About Us
For more than 25 years, New Mexico Angels has been investing in high-growth, early-stage companies across New Mexico. We are committed to building a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem through capital, mentorship, and community.
Our Purpose
Forge a vibrant business ecosystem that invests in and drives economic prosperity in New Mexico.
Our Mission
We catalyze entrepreneurs, investors, and community partners to thrive in New Mexico through access to capital, quality deal flow, mentorship, and advocacy.
Our Values
Team & Board
YASINE ARMSTRONG, PRESIDENT
Yasine Armstrong most recently served as the Director of Communications for Homewise, an organization that supports economic prosperity through homeownership. Yasine previously served as the Chief Development officer of Casakids, a non-profit based in Chaves County that ran 28 different programs serving abused and neglected children. Under her leadership, she tripled the agencies budget in two years. Prior to that, Yasine Co-founded BabyPage, a venture-backed start-up that is an online platform and app that helps busy parents track their children's milestones and create a modern baby book. Yasine led their marketing and fundraising efforts.
Prior to founding BabyPage, Yasine served as the Director of Entrepreneurial Programs for the Central New Mexico Community College STEMulus Center. At CNM she started their entrepreneurial accelerator and developed and implemented the curriculum. Prior to that, she ran her own consulting firm and focused on high tech marketing and launched the first entrepreneurial accelerator in the state of New Mexico for the City of Santa Fe. She began her career in venture as an Associate for Flywheel Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on software and clean tech companies and handled deal flow and fundraising for the firm.
Yasine was the co-founder and President of Sidney Gutierrez Elementary School, a charter school in Roswell, New Mexico. She serves on the Executive Committee of the International Women’s Forum and on the board of Southwest Creations Collaborative. She was recognized as the New Mexico Business First Woman of Influence and the New Mexico Technology Council Women in Technology. She has her master’s degree from the University of New Mexico and an undergraduate degree from Truman State University.
Tatianna Pavich, Chief Operating Officer
Tatianna is a seasoned operations specialist, project manager, experienced producer and strategic consultant specializing in human centered design. One of her most notable accomplishments in recent years was project managing over 130 unique immersive art projects for Meow Wolf's Omega Mart experience in Las Vegas. In addition to her role with NM Angels, she is a lead consultant, strategist and facilitator with Territory Global.
Tatianna has founded, built and run several businesses across a wide range of industries; tech, the built environment, music and art production, film, strategy and marketing and venture capital. Whatever the industry may be, her passion for people and creating environments that allow for collaboration, integrity, curiosity and innovation are at the heart of what motivates her success.
Tatianna graduated from Presidio Graduate School in 2015 with an MBA in sustainable systems and received her undergraduate degree at Lewis and Clark College. After project managing the building of two AI robots, she was inspired to get her certification as a Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM), certified from the Project Management Institute in 2020.
In her free time, Tatianna is a master gardener and amateur apiarist. She has a passion for the environment and volunteers with the Santa Fe Watershed Association and contributes to Environment New Mexico. She is also active in the creative arts community and continues to fight for everyone's right to be who they are through activism in the Drag Defense Fund and TGRC NM.
KATRINA DUTT, Marketing & Membership Manager
Originally from Reno, Nevada, Katrina found a deep connection to New Mexico while earning her undergraduate degree in economics and international studies at the University of New Mexico. During her studies, she interned with NM Angels, gaining her first exposure to the state's dynamic startup and innovation ecosystem.
After living and working in Spain for two years, Katrina returned to Taos, New Mexico with a mission to give back to the state that shaped her. As NM Angels' Membership and Marketing Manager, she leads membership communications, designs and executes event programming, and drives community outreach that strengthens connections between investors, founders, and the broader innovation community. She especially enjoys partnering with organizations across the state to deliver programming and events that support entrepreneurs at every stage.
Outside the office, Katrina enjoys backpacking, traveling, and making art.
THE BOARD
David J. Perez, Chairman
David Perez is an accomplished entrepreneur with a successful track record of starting and building B2C and B2B technology companies in the fields of healthcare technology, data analytics, and digital marketing. He is a passionate innovator adept at identifying and capitalizing on business opportunities.
With a strong background in sales, marketing, and branding, David also has experience in raising capital, mergers and acquisitions, SaaS platforms, software development, market research and education. As the CEO of The Santa Fe Group, David led the sale of the Shared Assessments program to One Trust in May 2021.
In 2011, David started Seamless Medical Systems, and created the leading platform for patient check in and
medical practice efficiency. Seamless was sold to a strategic buyer in early 2017.
David founded Latin Force, the first Hispanic consumer digital marketing agency, which he sold in 2009. There
he advised iconic brands seeking to engage Latino consumers, including: Nike, WellsFargo, Pepsi, Nestle and
Nickelodeon.
David won the 2014 Red Herring 100 North America Award for innovation at Seamless Medical and received
the 2005 Hispanic Entrepreneur of the Year award from Hispanic Magazine. He has given a TED Talk and
delivered the commencement address to the University of Vermont School of Business Class of 2007.
A graduate of the University of Vermont and the father of two teenagers, David is a musician and enjoys fly-
fishing and skiing.
Dr. LIQUE COOLEN
Dr. Coolen serves as Vice President for Research at New Mexico Tech since January 2025, overseeing all research activities and funding across the university, including ten Research Centers, sponsored projects, research safety and compliance, and tech transfer and commercialization. Since August 2025 she also serves as Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic affairs at New Mexico, overseeing all academic programs and faculty affairs.
Dr. Coolen is a biomedical scientist with research focus in reproductive neuroendocrinology and spinal cord injury and holds faculty positions in the Biology and Class departments at New Mexico Tech. She has received numerous awards for her research, teaching, and mentoring, federal funding for her research for over 25 years, and has published over 140 original peer-reviewed publications and book chapters describing her neuroscience research. Dr. Coolen’s research has been widely cited and she is recognized as one of the world’s top 2% scientists in her field by Elsevier and Stanford University.
Dr. Coolen received Bachelor of Science and Masters degrees in Psychology from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, a PhD in Medical Biology/Neuroscience from the Radboud University in Nijmegen in the Netherlands, completed postdoctoral training at Yale University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and an Executive Master of Business Administration degree at Kent State University.
David Cremer
David Cremer is a lifelong resident of New Mexico. After graduating from the University of New Mexico, David joined the Albuquerque based startup company, Science and Engineering Associates, Inc. (SEA). At SEA David served as Vice President of the Directed Energy Division. His technology development efforts helped to grow the company to greater than 500 employees. In parallel, David became President of SEA Technology, Inc., a subsidiary corporation of SEA that was responsible for commercializing technologies emerging from R&D programs of the parent corporation. SEA Technology successfully commercialized environmental technologies, laser systems, and countersurveillance products. SEA was an employee-owned company and David participated in the eventual sale of the corporation to a large defense contractor.
David also co-founded C&C Technology LLC, which produced, marketed and sold the SpyFinder hidden video camera detector. This technology was used by various government agencies and private citizens to protect their privacy.
After the sale of SEA, David returned to his hometown of Los Alamos and joined Los Alamos National Laboratory. Over the course of his tenure at LANL David served as Group Leader, Program Manager, and ultimately as the Deputy Director for National Security and Defense. In these roles he shepherded programs ranging from advanced data analytics for disease forecasting to advanced systems for the DoD and the intelligence community. In particular, David led LANL’s AngelFire program which developed a groundbreaking wide-area surveillance system that saved Marine lives, and was highly successful in counter insurgency operations.
Since retiring from LANL David has been helping to invest in, and provide guidance to, technology startup companies in New Mexico. David sits on the Science Advisory Board of BioFlyte, Inc., and he has been active in the New Mexico Angels community since 2022.
Priscilla Dakin
Priscilla Dakin is the principal of Dakin Business Group, which guides business owners and entrepreneurs through the journey of buying or selling a business, always with a careful eye to planning and execution. Her personal commitment to help make it happen, lending caution when appropriate, and being fair and honest with all, results in an average sales per listing rate 2.5 times higher than the average broker. Priscilla applies her valuation knowledge so that business sellers and buyers have the tools they need to make confident decisions.
STEVEN Dichter
Steve Dichter brings over 40 years of experience in improving the performance of large, complex institutions. His career has spanned working as a senior executive, entrepreneur, consultant and author/speaker in both the private and public sectors.
The first half of Steve’s career (1979-1999) was with McKinsey & Company where he was a senior partner and a leader of their worldwide organization performance practice. Post McKinsey, Steve’s work has included 10 years as COO Agility Logistics, a global company based in Switzerland, and Chief Strategy Officer for Volta Trucks, an electrical vehicle start-up based in the UK and France.
In the public sector, Steve served as New Mexico Deputy Secretary of Taxation and Revenue, under Gov. Bill Richardson, and worked pro bono with the NYPD on implementing community policing and with the NYC Board of Education on school performance
Steve is a co-author of Real Change Leaders (Random House, 1996; Business Week Best Seller) and speaks frequently on issues of organization performance and leading change.
Steve is former Chair and a trustee of United World College-USA. He received his MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration (1979) and his BA in history from Swarthmore College (1975). He currently splits his time between his home in Santa Fe, NM and Marblehead, MA.
John Elling
John Elling has founded and led a series of technology-based start-ups, consistently building and exiting at a profit. He is a seasoned biotech entrepreneur with a proven ability to identify and develop technology and business opportunities. Dr. Elling was founder, CEO and President of Acoustic Cytometry Systems. Acoustic Cytometry Systems licensed technology from Los Alamos National Laboratory, developed it to a commercial proof of principle, and then was profitably acquired by one of the largest companies in the sector. Dr. Elling was founder and CEO of Mesa Biotech. Mesa Biotech also licensed technology from Los Alamos and developed it into a handheld DNA detector before being acquired by Thermo Fisher. He has also served in a Founder/CEO/President role with a number of prior companies including Greffen Systems, MitoTech, Integrated Genomics, Cytoprint and Bioreason. He has experience at Los Alamos National as both a Technical Staff Member and as a Visiting Entrepreneur, and as such is well versed in the licensing process at the national labs. John is an active member of the New Mexico Angels and a general partner at Phase One Ventures with investments in several of their portfolio companies. Dr. Elling received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and received his MBA from the Anderson School of Business at the University of New Mexico.
DR. COREY FORD
Corey Ford, MD, PhD is Professor of Neurology at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque. He has a PhD degree in Biophysics from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Dallas and attended medical school at the University of Virginia. He is the Sr. Associate Dean for Research at the UNM School of Medicine and established the MS Specialty Clinic in 1988 to focus on providing neurological evaluations and treatment for people with MS. His major academic focus is phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials for development of new treatments for multiple sclerosis. He has been an active member of the New Mexico Angels since 2014 and was appointed to the Board of Directors in July 2020.
Martha Hargrove Leeder
Martha Hargrove Leeder is Director of Capital Formation at Springdale Ventures, an operator-led early-stage venture firm investing in Better Living consumer brands across food, beverage, alcohol, supplements, and personal care. She leads Fund III fundraising strategy and LP relations for the Santa Fe-based firm.
Martha brings over a decade of capital formation experience, having raised more than $475M across institutional funds, individual transactions, and joint ventures. Prior to Springdale, she spent five years as Managing Director of Investor Relations at DXD Capital, where she raised over $250M and managed strategic communications with placements in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and NPR. Before that, she served as Vice President of Investor Relations at Titan Fund Management, where she helped raise two fully discretionary real estate funds totaling $210M and managed relationships with over 200 investors across a $700M AUM portfolio.
Martha is also the founder of Ladybird, a Santa Fe-based boutique capital advisory and real estate investment firm focused on the adaptive reuse of historic New Mexico properties. She holds degrees from New York University and the University of Texas at Austin and is deeply committed to building a stronger investment ecosystem in New Mexico.
David King, Treasurer
David King is a finance and accounting executive with over 20 years of experience in the vibrant start-up ecosystem of Austin, Texas, and 7 years in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As an entrepreneur and co-founder of multiple angel and venture-backed tech start-ups, David has developed strategic insights and comprehensive financial/operational plans that have led to funding and successful exits to public companies, including CMGI, Digital Impact, and Sony. With an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and professional designations as a CMA and CPA, David has actively engaged with the Albuquerque start-up community since relocating, volunteering and consulting with emerging tech companies to guide them through the stages of seed funding and optimize their financial strategies and operations for sustainable growth. Currently, as the head of finance for a software company in Albuquerque, David leverages his expertise to drive financial success and growth, implementing systems and processes that position the company for long-term profitability, while his passion for nurturing young businesses and mentoring entrepreneurs continues to make an impact on the business landscape.
Alan Kirk
Alan Kirk graduated from Eastern New Mexico University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Upon returning to his hometown of Los Alamos, he was employed by the Los Alamos Police Department. Mr. Kirk was promoted to Police Chief in 1988 and retired in 1998. He then became a Municipal Judge and served 5 terms (20 years).
Mr. Kirk graduated from Leadership New Mexico in 2002 and has served as chair for several organizations over the years, including New Mexico Police Chief’s Association, New Mexico Municipal Judges Association, White Rock Little League, Leadership Los Alamos, Los Alamos Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, Hilltopper Basketball Academy, and the Alex Kirk Foundation. He currently serves on the New Mexico Juvenile Justice Advisory Council.
Brandi Mummert
Brandi is a dedicated freelance proofreader and owner of Pristine Proofreading, where she specializes in reviewing a diverse array of content, including media, legal transcripts, pitch decks, and business documents. With over twenty years of business experience, Brandi has a proven track record in team management, business and financial analysis, and collaboration to meet the needs of her company and clients.
She worked for over a decade for various financial companies, such as Beekman Capital, and successfully helped build wealth for individuals and the State of New Mexico throughout her career.
Brandi obtained her Business Administration degree through the University of Phoenix. She earned her proofreading certification to start her own freelance business almost a year ago.
Brandi has an unwavering commitment to philanthropic endeavors and has been a part of the Tocqueville Society since 2009. She has served on many fundraising committees and on the Board of Popejoy Hall at the University of New Mexico from 2017-2021.
Outside work, Brandi enjoys playing tennis, traveling with her husband, and managing their family, including raising her two sons. She is committed to quality in all aspects of her life, including faith, community service, and her clients and business.
Carlos Murguia
Carlos Murguia has enjoyed a career covering industrial engineering, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. After receiving an M.S. in Industrial Engineering from New Mexico State University, Murguia started as an Economic Development Officer at NMSU’s Arrowhead Center. In 2020, Murguia became Director of the Foster Innovation Exchange of NMSU’s Arrowhead Center. Leading FIX, Murguia has established partnerships with different organizations to support entrepreneurship and provide prototyping services to entrepreneurs in the Paso del Norte Region. Murguia was recognized by HBCUvc as one of the “31 Under 31” to watch in the world of venture capitalists. Murguia received the New Mexico State University Alumni Association Fall 2017 Outstanding Graduate Award for the Graduate School - Master's degree, the highest award the NMSU Alumni Association bestows upon a graduating student. Carlos is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, a Certified SCRUM Master by the Lean Six Sigma Institute, and was recently selected as a Hunt Aspen Fellowship awardee. In his free time, Carlos likes to run, watch and play soccer, and enjoy time with his nieces.
John Rice
John Rice is President of ASiQ, a firm specializing in executing business turnarounds, launching successful startups, and positioning firms for exit through sale to strategic merger or acquisition.
He is an experienced serial entrepreneur, executive, and venture capital investor. He frequently serves as CEO of start-up or turnaround ventures. His companies have provided capital and management assistance to start-up and/or under-performing companies and have negotiated spin-offs and sales for investor exit.
Successful companies have included enterprises in manufacturing of electronics, jet engine test equipment, black boxes, and industrial overhead cranes, as well as in radio, television, cable television, print media, home health care, electronic medical claims filing, Internet accessible medical information and services, distribution of foods, home improvement products, industrial security, and regional satellite communications. He received his BA with honors from Harvard University.
ANDREW SCHULZ
Andrew Schulz is a 4x founder and investor based in New Mexico, with a track record of building hardware and software startups from founding to scale. In his current role as Co-Founder of NoiseAware (Rest), he grew the company to over $7M ARR across 11 countries, raised over $40M in equity and debt, and holds 6 patents. He earned a BS in Electrical Engineering with honors from Georgia Tech and actively advises founders on fundraising, product development, and early customer discovery.
TRAVIS STEELE
Mr. Steele serves as VP of Business Development and General Counsel for Abo Empire, LLC, as well as several of Abo Empire’s portfolio companies. Travis is actively involved in the legal and business development activities for Eden Radioisotopes, LLC, Helios Water Technologies, LLC, Vara Assets, LLC, Abo Petroleum, and JAY Land, among others.
He maintains primary responsibility for sourcing, analyzing, and negotiating all Abo Empire investment activities. He has extensive experience in corporate governance, acquisition and combination transactions, and private business strategy and planning, including corporate formation, structuring, and organization. He also is well-versed in the representation of investment groups in property acquisition and disposition transactions and related financing matters. Prior to going in-house, Travis was a partner at Butler Snow, LLP, where he served as outside general counsel to a number of New Mexico and regional businesses in the energy, government contracting, healthcare, construction, and manufacturing industries. Additionally, he advised clients on licensure, regulatory and litigation matters, including False Claims Act investigations.
Travis has been recognized as a Southwest Super Lawyers® Rising Star, and he is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He obtained his J.D. from Pepperdine University and is admitted to the State Bars of New Mexico, California and the Navajo Nation (inactive).
Arlene Young
Arlene Young is currently the Director of Commercialization for UNM Rainforest Innovations, the technology-transfer and economic development organization for the University of New Mexico (UNM). She joined UNM Rainforest Innovations in 2013 and formerly held positions as Marketing Operations Coordinator and Marketing Manager.
She leads a team of invention portfolio managers and support staff, overseeing activities in intellectual property management and protection, agreements, along with marketing and outreach that are directly related to UNMRI’s patent, trademark, and copyright portfolios. She enjoys working with her dedicated team, learning about new technologies, and supporting licensing efforts that encourage commercialization of technologies that have the potential to provide public benefit and economic growth.
Previously in her career, she worked in the printing, marketing and sales industry with Xerox
Corporation and a local marketing firm. Arlene has a B.A. in Marketing and an M.B.A. in Information
Assurance from the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management.
Emeritus Board
DREW TULCHIN, PRESIDENT EMERITUS
Drew has contributed immensely to startups in New Mexico. Most notably, Drew served as the first CFO of Meow Wolf, a New Mexico B Corp that creates immersive arts experiences to wow. His efforts at Meow Wolf led to raising more than $125 million in investment, the purchase of a new headquarters, and tremendous growth from 50 people to more than 400. Drew has also worked with Build with Robots, Electric Playhouse, and Parting Stone.
Drew led NM Angels from October 2020 to June 2026, growing the entity fourfold. The organization and its members have invested and catalyzed an average of $5 million a year into local start up and high growth companies. He is one of four General Partners in the NM Vintage Fund, now the most active venture fund in the state.
Consulting has taken Drew across New Mexico and the U.S., to Native American nations, and to more than 40 countries. He has contributed to 100+ business plans and dozens of start-ups. Drew's work has generated over $400 million in investments and has created thousands of jobs.
Drew's previous experience includes serving as an Analyst for a Bluetooth wireless firm, and Program Officer for Grameen Foundation. Drew began his career as a VISTA and AmeriCorps Team Leader in Oakland, California.
Drew values community engagement. He served on Pueblo of Acoma’s Business Advisory Board and the Serve New Mexico Commission. He is currently on the board of Investors Circle, Lifetime Member of Net Impact, and Advisor to CDVCA - their Unlock Capital Program. He is a Member in Toniic and also the Social Venture Network.
Drew completed his MBA from the University of Washington in Seattle. He finished his BA, Cum Laude, in History and International Relations from Washington University in St. Louis.
In his free time, Drew plays ultimate Frisbee anywhere he can, is learning tennis, hikes to get lost, eats food he doesn’t recognize, and enjoys bad puns more than he should.
SUE EVATT
Since “retiring” to Corrales from Philadelphia in 2011, Sue has become an angel investor, entrepreneur, mentor and advisor to early stage businesses and organizations in this community. She has a broad technical and management background in nuclear power, aerospace and technology based economic development.
Sue’s entire career has revolved around entrepreneurship. She joined a group of engineers and scientists at the Franklin Research Center after graduating from the University of Delaware in 1980, developing digital signal processing applications for rotating machinery vibration analysis. This work was foundational to the startup of Liberty Technologies, where she served in various management roles until the company ultimately went public and was acquired.
Sue then moved on to Smiths Industries Aerospace, where she served as Primary interface for the US Army, Italian Army, Augusta Helicopters, and Raytheon Missile Systems in the development of integrated helicopter systems. When her division was moved to Grand Rapids, she decided to make a career change and became VP Technology Commercialization for the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Her team secured federal and state funding to foster emerging technology initiatives among universities, public and private research institutions, federal, state and local agencies, large and small companies.
Sue currently serves as a Director and Managing Member of Vara Wines in Albuquerque, and she joined the New Mexico Angels board in June, 2020. She is past President of the Corrales Cultural Arts Council, incoming President of Corrales Main Street, and has served on the boards of the UNM Anderson Foundation, NAWBO Northern New Mexico, and the UNM Anderson Parker Center for Family Business.
Sherman McCorkle
Sherman McCorkle is the Chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Sandia Science & Technology Park Development Corporation (1999 to present) and has served as Lead Independent Director of EMCORE Corporation. From 1993 – 2011 he was President and CEO of Technology Ventures Corporation (TVC). He served from 1988 – 1992 as the President and CEO of Sunwest Credit Services Corporation and from 1976 – 1988 as Senior Vice-President of Albuquerque National Bank.
A leader in the financial services industry, he was appointed by the American Bankers Association to the American Law Institute’s Select Committee on the Uniform Commercial Code of the United States. He is a co-founder and Charter Director of New Mexico Bank and Trust and of Plus System Incorporated. While at TVC he facilitated private equity and venture funding in excess of $1.2 Billion. Active in start-up business ventures he has advised over 125 start-up businesses and is a co-founder of New Mexico Angels.
Mr. McCorkle was voted by the New Mexico business community as the Most Influential Individual in the state. He has received the Albuquerque People’s Favorite Community Leader award multiple times. Mr. McCorkle is an active emeritus member in the USAF Chief of Staff Civic Leader Program, the Air Force Material Command Civic Leader Program. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Strategic Deterrent Coalition. He also serves on the Board of the New Mexico Angels. Mr. McCorkle is a 1984 Graduate of the Colorado Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado. Mr. McCorkle is married to the former Cathy Weaver. They have two adult daughters, Ashley and Shelby.
DEBORAH PEACOCK
Deborah Peacock is a Registered Patent Attorney at Peacock Law P.C., Registered Professional Engineer (U.S.), an entrepreneur, an angel investor, and sits on several corporate boards. Her law practice and boards involve natural resources, battery materials, energy, microgrids, oil & gas, mining/metallurgy, aerospace, and outer space. She represents start-up companies, and angel and venture capital groups, regarding intellectual property, licensing, acquisitions, and agreements. She also serves on the Earth Resources Committee of the National Academies of Sciences, and is a national speaker and published author on “mining on the moon and asteroids”. Deborah has been a member of New Mexico Angels for decades and has invested in dozens of start-up companies (worldwide).
Dorian Rader
Dorian may be the youngest fund manager in State history, but her experience speaks beyond her years. She is Managing Partner of OneTen Capital, an early stage venture capital firm serving New Mexico technology companies. She also serves as an Honorary Commander for the US Air Force at Kirtland Air Force Base. Previously, Rader served as a Senior Associate for the international VC firm, Village Capital; was a General Partner with mezzanine fund, Rio Vista Growth Capital, and Angel-in-Residence at Sandia National Laboratories.
APPLY TO JOIN THE NEW MEXICO ANGELS
Members of the New Mexico Angels are investors who are looking to move companies forward through funding and coaching by experience.
