Board of Directors 2007/08

J. Doug Guinn
Past President

Information coming soon!

Jo Cunningham
Secretary

I was born in Del Norte, Colorado and received my BA from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1973.  My Masters in Procurement and Materials Management from Webster University was completed in 1985.  I have spent the last 22 years as a contracts professional - both buying and selling - at the University of New Mexico, Honeywell Defense Avionics Systems Division, and Sandia National Laboratories.  In my private life, I am proud to be a member of the Board of Directors for the Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity.  I am also a Dive Master for The Scuba Company.  I have been married for 34 years to Cameron and we have a 30-year-old son, Colin.

Steve Estrada
Treasurer

Information coming soon!

Eufemia Lucero
Past President

Eufemia (Fem) S. Lucero joined the Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors in January 2004.  She had previously been an office volunteer and co-chaired the Special Events Committee.  In the fall of 2003, she participated in an international build in Las Varas, Mexico sponsored by HFHI.    

Fem retired from the U. S. Postal Service in November 2003 after 30 years of service.  She worked in the human resources, marketing, operations, and real estate areas in both Albuquerque, NM and Washington, DC.  Her tenure included service with the Postal Inspection Service and the Office of Inspector General.  

While with the Postal Inspection Service, she developed and delivered executive managerial workshops in the US as well as to executives of the Universal Postal Union in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  While working in Albuquerque, she had administrative responsibility for 106 postmasters in northern NM and northeastern AZ, which included the Navajo Nation headquartered in Window Rock, AZ.

Her numerous awards include a Postal Manager's Award,  the Inspection Service's Performance Award, the YMCA Women On The Move Award, and the New Mexico Distinguished Public Service Award.   She was one of 80 Elite Hispanic women featured in Hispanic Business Magazine in 2002 and was also listed as one of the magazine's top 100 most influential Hispanics that same year.  Fem has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Albuquerque and has done graduate work at The George Washington University.

Joan Costello
President

Joan (Joani) Costello joined the GAHH Board of Directors in 2006.  Originally from Minnesota, she transplanted to Phoenix where she lived for 15 years, and worked for Bank One, AZ.  Joan lived in Albuquerque for a short time in the mid 1990’s where she worked in Private Banking for First Security Bank.  When she married her current husband, Jim, they moved to Denver where she continued her work in Private Banking and later became CEO for First Medical Credit Union for four years. Joan’s 31 year career in the financial services industry includes Management, HR, Marketing, Sales, and Training.    She and her husband were happy to return to the Land of Enchantment in 2005.  Joan is currently a Vice President for Bank of the West.  

As a firm believer in giving back to the community, Joan as been involved in volunteer work for over 25 years.  She served on the board of directors for Phoenix Clean & Beautiful, American Cancer Society Jailathon Committee, Special Olympics and Chaired the Heart Walk for Bank of the West in 2007.  Prior to her work in financial services Joan was a nurse, and her desire to reach out and become involved with families lead her to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Arapahoe County, CO.  She was also involved with Habitat for Humanity and, after returning to New Mexico, joined the board of GAHH to further her commitment to helping those in need. The most rewarding experience of all for her is to witness the excitement of the families when their homes are dedicated.  

Joan chaired the Silent Auction Committee for the 2007 Building Friends and Funds Breakfast, serves as chair for the Family Selection Committee and is currently president-elect of the Board.  In addition to GAHH, Joan serves on the Board of Directors for Albuquerque Little Theatre.  

JoAnn Albrecht

Born in Illinois farm country, JoAnn has been a resident of New Mexico since 1965; she has resided in Albuquerque for eighteen years.  She is the mother of two children, Rachel, who is currently pursuing an advanced degree in Social Work at the University of Denver, and Sam.  Sam died in an accident in Thailand in 2002 and JoAnn sponsored a Habitat home in Albuquerque and then organized many family and friends to help construct this house in her son’s memory.  At the same time, she organized a Challenge House in which she encouraged members of the Greater Albuquerque community to raise the funds and recruit the volunteers to build a second home.  In this manner, two homes for two deserving families were built simultaneously and a personal tragedy became the catalyst for meaningful change.  

JoAnn has an extensive resume of volunteer service, with a focus on community health and youth.  From 1978 to 1982, she served as a board member of the Jemez Valley Medical Clinic in Jemez Springs.  From 1982 to 1990, she was both a member and officer of the Board of Directors for the American Women’s Club of the Philippines.  For twelve years, JoAnn volunteered and served as a member of the Board for Amigos de las Americas.  Other past involvement includes the Boy Scouts of America, the USA Girl Scouts Overseas, the American Red Cross and the Literacy Center of Albuquerque.  JoAnn currently serves as a stakeholder on the Peer Review Committee for the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, Georgia.  With Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity, JoAnn has been a Family Advocate, Office Volunteer, and member of the Land Acquisition Committee.  She became a Board Member in 2005 and is one of the two adult advisors who have spearheaded the establishment of Youth United, Habitat’s youth initiative, for the Albuquerque affiliate.

John Davis

I fled the cold winters of the Midwest with my father, mother and brother in 1969.  My three older sisters had previously married and were then scattered across the map.  We settled in "that town with the strange name....Albuquerque, or is it Alburquerque?"  I became a Del Norte High grad who went on to get a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Albuquerque and a juris doctorate from University of New Mexico School of Law.   Having now consumed not less than twenty times my body weight in green chile, I consider myself a native of the Land of Enchantment.

As I approached law school graduation and the bar exam in 1982, I didn't really know what I wanted to do or what I wanted to "be".    Law was interesting and challenging, but I knew myself well enough to know that being a lawyer was not my life-long ambition, even though arguing had been a life-long pastime.   A dear friend suggested "discover what you are passionate about and pursue it.  That is where you will find happiness and fulfillment." But there was no single thing to which I was enthusiastically devoted,  there were many: music, adobe construction, and politics, to name a few.  Little did I know that there was one passion that I would only later discover.  It was the greatest of all-family.

On the horizon was my 50th birthday.  I had the world's greatest wife  (could it be that I am a little biased?) and three fabulous kids.   I lived in an adobe home that I built with my own hands.  I had a successful law practice of 20 years.  I played my pedal steel guitar twice a month in a pub in Placitas.  But I asked myself,  what more could I do to pursue my passions?   I was convinced that there must be a way to meld these interests, these passions.  Some soul searching led to the realization that not only is my family my greatest passion, but that all families were immensely important to me and to society as a whole.  That is the moment I decided to close my law practice and become a domestic violence commissioner.  That is the moment that I asked to be involved in an organization enthusiastically devoted to helping families in my community.   That is the day I joined the Board of Directors of Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity.  There's a lot of work to be done.

Terry Nurss

Information coming soon

David Ericson, Jr.

Dave is a retired Nuclear Engineer.  Originally from Western Pennsylvania, he and his family "settled" in New Mexico in 1965.  After a career in the USAF he was a member of the technical staff and supervisor at Sandia National Laboratory, where he specialized in nuclear facility safety and security from 1976 to 1987.  After leaving Sandia in 1988 Dave was a Principal Consultant and later Branch Manager with Ogden Energy and Environmental Services doing nuclear safety and risk analyses for the DOE until his retirement in 1995.

Active with Habitat for Humanity since mid-1997, Dave has served as house captain on five homes and been involved in numerous others.  He was a member of the Board of Directors for GAHH from March of 1999 to June 2006, becoming President in 2004.  Dave accepted the invitation to return to the Board in July 2007.  He chairs the Finance Committee and is a member of the Building Committee and the SWAT team.

Dave says he feels called to Habitat by his faith and has said that he finds working with Habitat and our partner families the most rewarding volunteer work he has done.

Marlis Hadley

Marlis Hadley joined the GAHH Board of Directors in July 2007.  Born in Chicago, Marlis moved to Albuquerque in 1976 and has spent her entire professional career in non-profit organizations.  She is the Executive Director of the American Lung Association of New Mexico.  

Marlis learned the importance and impact of volunteerism through her personal experience in non-profit leadership and has previously served on the boards of Duke City Civitan Club and March of Dimes.   She has served on committees for United Way, Roadrunner Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, and the New Mexico Children’s Foundation.  Marlis has one daughter, Laura, a teacher at Sandia Montessori School.  

Virginia Huffman

Virginia joined the Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors in July 2006.  She has lived in New Mexico since 1974 and been a business owner in Albuquerque since 1980.  

She has always believed in giving back to the community and has served on numerous volunteer Boards.  Among the Boards she has served on are the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico Arts and Crafts Fair, and the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau (Chair 1999-2000).  She was President of the Meeting and Event Planners of New Mexico which became the NM Meeting Professionals International.  she was volunteer of the year for that organization as well as the ACVB.  She has also served on committees for United Way, ARCA Peoples choice and Magnifico.  

Her husband, Tom, is a general dentist and they have two children.  Stephen is a structural engineer in Maui and Dr. Jennifer Huffman is a pediatric neuologist with Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.  

Virginia has a BA from University of Michigan.  She also has a diplome des etudes francais from the University of Strasbourg, France.  Her masters degree program (in Art History) at University of Michigan was interrupted by a move to London, England for one year.

Carol Sauder

Information coming soon!

Michael Maurer
Vice President

Information coming soon!

Joe Varro

Joe Varro joined the Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity (GAHH) Board of Directors in April 2005.  Joe is the President & CEO of DSRM National Bank (owned by Valero Energy Corporation) and has over 14 years of Financial/Banking experience.

Joe has been married for 14 wonderful years to Sandy whom he met at New Mexico State University (NMSU).  They have an 8 year old daughter and a 4 1/2 year old son.  He graduated from Grants High School in 1986 and went on to receive his BBA in Human Resource Management from NMSU.  He also holds a MBA from the University of Phoenix.  

He has been a long time believer in giving back to the community.  He does this by volunteering his time to the following organizations:  ACCION New Mexico, Albuquerque Reads, CNM Foundation (Board Member), AYSO, NMSU Crimson Central Aggie Alumni Chapter (Board Member), and Special Olympics New Mexico.  Joe encourages others to do volunteer work, as he states “you get back more than you give.”

Joe is proud to be a part of Habitat because he believes in their mission statement:  “…. making it possible for low income families to own simple, decent, affordable homes.”  He has attended many home dedications and has witnessed the pure joy in the faces of the new homeowners.

Stephanie Granfors

Information coming soon!