Vacant secretary seat filled at New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department
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SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) has a new secretary. The position had been vacant since December of 2023.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Melanie A. Kenderdine to be the department’s new leader. Kenderdine brings experience from the non-profit and government sectors.
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“I am honored to join Governor Lujan Grisham’ s administration as Secretary of the Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources,” Kenderdine said in a press release. “The governor has committed New Mexico to be a national leader in the country’s journey to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions – I look forward to joining her outstanding team.”
After spending her school years in Albuquerque, Kenderdine eventually made a career in Washington, D.C. with the U.S. Department of Energy. She worked with the Clinton administration helping with large-scale oil and gas deals and a large land transfer back to the Ute tribe in Utah, the governor’s office says. Kenderdine also worked for the Obama administration, during which she helped push clean energy research.
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“Melanie has proven herself to be a strategic thinker in the realm of energy policy, and her expertise is this area is recognized both nationally and internationally,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said in a press release. “I look forward to the positive impact she will have in helping New Mexico shape our clean-energy future.”
The Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department focuses on developing energy resources for the state, protecting the environment after mineral extraction, and sustaining forestry and state parks.
