FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2021
CONTACT: Sondra Roeuny
contact@emergenm.org
(505) 216-6533
Sondra Roeuny Named as Executive Director for Emerge New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE— Today, Emerge New Mexico, the state’s premier organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office and win, announced that Sondra Roeuny will be its next executive director. In this role, Roeuny will oversee the organization’s strategy, recruitment, fundraising, and programming. Also, in her role, Roeuny is available for press and media as requested.
“We’re excited to have Sondra as our next Executive Director of Emerge New Mexico,” said Charlotte Little, Emerge New Mexico’s Board Chair. “For over sixteen years, Emerge New Mexico has worked to change the face of politics in New Mexico by inspiring, recruiting, and training Democratic women to run for elected office and win. Currently, we have over 100 Emerge New Mexico alums serving in elected office — and we’re only just getting started. Sondra is the leader Emerge New Mexico needs as we expand our work across this great state.”
Roeuny has spent her life fighting for social justice, beginning early on as a grassroots community organizer. She is the proud daughter of courageous refugees who survived the Khmer Rouge genocide that killed over two million Khmers by starvation, torture, and persecution. Roeuny’s lived experiences define and drive her passion and commitment to create a more just society.
Roeuny comes to Emerge New Mexico from Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and Planned Parenthood Votes New Mexico, where she served as the Public Affairs Director for New Mexico, leading its field, electoral, and legislative work to protect and expand access to a broad spectrum of reproductive health care, including abortion care, for women, pregnant people, and families in New Mexico. During her tenure, and in collaboration with coalition partners, Roeuny successfully aligned their organizing, electoral, and legislative work, which culminated in the historic passage of the Respect New Mexico Women and Families Act that repealed the old 1969 abortion ban. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the bill into law in February 2021 and New Mexico is one of the very few states to pass pro-abortion legislation this year.
“I am honored and excited to bring my passion and talents to lead Emerge New Mexico,” said Sondra Roeuny, incoming Executive Director of Emerge New Mexico. “As a woman of color from a refugee diaspora experience, I know first-hand the benefits of having a more inclusive democracy. Having more women from the New American Majority – Black, Brown and Indigenous women and women of color, as well as LGBTQ+, young, and unmarried women in office at all levels of government leads to a more just society in which all people can thrive. And that’s what every New Mexican deserves.”
“I am thrilled that Sondra will be joining our network and continuing the great work of Emerge New Mexico in recruiting and training the next generation of powerful Democratic women leaders,” said A’shanti Gholar, President of Emerge. “New Mexico is a leader in women’s representation in government, particularly for women of color, and Emerge has been instrumental in making that possible. Emerge New Mexico alums also helped to establish one of our nation’s few majority-woman state legislative chambers. I am confident that Sondra will leverage her experience to expand Emerge New Mexico’s stellar track record and empower even more women to step up and run.”
Emerge New Mexico is a state affiliate of Emerge, which was founded in 2005, and has 27 affiliates across the country, all working to change the face of politics in our nation by recruiting and training Democratic women to run for elected office. In September 2021, Emerge New Mexico will graduate its 16th class of women. Currently, over 100 Emerge New Mexico alums hold public office. More information about Emerge New Mexico can be found here.