Board

Russell began his career as a teacher at Adobe Acres Elementary School in 1964 and served for 37 years in the Albuquerque Public Schools until retiring in 2001. In APS he served as a teacher, activities director, assistant principal, lobbyist and retired as the Principal of Eldorado High School. He also served as Principal of Washington and Wilson Middle Schools in APS. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the University of New Mexico and did additional graduate work at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado and at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Currently, he also serves on the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame, where he is a past president, and the New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders (NMCEL).

Matías Fontenla is a Professor of Economics at the University of New Mexico. In addition to serving in the ERB’s Board of Trustees, he also serves in the Investments Committee of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the institution that shaped higher education by helping implement academic freedom and tenure principles at American universities. He also has been elected to the Executive Council of New Mexico’s American Federation of Teachers (AFT) labor organization.

Within UNM, Professor Fontenla has been elected by the general faculty to chair the Committee on Governance, one of the shared governance bodies at the university. He also is the Treasurer of UNM’s faculty union, United Academics of UNM.

A lifelong champion for public education in New Mexico, Betty Patterson brings decades of classroom experience and leadership to the Educational Retirement Board of Trustees.

Betty earned both a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master of Special Education from New Mexico State University, establishing a deep foundation for a distinguished 36-year teaching career. Dedicated to supporting students with diverse learning needs, Betty served communities across the state, teaching in Lordsburg, Deming, and Las Cruces.

Beyond the classroom, Betty has been an advocate for educators and public school employees at the state level. A long-standing leader within the National Education Association of New Mexico (NEA-NM), Betty served the organization in multiple executive capacities, including roles as President, Vice President, and Retired Secretary for NEA-NM.

Today, Betty continues to guide the organization’s mission as an active member of the NEA-NM Board, ensuring that the voices of both active and retired education professionals are always represented.

Renee Ward is the Deputy Cabinet Secretary for the Department of Finance and Administration, having been appointed to the position in April 2019. She comes to the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board with leadership experience spanning state and local governments, higher education and healthcare systems in the private sector.

In her current role as Deputy Cabinet Secretary, she oversees agency divisions, ensuring alignment with the agency’s mission, strategic goals, and operational excellence.

Prior to DFA, Ms. Ward served in roles with prominent healthcare systems. At Presbyterian Healthcare Services in Albuquerque, she managed strategic planning efforts at the enterprise level and directed division operations to implement innovative and efficient healthcare solutions. At Sharp Healthcare, a non-profit healthcare system in San Diego, she advanced future planning initiatives and worked to enhance strategic organizational alignment.

Dr. White is the Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning and a tenured Associate Professor of Finance at the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management. Dr. White is also Director for the $5.2 Million student-run UNM Regent’s Portfolio, and leads a series of financial literacy projects in the community. Prior to his career in academia, Dr. White worked as an analyst for a large Boston-based bank, where he learned a great deal about company analysis, funding, and maintaining ethical corporate leadership. He has consulted with investment managers and municipalities on maintaining optimal portfolio strategies, particularly in response to economic challenges. Dr. White was also awarded the 2022 Paul Bartlett Ré Emerging Promotor of Peace Award and is a recipient of the 2022-2023 New Mexico Changemakers Educational Fellowship. In addition to on the Board of Trustees of ERB, Dr. White serves on the of boards of the Cancer Support Community Los Angeles, Voz Collegiate Preparatory School, Voz Collegiate Foundation and the Investment Board of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation.

Cathy Fernandez is a former Deputy Director of Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) in New Mexico. She was with Legislative Finance Committee for 16 years – first as a principal analyst for Public Schools then Post Secondary Education. Cathy was responsible for leading and supervising 15 budget analysts at LFC that develop budget recommendations and perform complex public policy analysis for state agencies, testified before legislative committees on the state budget, advised legislative leadership and developed professional training for staff. Cathy also worked in various executive branch agencies for a total of over 26 years’ experience in government finance and budgeting.

While at the LFC, Cathy was a member of the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures, serving as Chair of various committee’s and President of National Association of Legislative Fiscal Officers.