Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission
RETREAT & SPECIAL MEETING
Friday, May 30, 2025
10:00 a.m.

IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL

La Fonda on the Plaza
100 E. San Francisco St.
Exchange Room
Santa Fe, NM

Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 225 394 088 405 0
Passcode: 8ns64SU2

(1) Call to Order – Convene for Morning Session

(2) Roll Call and Introductions

(3) Establishment of Quorum

(4) Approval of Agenda

(5) Approval of Minutes
• March 14, 2025 (possible action)

(6) Public Comment

(7) Informational-only Items
• Matters from the Chair
• Matters from the Commissioners

(8) Executive Director Report & Presentation
Dannelle M. Kirven, M.B.A., Executive Director

 Orientation & Onboarding Status
 Financial Update
 Auditor Selection Status
 Youth Leadership Conference Updates
 Vision for the Commission

Questions, Answers, and Discussion

(9) 2025-2026 Operating Budget Review and Approval (possible action)

(10) Approval of Auditor (possible action)

(11) Lunch Recess

(12) Call to Order – Reconvene for Afternoon Session

(13) Civil Rights in 2025

(a) Civil Rights Status Update
Leon Howard, Esq., Interim Executive Director
American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico

(b) Safeguarding Civil Rights in NM
Anjana Samant, Esq., Deputy Counsel
NM Dept. of Justice, Impact Litigation Division

(c) Open Discussion, Questions & Answers

(14) Part I of II: Annual Training on Governmental Conduct Act, Inspection of Public Records Act, and/or Open Meetings Act
Billy Jimenez, Esq., Deputy Attorney General
Blaine Moffat, Esq., Director of Government Counsel & Accountability

(15) Next Meeting
• Annual Meeting on June 25, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.

(16) Adjournment

See next page for bio of Leon Howard

See next page for bio of Anjana Samant

Bio of Leon Howard, Esq.
Interim Executive Director
American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico

Leon, a proud graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law, was raised in Albuquerque’s International District and has spent over fifteen years defending civil rights and liberties across New Mexico. He currently serves as the Interim Executive Director at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico.
Leon is a dedicated advocate for racial equality and justice, driven by firsthand experience with the harmful impacts of racial injustice. His deep connections have established him as a trusted legal resource for addressing civil rights violations and systemic inequities. Beyond this, Leon is equally committed to protecting the rights of all underrepresented populations and standing up for those harmed by governmental or institutional abuses of power.
Leon has served as a board member of the New Mexico Innocence & Justice Project, Co-Chair of the New Mexico State Bar Committee on Diversity, Advisory Panel for the University of New Mexico Master of Public Policy Program, Part Time Faculty at the University of New Mexico, and Vice President of the New Mexico Black Lawyers Association. The New Mexico State Bar awarded Leon with the “President’s Award” in 2020 for his contributions to the legal community, Super Lawyers Magazine named Leon a “Rising Star” in the area of civil rights from 2014 through 2017, and in 2015 he was recognized by Albuquerque Business First Magazine as one New Mexico’s “40 Under 40”.

Bio of Anjana Samant, Esq.
Deputy Counsel
NM Dept. of Justice, Impact Litigation Division

Anjana Samant is the Deputy Counsel for Impact Litigation at the New Mexico Department of Justice. With over 15 years of experience in civil rights litigation, movement lawyering, and intersectional justice work, Anjana is dedicated to advancing justice for all New Mexicans. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University and her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law. Anjana has previously served as a Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and a Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School and began her legal career as a federal judicial clerk in New Mexico.