Board of Directors

Peyton grew up in Philadelphia and received a BA from Temple University. After school she worked for a non-profit helping poor and minority homebuyers get mortgages. In 1992, she moved to Santa Fe to open Harry’s Roadhouse since then, growing the business and providing jobs for 75 employees. Peyton loves the Santa Fe community, and has volunteered in local nonprofits for a decade. She likes to hike, run and ski, continue learning Spanish, and travel when time permits. She and Harry have a 26 year old daughter, and four dogs.

Veronica Krupnick is a local Indigenous Advocate for young people who have been impacted by the child welfare system, especially from tribal communities. She is affiliated with the Hopi and Jemez tribal nations. Veronica is an established state and national voice and lived expert, working with child welfare leadership and stakeholders across the United States. After serving as the Foster Youth Advocate and then the Mentorship, Advocacy and Peer Support Program Coordinator at CASA First, she has joined our Board of Directors. In Fall of 2022, Veronica began her venture into the New Mexico Legislature, first serving as a campaign assistant and then the Senate Liason for the House. Veronica has transitioned into her current role as the Leadership Analyst for the New Mexico House of Representatives Majority Office. 

Julia is an attorney at Holland & Hart LLP and a member of the New Mexico Bar Association. During law school Julia worked with an advocacy clinic in Arizona representing children in abuse and neglect proceedings. With regard to her CASA work, she says, “I’m interested in making sure that children’s voices are heard in what can be complicated and confusing legal proceedings.” Julia holds a JD from the University of Arizona and a BS from the University of Houston.

“As a New Englander, it was instilled in us that we must give back to the community in which we live.”

Spencer is a retiree from the State of New Mexico and was an investment professional, managing a portion of the teacher’s pension plans and having full responsibility for the state’s liquid assets. He previously was the operations manager for a small family business in Vermont, and was an investment banker with a focus on 501(c)3 organizations, working extensively with CFOs and boards in capital planning and financial strategy. Spencer has volunteered on a number of boards including Alta Mira, as the treasurer of Assistance Dogs of the West, and served as the board chairperson for the Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan and also volunteers in the Santa Fe County Detention Facility with a mental health organization.

Ryan, who was born and raised in Santa Fe, is the Chief Managing Officer and Managing Partner at Landseer Management, and Santa Fe Storage and Moving as well as CEO of Around the Corner Self Storage. Ryan graduated with BS Business Management and Entrepreneurship from Montana State University. He is an alumni of the National Outdoor Leadership School and an Eagle Scout. Ryan’s contributions to CASA First include in the areas of business strategy and development, marketing, leadership and community knowledge.

Kate is a lifelong New Mexican, raised in a family committed to supporting their local community through volunteerism and hard work. Her professional background includes an early career in art direction and copywriting, 8 years in public safety serving with the Santa Fe County Fire Department, and, after completing her education and training in clinical mental healthcare, now provides crisis intervention care and community-based mental healthcare through direct service and programming leadership.

Andres emigrated from Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2001. He has a Nursing Degree in the USA and is co-owner of EMR-Bear behavioral health record system. 

Dr. Sophie Andar was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, attended high school and graduate school in New York City, and currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She holds a bachelor’s degree in community studies from University of California Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in international education development and doctorate in health education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

A commitment to social justice and wellbeing has led Dr. Andar to facilitate health promotion efforts in nonprofit, university, government, and community-based settings. As a fellow for the Teachers College, Columbia University Research Group on Disparities in Health, Sophie conducted the first study to examine the role of digital media, including pornography, in college sexual assault. As the initial Executive Director of Culture Reframed, Sophie helped lay the foundation of the first health promotion nonprofit to address the consequences of online pornography use and exposure. Sophie has also worked to address the U.S. drug overdose epidemic as director of a community health coalition and as Statewide Overdose Prevention Supervisor for the New Mexico Department of Health.

In 2022, Sophie co-created a professional development course for the New Mexico Public Education Department to help school personnel recognize and respond to acts of racism across the human ecosystem. Guided by lived experience as a violence survivor; Dr. Barbara C. Wallace’s framework to understand and deal with violence through a psychology of oppression, liberation, and identity development; and a public health approach, Sophie recently launched the City of Santa Fe’s Violence Prevention Unit. Working as the first Youth and Family Services Program Manager focused on violence prevention, Sophie is helping the City of Santa Fe to build capacity to deal with violence effectively and comprehensively.

Robert Mesa is a Navajo and Soboba actor, writer, multi-disciplinary artist and humanitarian who lives in Santa Fe and works internationally. He studied filmmaking at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He has donated art pieces to the Lightning Boy Foundation and the Violence Against Women Act. Robert also continues to be a leader of service work in Ukraine with the organization, Ukrainians of New Mexico. 

Robert is a successful artist and actor, which includes his role as the first Native American actor to star in Grey’s Anatomy. He is determined to use his public platform to create powerful change through humanitarian service and his transparency about growing up in broken homes and experiencing homelessness. While serving on CASA First’s Board of Directors, Robert hopes to ensure wide audiences hear about the need to understand and support children and youth in foster care. As someone who was supported by mentors in the Santa Fe community, Robert hopes to be an inspiration for others and aims to ensure youth in foster care have community and successful role models.

Susan spent much of her life in Southern California, where she practiced law, worked as a fundraiser, and was a grief counselor for children. She was thrilled to move to Santa Fe six years ago and spent three of those years working as Executive Director of the Santa Fe Children’s Museum. She values strategic thinking and diversifying streams of income to ensure the long-term success of a non-profit. Susan has great enthusiasm for building consensus and creating effective teams while ensuring that the organization effectively ensures Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Ensuring that every child has a fair start in life, with opportunities to fulfill their dreams has always been the main driver for Susan. She is excited to bring the combination of her diverse background and her passion for youth to CASA First.

Tony is a retired Pediatric Anesthesiologist who has served CASA First for over ten years, including previously as Board President. Tony is also a former CASA Volunteer Advocate and has seen first hand the need and impact of CASA First advocacy. He serves on the Board of Directors for El Centro Community Health Clinic in Northern New Mexico.  During his free time, he enjoys traveling and hiking. Tony earned his MD at the University of North Carolina. 

George has extensive community expertise and board experience. He served on Citizens Review Board (NM and Santa Fe County) for child abuse and neglect case oversight, Las Clinicas del Norte and the Talpa Water Association. George was a Foreign Service Officer for 26 years and was stationed all over the world including the Middle East and Russia. In addition to volunteering with multiple non-profits, he is a commercial real estate owner and enjoys wood carving and his ranch in his free time. George and his wife Edith, whom he met in the foreign service live in Santa Fe and Rio Arriba county and George is committed to addressing the needs of our rural communities, especially the ones affecting vulnerable children. George has been affiliated with CASA First since 1996 both as a Volunteer Advocate and a Board member.

Jessica Henderson
Volunteer Coordinator

466 W. San Francisco Street
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

(505) 820-1500