportunities to serve as a UA-UNM Officer:
- Third Vice-President of Albuquerque
- Vice-President of Taos
Your union needs you! Contact info@uaunm.org to learn more.
And a BIG thank you to all the outgoing officers for your dedicated service!
