A search committee for the Regional Coalition of LANL Communities (RCLC) in New Mexico last week interviewed candidates to become the organization’s new executive director, and could fill the post this summer.
The RCLC board panel expects “to negotiate a contract with the preferred applicant over the next few weeks and plan for the entire board to consider approval of the contract at their July 20 meeting,” Los Alamos County Manager Harry Burgess said by email Tuesday. Los Alamos County has been providing administrative support for the coalition while it is without an executive director.
The coalition, which represents local governments near the Energy Department’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in northern New Mexico, has been without a leader since the end of February, when the board did not renew Andrea Romero’s contract in the wake of a dispute over expense reimbursements.
Romero went on to defeat incumbent Carl Trujillo in a June Democratic primary election to represent the 46th State District in the New Mexico House of Representatives.
Formed in 2011, the RCLC pursues maximum federal funding for DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Office of Environmental Management operations at Los Alamos. It also works to ensure local residents reap some of the economic benefits of the government lab.
As was the case with Romero, the new executive director will be an independent contractor rather an employee of the RCLC. The request for proposals issued by the coalition said the executive director would get an initial two-year term, with the potential for two single-year extensions.
The RFP sought an executive director to manage the organization, lead its mission, advise the board, be fluent on LANL issues, oversee public information campaigns, serve as chief RCLC spokesperson, and run a website. Andrea Romero Consulting was reportedly making $140,000 per year.
