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Fawnna Lee and Tatjana Mercado Recognized as New Mexico’s Civil Rights Employees of the Year for FY 2022

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Fawnna Lee and Tatjana Mercado

The New Mexico Civil Rights Employees of the year for fiscal year 2022 (FY22) are Fawnna Lee and Tatjana Mercado.

ALBUQUERQUE NM, February 2, 2021— The New Mexico Civil Rights Employees of the year for fiscal year 2022 (FY22) are Fawnna Lee and Tatjana Mercado. Fawnna Lee is the Soil Conservationist and Lead Planner for the Team 1 Gallup, NM field office, and the Asian American/Pacific Islander Special Emphasis Program Manager on the Civil Rights Advisory Committee (CRAC). Tatjana Mercado is the Range Management Specialist for the Team 1 Gallup, NM field office.

Many of the land units covered by the Team 1 Gallup field office are on the Navajo Nation or Zuni Pueblo lands. Most of the producers and contractors are historically underserved minorities. Fawnna and Tatjana are both from the surrounding areas of Gallup, NM, and their shared background and ties to the community have been invaluable to NRCS NM. Fawnna and Tatjana encourage indigenous cultural knowledge to help local producers tie their culture to NRCS practices. Fawnna and Tatjana have created a welcoming environment for their producers when they visit the field office, an environment for producers to feel at home when they come to conduct their government business.

Team 1 has demonstrated those very priorities Chief Cosby outlined for 2022, to “ensure equity in the delivery and implementation of all NRCS programs and services.” They have also exemplified the commitment “to a comprehensive delivery of technical service and clear, simple and effective communications to all customers to ensure we are reaching historically underserved producers.”

For these efforts and more, Fawnna Lee and Tatjana Mercado are New Mexico’s Civil Rights Employee of the Year for FY22.

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