Our Staff

Meet the caring team of NMCC

Adrienne R. Smith is the Founder, President & CEO of the New Mexico Caregivers Coalition. This statewide organization advocates for and advances the professional development and workforce issues of New Mexico’s direct caregivers.
Ms. Smith has owned and operated a consulting firm since 2001, Education and Workforce Consultants, LLC, for which she worked for international, national, and state clients in the areas of youth development, youth employment, workforce development, resource development, and advocacy. Her work includes the development of national strategies to serve in-school and out-of-school youth in Honduras, Brazil, and Indonesia through U.S. Agency for International Development.
Prior to 2001, Ms. Smith served as founding director of a national academy for training youth workers for executive positions, assisting a Board and the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) in the development, recruitment, selection, and curriculum design of that academy. She developed the first academy for training Youth Opportunity (YO!) directors and grantees of $4-$12 million community-wide programs funded by the US Department of Labor. Adrienne’s work also includes four years as Vice President of the national Jobs for America’s Graduates, building program capacity within affiliated states and initiating programs in eight new states over four years.
Adrienne served as a lead planner for data gathered to equalize school finance funding in Texas in the landmark state Supreme Court education finance lawsuit. She served Governor Ray Mabus of Mississippi from 1989-91 as an advisor on literacy, education, and the state’s first Commission on Workforce Excellence.
She has served on the Board of the Latin American Youth Center; the New Mexico Forum on Youth in the Community; the National Youth Employment Coalition; and as Committee Chair for the American Association of University Women.
Adrienne has a Bachelor’s in Biology and a Master in Public Policy and International Administration. She seeks opportunities for work and play with like-minded organizations and people.



Sharon Finarelli comes to NMCC from her role as Director of Community Partnerships with Presbyterian Health Plan. Sharon has worked with community-based organizations for over 30 years in a variety of settings and has a passion for improving community health.
In her previous role as Executive Director of the New Mexico Alliance of Health Councils, she had the opportunity to listen to health councils express community needs during the Covid-19 pandemic. Access to care is always one of the top three needs identified by communities in New Mexico.
Access to respite care is a need that many communities do not identify because they often don’t know what it is or how to access this type of care. Sharon is excited to have the opportunity to make respite care more accessible to communities throughout our state. After serving as a caregiver for her family members, Sharon understands the value of respite care to support the health and well-being of both the caregiver and the care recipient.
When Sharon isn’t working on improving community health, she loves to build her own health and well-being by hiking, kayaking, and biking throughout our beautiful state.  If you have a great place to explore in New Mexico or if you have ideas about how to make respite care more accessible, she would welcome your suggestions!



Santiana Narvaiz is a senior at New Mexico Highlands University working as an intern for NMCC. She will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in social work in May 2025. She is currently independently contracted working as a CCSI for those on the Developmental Disabilities Wavier program. She has previously worked as a caregiver in skilled nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and as a social services assistant within a nursing facility. She plans to continue her work with caregivers, the elderly and on the DD waiver as a behavioral therapist once graduated. During her spare time, she enjoys being with family and friends, and trying new places to eat and connect with loved ones. 


Chinda Lucoski is a dedicated family caregiver, parent advocate, facilitator, and volunteer support group organizer in Otero County. Motivated by her daughter Alicia’s diagnoses of I/DD, Autism, and cerebral palsy, Chinda was trained and certified in stress management, craniosacral therapy, sound healing therapy, and massage therapy. These modalities have helped significantly improve Alicia’s overall functioning. Thanks to Chinda’s unwavering commitment, Alicia is now working in the local hospital’s Food Service and Culinary Program.


Katherine Kelly has worked in the healthcare field since 2009, as a caregiver and as a Sterile Processing Technician in Surgery, preparing instruments for surgeons. Katherine served on the Board of Directors for the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association when she lived in California. In 2021, Katherine moved to New Mexico and started her professional career in our state. She currently lives in Truth or Consequences, serving care recipients and her community in general, both as a professional caregiver and as a volunteer.

Chinda Lucoski is a dedicated family caregiver, parent advocate, facilitator, and volunteer support group organizer in Otero County. Motivated by her daughter Alicia’s diagnoses of I/DD, Autism, and cerebral palsy, Chinda was trained and certified in stress management, craniosacral therapy, sound healing therapy, and massage therapy. These modalities have helped significantly improve Alicia’s overall functioning. Thanks to Chinda’s unwavering commitment, Alicia is now working in the local hospital’s Food Service and Culinary Program.



Niki Sebastian is a consulting Outreach Manager and Trainer for the New Mexico Caregivers Coalition (NMCC). She holds a High Honors B.A. in psychology, and an M.A. in Language Pathology/Developmental Psychology, and has had a varied career ranging across law, research, education, government service, consulting, counseling, writing, and health care. Now in her late seventies, she recently retired from full-time employment and has chosen to devote her energies to NMCC as a trainer and facilitator, continuing her career emphasis on helping others make decisions, learn, communicate effectively, and access the supports that enable them to progress toward their life goals. In her spare time, she maintains a blog as 1eclecticwriter@wordpress.com, designs jewelry, and maintains her garden and flock of hens at her home in rural northern New Mexico.



Valerie Tsosie is a consulting Outreach Manager for New Mexico Caregivers Coalition. She leads the So’ Tsoh Foundation, an organization that aims to create pathways to better health by offering innovative solutions for Diné caregivers to have access to behavioral and physical wellness, and quality care to the caregiver and their families. The So’ Tsoh Foundation offers comprehensive programs, specialty services, resources, and support to address general wellness concerns. So’ Tsoh utilizes an integrated Diné approach that takes into consideration the body, mind, and spirit connection.

As well as her role at the So’ Tsoh Foundation, Valerie is a volunteer outreach coordinator with Protect Native Elders—a diverse, indigenous-founded, intertribal, 100% volunteer charitable organization working to provide rapid relief support to indigenous communities struggling with COVID-19.

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