Our Leadership

Renee was appointed as Deputy Cabinet Secretary in April 2019.  She joined DFA leadership experience spanning state and local governments, higher education, and healthcare systems in the private sector.  In her current role as Deputy Cabinet Secretary, she oversees agency divisions, ensuring alignment with the agency’s mission, strategic goals, and operational excellence.

Prior to DFA, Ms. Ward served in roles with prominent healthcare systems. At Presbyterian Healthcare Services in Albuquerque, she managed strategic planning efforts at the enterprise level and directed division operations to implement innovative and efficient healthcare solutions. At Sharp Healthcare, a non-profit healthcare system in San Diego, she advanced future planning initiatives and worked to enhance strategic organizational alignment.

Additionally, Ms. Ward has played pivotal roles in state and local government and higher education, in areas of budget and financial management, legal, compliance and human resources, demonstrating her ability to navigate complex administrative and policy challenges. Her work consistently reflects a commitment to fostering collaboration across sectors to address pressing administrative issues effectively.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from San Diego State University and a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of New Mexico’s School of Public Administration.

George’s practice has specialized in public infrastructure and public finance, with a particular focus on government-owned commercial enterprises throughout the country.

Prior to joining DFA, he served as City Attorney for the City of Pueblo, Colorado, the eighth-largest municipality in the state of Colorado. He has also served as an Assistant Attorney General in the State of Colorado Department of Law, representing the “TABOR” exempt enterprises housed within Colorado’s Department of Transportation and as an Assistant City Attorney representing the Denver International Airport.   Mr. Hypolite began his legal career in the General Counsel’s Office of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority in San Diego, CA.  He received his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Ashley is the Director of the New Mexico Board of Finance. She has been with DFA since January 2019 and was previously with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions for nine years as an economist. Ashley received her MA in Economics from The Ohio State University and BA in Economics from the University of New Mexico.

As Director of the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), Infrastructure Planning and Development Division (IPDD), Wesley brings over 20 years of accounting experience and expertise, with over 10 years in state government. He served as the DFA, Capital Outlay Bureau (COB) Chief since March 2019 and as an analyst with COB from September 2017 through March 2019.

Cecilia began her career with the DFA in January 2022. Prior to this, she worked for the Department of Defense serving America’s largest Global Combatant Command in the Indo-Pacific region, where leadership experience was defined by prioritizing and executing fiscal responsibilities to best serve critical stakeholders such as U.S. Forces Korea, U.S. Forces Japan, and 36 nations. All of which required and reported to the President of the United States, Congressional Committees, and the Secretary of Defense. She is also a decorated Marine Corps Veteran, serving both overseas and in the continental U.S. (CONUS) during her active-duty time in service.