Staff

nathan.gomme@cdhh.nm.gov

Nathan Gomme began his career with NMCDHH as a Service Coordinator, and then became the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy. In April of FY14, he was selected to be Executive Director after an extensive nationwide search. Originally from Connecticut, Mr. Gomme holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Gallaudet University where he graduated with University Honors. A resident of New Mexico since 2005, Mr. Gomme has a wealth of experience in transition issues, advocacy, and ADA compliance, and has proven his leadership skills both within the Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and in the community through several projects with partner agencies.

lisa.dignan@cdhh.nm.gov

Lisa Dignan directs the Community Engagement Department and programs focused on the professional development of signed language interpreters, including New Mexico Mentoring. She administers a variety of programs to improve communication access for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing by increasing the pool of highly skilled interpreters. She works closely with the Signed Language Interpreting Practices Board on issues around licensure of interpreters and served seven years on the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts Language Access Advisory Committee. Lisa has served as the Interim Executive Director of NMCDHH on two separate occasions.  Lisa is a California native who has lived in seven different states and relocated to Albuquerque in 2007 after serving as the disability services coordinator at Laramie County Community College in Wyoming for 13 years. A nationally certified interpreter with over 35 years of experience and a lengthy history in the independent living movement, Lisa earned a master’s degree in adult education from the University of Wyoming and holds RID certifications in interpretation and transliteration.

corina.gutierrez@cdhh.nm.gov

Corina Gutiérrez is a New Mexico native from Hatch, the “Chile Capital of the World.”  Corina attended the New Mexico School for the Deaf (NMSD) for most of her education.  She is a renowned basketball player who was part of the Deaflympics women’s basketball team and is one of three inductees to the Wall of Fame at NMSD.  She received a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Gallaudet University.  Corina previously worked at NMSD, her alma mater, as a Student Life Educator, and worked at the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind as a Master Teaching Parent.  She has served as the American Sign Language Coordinator and teacher at the Deaf Culture Center and has served on the New Mexico Association for the Deaf Board of Directors, as an advisory board member for Gallaudet University Regional Center – Southwest, as a board member for National Council of Hispano Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Council de Manos, and Raíces del Rio Grande.  Corina is currently serving as a board member for the NMSD Alumni Association and the New Mexico Mano a Mano.  Corina joined NMCDHH in August of 2007.  She plans, advocates and coordinates services to meet her clients’ needs.  In FY14, Corina became Interim Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, and in FY15, became Director of Public Policy & Advocacy.  The Public Policy & Advocacy Department is now the Community Advocacy Department, and Corina remains Director of that department.

deborah.romero@cdhh.nm.gov

Deborah Romero is a New Mexico native from Santa Fe. She is currently the Chief Financial Officer. She has over 24 years in government service. Prior to her career in government, Deborah was the director of a private school. She is a member of NMPPA, New Mexico Public Procurement Association. She attended the New Mexico State Cooperative Extension, NM-EDGE and is a Certified Public Purchasing Professional (PPP) and Certified Public Officer (CPO). Deborah also attended the University of New Mexico and is a Certified Emergency Medical Technician and former volunteer firefighter.

Renee.Bregar@cdhh.nm.gov

Renée is the Administrative Operations Specialist and is responsible for administrative support for the Albuquerque and Las Cruces NMCDHH offices, as well as the NMCDHH Board.

Renée brings over 30 years’ experience in customer service within multiple industries in Ohio, Indiana, and Texas. Her education initially focused on mental health technology, then ASL.

Renée and her wife of over 24 years, who is Deaf, have recently moved to New Mexico. Renée is passionate about service to others. She is honored and excited to be able to serve the Deaf, DeafBlind. and Hard of Hearing communities in New Mexico, as well as the amazing NMCDHH team.

trevor.brennan@cdhh.nm.gov

Trevor Brennan is a New Mexico native from Edgewood who became Hard-of-Hearing at age 10. He is a graduate of the New Mexico School for the Deaf. He has an Associate’s Degree in Integrated Studies from Central New Mexico Community College, and also has certifications in general business and payroll clerk.  He has served as the Treasurer for the NM Association for the Deaf in the past and is passionate about helping others.

Trevor has over 15 years of customer service experience from a variety of industries at the local, county, and state level.  Trevor first worked for the Commission as a Mentor for New Mexico Mentoring starting in 2020 and joined the full-time staff in 2021 as the Administrative Operations Specialist, before being promoted to Community Engagement Specialist in 2023. 

jennifer.dahlgren@cdhh.nm.gov

Jennifer has worked in the field of communication access, education, interpreting and advocacy for more than 15 years with a passion for the empowerment that comes through communication. They have trained countless service providers and students in the medical, legal, educational, social services and business fields. They have presented both nationally and internationally to audiences large and small, and actively engages in advocating for the communication access rights for persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind and DeafDisabled so that they can function independently and equitably in society. Additionally, Jennifer advocates for the intersectional needs of the LGBTQ+ and Deaf communities. 

Jennifer believes education is the key to access and equality. By educating service providers, students and leaders about the rights and needs of marginalized communities, we make the world a more equitable place. Jennifer is Deaf-Queer native American Sign Language user who utilizes interpreters in their everyday life. Jennifer firmly believes that when you know better you do better. So, they do their part to spread a little more knowledge about the Deaf culture so that the world is a more equitable place for all Deaf people whatever their intersecting identities may be.

jessica.eubank@cdhh.nm.gov

Jessica Eubank is a native of Belen, New Mexico. Jessica holds degrees from the University of New Mexico in Signed Language Interpretation and Psychology. She also holds her National Interpreter Certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and is currently serving as the Region IV Representative of RID. She has specialized training in performing arts interpreting and interpreting for religious settings.

A former NMCDHH apprentice herself, Jessica enjoys supervising the NMCDHH Apprentice Interpreter Program and is dedicated to fostering professional growth and opportunity for our local interpreting community. Jessica both provides and coordinates interpreting services for NMCDHH staff and agency needs.

vairea.rice@cdhh.nm.gov

Vairea Rice was born and raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico. She has been Hard of Hearing since she was 3 years old and has thrived in mainstream public schools with the help of talented and proactive educators, speech therapists, audiologists, and hearing-assistive technology such as hearing aids, FM systems, and relay services. Her grandmother, Daisy N. Rice, was one of the delegates who conceived and wrote the first drafts of the ADA articles in 1990 and, in 1991, helped establish the NMCDHH.

Vairea received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Accounting and a Master of Science in Accounting from Western Governor’s University in Utah. Vairea strongly believes in unity between Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing, and hearing communities by allowing for many forms of access to education, language, and communication for all individuals. Vairea started with the Commission as the Business Operations Specialist in 2023, and was promoted to the Financial Services Specialist in 2024.

roger.robb@cdhh.nm.gov

Roger is an Albuquerque native who is very happy to be living in Albuquerque once again after living in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. To quote Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz”, “There’s no place like home!”  With a 15 year history in Advocacy and Case Management at Deaf and Hard of Hearing agencies in the aforementioned states, Roger brings a wealth of experience to the NMCDHH. Roger graduated from the New Mexico School for the Deaf, and majored in Sociology at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego.

myra.sandoval@cdhh.nm.gov

Myra Sandoval was born in Albuquerque and grew up in Los Lunas. She is the third generation of a Deaf family and was also the third generation to graduate from the New Mexico School for the Deaf (NMSD). She received her Associate degree in Laboratory Science at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), then completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix.  Ms. Sandoval has had experience working in the mental health field as Behavior Health Technician and also has experience working with Deafblind, Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities as a Service Coordinator.

susana.santillan@cdhh.nm.gov

Susana Santillan is a Community Advocacy Specialist in our Las Cruces office. Susana has a long history serving individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind. Before coming to NMCDHH, she was the Deafness Resource Specialist for Volar Center for Independent Living, the Deafness Resources Specialist for Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), and served in the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Disabled Student Services Office. The UTEP Center for Accommodations and Support Services presented the Community Member “Diamond Amigo Award” to Susana in October 2015.

Susana is trilingual in English, Spanish and ASL. She is the proud mother of four children, one of whom is a deaf-blind adult with Usher Syndrome. Due to her daughter’s deafness, Susana has been involved in the deaf community for 32 years.

sean.sinderholm@cdhh.nm.gov

Sean Sinderholm is the Technology Coordinator for NMCDHH, and his responsibilities include coordinating the Telecommunication Equipment Distribution Program (TEDP). Throughout his career, Sean has had formative and professional experiences in Deaf-centric services for Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing and Hearing. He has worked as a Deaf Interpreter, Supportive Services Provider, Co-Navigator, Advocate, and Administrative Assistant. Recently, he moved to Albuquerque from his childhood home, Southern California, and is looking forward to making his mark in New Mexico.

dennis.stidham@cdhh.nm.gov

Dennis Stidham is a Community Advocacy Specialist in NMCDHH’s Albuquerque office.  Dennis has 14 years of experience working with Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing throughout the Albuquerque, Los Lunas, Belen, and Santa Fe areas.  Dennis is originally from Arizona, but has been a resident of New Mexico since 2003.  Dennis is married and they have four children.  His wife, Suella, is also Deaf.

patrick.velasquez@cdhh.nm.gov

Patrick Velasquez is a native New Mexican from the beautiful Espanola Valley. He graduated from Espanola Valley High School and pursues higher education from the University of New Mexico, studying pre-law, business, and multilingual recognition in ASL. Relatively new to the Deaf community, Patrick enjoys immersing himself in the beauty of ASL, learning many new signs along the way- and, of course, making mistakes.

Before his role at NMCDHH, Patrick worked for various businesses around northern New Mexico, and served as a Teen Court Judge for Espanola Municipal Courts, presiding over juvenile cases across northern New Mexico in collaboration with the Children, Youth, & Families Department. His focus on rehabilitation over punishment led him to advocate for juvenile support groups committed to uplifting northern adolescents. Patrick is now excited to support NMCDHH’s mission to provide leadership, education, advocacy, and programs to eliminate obstacles to the social, economic, educational, cultural, and intellectual well-being of Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind individuals in New Mexico- Learning more and more about the Deaf community and culture along the way.