Meet our Board Members

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I am a San Luis Valley Native and an Adams State University Alumni. I have always had a love for art in my heart. I studied graphic design and traditional black & white photography at ASU.  My high school Art teacher Rogelio Briones recruited me to the board. I have been on the Adobe de Oro Board of DIrectors since 2008 as the Secretary. I have enjoyed learning about Indio Hispano art and culture. I have been involved in the Mariachi conferences and multiple art workshops we have put on throughout the years. One of my favorite workshops was the Laton Workshop which is a colonial New Mexican tinwork presented by Gene Gurule who is a bearer of the tradition. I look forward to the future of Adobe de Oro and the projects we have planned coming up.

VICTORIA (Tori) MARTINEZ— is a multi-passionate social scientist working in the areas of justice, equity, diversity, Inclusion (JEDI) and access, in rural communities of color. She is the CEO of Mestiza Consulting. Her company works to empower rural leaders through Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive coaching and consulting services. She combines science-backed tools with real world experience to change the way we think about rural solutions.

Tori received her bachelor’s degree from Adams State University, and her master’s degree from Arizona State University. She is the former Executive Director for the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area in the San Luis Valley. The Heritage Area is a nonprofit organization promoting, preserving, and protecting, the profound historical, cultural, and linguistic resources of the area.

She also serves as an advisory council member on Place-based Service Learning for Community Works Institute, and is a member of the SPMDTU the oldest Hispanic society for the mutual protection of united workers. She is also a published author and poet.

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Dr. Curtis Garcia is a Professor of Education and the Director of the School of Education at Adams State University. He joined the Adams State faculty in 2015. Dr. Garcia’s research focuses on teacher quality and evaluation, issues in rural education, and issues related to multicultural education and equity in schools. In addition to his faculty and administrative roles, Dr. Garcia directs Project SERVE, a program aimed at supporting early recruitment and retention of educators in the San Luis Valley. He has also served as principal investigator or project director for multiple state and federal grants aimed at supporting recruitment and retention efforts within the field of education.

Dr. Garcia is a San Luis Valley native who earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Yale University, then returned home to work as an educator. He holds a Master of Arts degree in educational leadership from Adams State and a Ph.D. in educational leadership research and policy from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. ​​

Eric J. Carpio is the Chief Community Museum Officer for History Colorado and the Director of the Fort Garland Museum &Cultural Center. At Fort Garland, he's leading the museum toward a renewed vision centered on co-creating and elevating diverse voices through community engagement and collaboration. Fort Garland was selected as a finalist for the 2023 National Medal, the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries, by the Institute of Museum & Library Services. Recent exhibitions Unsilenced: Indigenous Enslavement in Southern, Merciless Indian Savages, and buffalo soldiers: reVision, have gained local, state, and national recognition. In 2019, Eric was selected as one of ten Senior Fellows for Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) for the American Association of Museums Facing Change initiative, to provide DEAI training, support, and leadership to museum boards across the country. Eric has a B.S. from Colorado State University and a M.A. from Adams State University. He is an alumnus of the University of Denver’s Latino Leadership Institute (LLI) and the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Social Impact Strategy (CSIS).

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As a sitting member on the Board of Directors for Adobe de Oro Concilios de Arte since May 2023, Jeff is a San Luis Valley native with deep roots and family history in the valley. As a multigenerational Mestizo, born & raised in Del Norte and a resident of Alamosa for 2 decades, he works to preserve the Indio Hispano Culture with a passion for the arts, our music and our mystical traditions & way of life. He is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Army where he served his country for 8 years and continues to serve the San Luis Valley Community and La Raza with the same sense of honor and commitment.