Christy Comer Tafoya ’91 is director of New Mexico State Parks, the first woman to hold that position since the state park system was founded in 1933. After graduating from Mary Washington with degrees in history and historic preservation, Tafoya headed to her first job at New Mexico’s Lincoln National Forest. While pursuing a master’s degree in anthropology at New Mexico State University, the Maryland native did a project at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. In 1998, she was named the first archaeologist for the park system. Tafoya, who lives in Santa Fe, was appointed to the top leadership role of the 34-park state system in 2015 and was reappointed this spring.
