Liz Stefanics, Ph.D.

Liz’s career covers higher education, public administration, risk management, and health and human services. She currently serves as a Santa Fe County Commissioner from 2009 until December 2016.

Liz is a Senior Fellow with the UNM RWJF Center for Health Policy, and serves as a health care consultant.

She served in the New Mexico State Legislature as a State Senator from 1993-96 sponsoring a wide variety of bills on health and human services, the environment, public finance, human rights, and a wide variety of other issues to improve the status of New Mexicans.

Under Governor Richardson’s administration, she was appointed to agencies related to her expertise in health and public administration:

  • Director of the New Mexico Health Policy Commission – responsible for independent research, guidance, and recommendations on health policy issues;

  • Director of the State Risk Management Division – covering Workers Compensation, Public Liability, Surety Bonds, Public Property, Unemployment Compensation, as well as State Employee Benefits;

  • Deputy Secretary of the New Mexico Health and Human Services Department (HSD) - responsible for programs including Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Food Stamps, Child Support, as well as a multitude of other programs.

As a Regional Advocacy Manager at the National Government Relations Office, American Cancer Society in Washington, D.C., she consulted with a variety of states on health care and cancer legislation. She also served as a registered Federal lobbyist for an education nonprofit.

Education includes: BS from Eastern Kentucky University; MS from the University of Wisconsin, a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, post-doctoral work at the Ohio State University and the University of New Mexico in Law, and a Certified Risk Manager for Public Entities from the Insurance Institute of America.

Liz continues to contribute to the state by being active in a wide variety of organizations on the national, regional, state, and local level.