grant county prospectors new officers 2024 25Grant County Prospectors new officers 2024 25are from left – Treasurer Vladimir Gnilozubov; 2nd Vice President Bart Roselli; 1st Vice President Romeo Cruz; President Carlos Lucero; and Secretary Misty Pugmire

[Editor's Note: More photos below.]

Founded in 1973, the Grant County Prospectors is considered by many to be the very first regional advocacy group in the State of New Mexico. Prospectors is a nonpartisan and nonpolitical entity. The group advocates for the local community by educating and creating awareness among legislators and the general public of issues facing the communities of Grant County and the importance of aligning public policy to address the need.

Prospectors hold several events each year, with two of these being the most significant contributions of their work. One event is the hosting of "Grant County Day" at the New Mexico State Legislature in Santa Fe, which is a one-day event where the needs of Grant County are showcased to the Governor, legislators and cabinet members. The second significant event is that of the "Grant County Forum" event. The Forum was formed at the request of local Legislators for the purpose of creating an opportunity for county entities to have an open dialogue with them about community needs and projects. The Forum results in summary notebooks compiled by the Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments for each of the area legislators and sets the agenda for Grant County Day.

The Grant County Prospectors recently elected new officers for the 2024-2025 year. The new officers include:
President Carlos Lucero, Vice-President/Branch Manager; 1st Vice President Romeo Cruz, Director of the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce; 2nd Vice President ?Bart Roselli, Director of the Silver City Museum; Secretary Misty Pugmire, Retired and Co-President of Community Partnership for Children; and Treasurer Vladimir Gnilozubov, Edward Jones Investments Financial Advisor.

Appointed Committee Leadership includes: By-laws Committee: Mike McMillian, Southwest Bone and Joint Operations Officer; Membership Committee: Misty Pugmire (Chr) and Dr. Sabrina Pack, COO SkyWest Media (Vice Chr); ?and Advocacy Committee: Kim Clark, Silver City Association of Realtors, Executive and Governmental Affairs Director, (Chr) and Priscilla Lucero, Executive Director Southwest Council of Governments (Vice Chr).

The Board of Directors includes: Chairman (President) ?Carlos Lucero; 1st Vice President Romeo Cruz; 2nd Vice President ?Bart Roselli; Secretary Misty Pugmire; Treasurer ?Vladimir Gnilozubov; Past President - Wayne Sherwood; and Advocacy Chair - Kim Clark.

At the Grant County Prospector's regular July meeting a special ceremony was held to recognize members for their service and to officially pass the gavel. Ceremony was led by Dr. Sabrina Pack and assisted by Laura Phelps. Julie Morales was recognized with the "Distinguished Past President's Award" with over 25 years of service and five times serving as President. Priscilla Lucero was recognized for countless hours of dedicated service to improving the lives of so many in Grant County. She was presented a special crystal trophy by her son, Carlos Lucero, which made the occasion even more special. Wayne Sherwood was recognized for his outstanding leadership this past year as President 2023-2024.

The objective of the Prospectors is to contribute to the long-range improvements of the economic conditions in the Grant County area. To accomplish this objective, the Prospectors develop goals to best utilize county and community natural and human resources and strive to serve as a catalyst to activate service clubs, units of government, and appropriate groups or organizations in overall economic development activities. To learn more, go to GrantCountyProspectors.org.

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