Office of the Secretary
Alisha Tafoya Lucero
Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero was appointed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in 2019 to lead the New Mexico Corrections Department. She brings more than 25 years of public service experience, having begun her career in corrections as a classification officer at the Penitentiary of New Mexico. Throughout her career, she has served in numerous roles, including as a probation and parole officer, unit manager, deputy warden, and warden.
Secretary Tafoya Lucero holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, both from the University of New Mexico.
Since her appointment, Secretary Tafoya Lucero has made reentry the cornerstone of the department’s public safety mission. Under her leadership, the department established a dedicated Reentry Division, expanded educational opportunities, introduced a wide range of vocational training programs, significantly reduced Hepatitis C infections, established meaningful pay equity changes across the department, and transitioned three privately operated prisons to state management. These initiatives have contributed to a significant reduction in recidivism and strengthened the department’s focus on preparing incarcerated individuals for successful reentry into their communities.
Secretary Tafoya Lucero serves as chair of the Correctional Leaders Association’s Healthcare Committee, where she helps advance national discussions on correctional healthcare, institutional case management, release planning, continuity of care, substance use treatment, mental health services, and implementing best practices with limited resources.
Outside of her public service, Secretary Tafoya Lucero is an avid rancher who helps her family care for horses in La Cienega and cattle in Tierra Amarilla. She is a proud mother and has been married to her husband for more than two decades.
Melanie Martinez
Deputy Secretary
New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) Deputy Secretary Melanie Martinez has been serving the state for more than two decades, with majority of those years spent within NMCD. She began her career as a probation and parole officer in the Santa Fe district office, where she managed a diverse caseload of offenders, including high-risk and high-needs individuals. Throughout her career, Deputy Secretary Martinez has held various leadership positions, including chief at the New Mexico Corrections Training Academy (NMCTA), Probation and Parole Division (PPD) district supervisor, and PPD regional manager. In recognition of her leadership skills and immense experience, Martinez was selected to serve as the deputy director of PPD and subsequently promoted to the position of director in 2019. Deputy Secretary Martinez’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology from Western New Mexico University (WNMU). In addition to her professional responsibilities, the deputy secretary actively participates in criminal judicial committees and Violence Intervention Program (VIP) in Albuquerque. She is also a member of the Criminal Justice Reform Committee, where she contributes her expertise and insights to promote positive change within the system. Martinez was appointed to deputy secretary of NMCD in 2023
Gary Maciel
Deputy Secretary
Deputy Secretary Gary Maciel has served within the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) in various capacities, for more than two decades. His journey began in 2001, when he joined the Penitentiary of New Mexico (PNM) as a correctional officer while simultaneously serving in the United States Army Reserves (USAR). Deputy Secretary Maciel steadily progressed through the ranks of custody, eventually advancing to the positions of sergeant and lieutenant. In 2013, he was chosen as a unit manager, where he played a vital role in modernizing the Predatory Behavior Management Program (PBMP), leading the desegregation efforts of the Special Management Population (SMP), and the Restoration to Population Program (RPP) for ex-gang members. In recognition for his experience and skills, Maciel was promoted to the positions of deputy warden and then warden. With Maciel at the helm as warden, NMCD took over operations from the privately operated Northeast New Mexico Detention Facility (NENMDF) in 2019, which is now the Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility (NENMCF). He led the facility and its staff through the major transition from private to public operations, handling all aspects from budget to hiring, security, and programming. Following his time as warden, Maciel’s dedication and expertise led to his promotion as the deputy director of the Adult Prisons Division (APD), where he served until his appointment as director of APD. While in that role, he oversaw APD’s operations and ensured the effective management of all prison facilities. Maciel was appointed to deputy secretary of NMCD in 2023.