Lynn Trujillo is leaving her job as the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department’s cabinet secretary at the end of this month.
“Lynn has been an essential part of our efforts to better support, partner with and invest in tribal communities across the state,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement Thursday announcing Trujillo’s upcoming departure.
According to KOB, Trujillo was appointed to the position by Lujan Grisham in January 2019. The governor’s office said it is conducting a search for Trujillo’s replacement.
Trujillo had a busy three years. She assisted tribal leadership, advocates and legislators on the passage and enactment of aid legislation that provided additional funding to school districts in Native American communities. She also led New Mexico’s first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Task Force, which led to the creation of a state response plan to address the issue.
Trujillo also encouraged the Lujan Grisham administration to provide life-saving resources to tribal communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.