Our Team

Dawn Z. Hommer, MBA, is the Chief Executive Officer at the Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico since 2011. Dawn is a Certified Community Action Professional and a graduate of the Paso Del Norte REALIZE leadership program. She serves on several Community Action Boards including as Chair of the New Mexico Association of Community Partners, Secretary for the Region VI Community Action Partnership, and CAPLAW. She holds a Master of Business Administration from NMSU where she also received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, with Distinction in University Honors. She is devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan and loves to hike.

Marcus Crawford is the Operations Manager at CAASNM. His responsibilities include providing logistical support to both the CEO and the agency’s program directors, as well as marketing and organizing events. Marcus is also responsible for managing the agency’s Board of Directors and is a Nationally Certified ROMA Trainer (NCRT). In his free time, Marcus enjoys working out and playing videogames.

Kim Daisley is Finance Director of CAASNM and has been with the agency for 28 years. She is responsible for fiscal oversight of the organization as well as managerial control of all its funding sources. She holds an associate degree in Business Administration. She has enjoyed working for CAASNM for her many years and has a lot of good memories of everyone she has had the pleasure of working with.

Mark Hohnstreiter is Development Officer at CAASNM, where he is responsible for grant writing and grant management. In this role over the past three years, he has garnered several millions of dollars for agency support. He holds a certification as a fundraising executive (C.F.R.E.) and has over 35 years of experience in the non-profit field. He views philanthropy as a way of bringing new programs to life. While not at work, Mark enjoys horseback riding and landscape painting in oils.

Isabel Dominguez was hired as Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico’s (CAASNM) Family Empowerment Coordinator in July 2016. She helps manage five economic development programs that include Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), an evidence-based approach that has brought approximately $4 million into Doña Ana County’s economy while helping 171 low-income individuals purchase a home, education and/or business asset since 2007. She is doing what she loves by assisting low-to-modest income families achieve financial stability and working through barriers to obtain assets that they have dreamed of. While not at work she enjoys hiking, baking and country dancing.

Adela Trujillo is the Family Wellness Director at CAASNM, she is responsible for the oversight of the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Healthy Kids, Healthy PreK Program. She has been a member of the CAASNM family since 1996. She has training experience in Child and Infant Nutrition, First Aid, Child Safety, Child Development and had taught the First Teacher Curriculum. She is the recipient of the Lewis Hinds Award for her work with children. When not at work she enjoys sewing, crafting, drawing, painting, decorating and party planning.

Llajaira Jimenez is the Director for Total Benefits Services and assists with Coats for Kids at CAASNM, Llajaira has an associate in Public Health and a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She has been working with CAA for 11 years and enjoys helping the community. Llajaira enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Julie Ballard Soto is Program Director of Thriving Kids Home Visiting, which works with hundreds of families with children prenatal to 5. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Library Science and Individual Studies emphasizing literacy, and is nearly complete with her Master’s in Early Childhood Curriculum and Instruction at NMSU. She previously developed and implemented a Parents As Teachers (PAT) Home Visiting Program for the Gadsden Independent School District. She had a 15-year career at AT&T where she developed problem-solving skills and worked with diverse communities. She is a huge fan of Duran Duran for over 38 years, and it isn’t uncommon for her to travel to catch them perform live.

Melissa Toledo-Ontiveros MA, MCJ, MPA

Melissa developed the Thriving Families program and serves as its Program Director.

Melissa’s leadership and experience comes from various direct service roles: case manager, school counselor, and mental and behavioral therapist. After receiving a dual master’s degree in public administration and criminal justice from NMSU, she worked as a Health Promotion Program Manager for NM’s Department of Health in the SW Region. Recently, Melissa ran for State Senator in District 31 in the 2020 Primary Election. Although, she didn’t take that race she continues to lead through her service to New Mexico.

April Christensen is the founder and director of the Kids Can Youth Entrepreneur Program at CAASNM, which has been in existence now for four years. This program for young children educates, mentors and inspires the next generation of business owners and leaders. She grew up in a family-owned business where she honed her entrepreneurial skills. April holds dual degrees in business and finance and accounting. “We are looking to inspire the youth of today so they can lead our tomorrow,” Christensen says. “It’s really important to give kids the opportunity to experience the rewards and challenges of entrepreneurship.”

Alberto Zavala is the Program Coordinator of the Healthy Kids Healthy Preschool program at CAASNM. He has been working for over four years in the early childhood education field providing technical assistance, resources and training to child development centers, HeadStart and pre-schools in 16 counties in southern New Mexico to develop and implement policies where healthy eating/active living practices are part of the daily routine. Alberto has more than 14 years of experience working with rural communities and holds a law degree from Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juarez.

Daisy A. Maldonado, MA possesses 15 years of experience in working with educational, non-profit and community engagement initiatives. Maldonado joined the Empowerment Congress in 2018 as its Coordinator, where she develops its community leadership curriculum, community organizing campaigns, and the EC’s organizational design structure. Now, as the Director, Maldonado is further expanding the work of Empowerment Congress to reach more families and youth within Doña Ana County colonias with the goal to empower communities to exercise their agency, take ownership and transform their communities where every voice matters, and the needs of everyday residents are the priority.