Vacant secretary seat filled at New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department [Video]

SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) has a new secretary. The position had been vacant since December of 2023.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Melanie A. Kenderdine to be the department’s new leader. Kenderdine brings experience from the non-profit and government sectors.

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“I am honored to join Governor Lujan Grisham’ s administration as Secretary of the Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources,” Kenderdine said in a press release. “The governor has committed New Mexico to be a national leader in the country’s journey to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions – I look forward to joining her outstanding team.”

After spending her school years in Albuquerque, Kenderdine eventually made a career in Washington, D.C. with the U.S. Department of Energy. She worked with the Clinton administration helping with large-scale oil and gas deals and a large land transfer …