Board of Directors - Executive Committee

A licensed clinical social worker who has been involved with both direction social work services and administrative responsibilities for well over 30 years. My current work includes my position as a Clinical Services Coordinator for the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court and also as a part-time therapist with Bosque Mental Health Associates. I am a member of NASW-NM and had served as President of the board from 2005-2008. I have also been a past member of the NM Board of Social Work Examiners from 2009-2015. I am very proud of our profession of social work for NM State University. I additionally continue to provide field social work practicum instruction for social work students and clinical services supervision for social workers who are working toward attaining the level of clinical social work licensure. I love providing training on a variety of topics, have previously presented at the annual NASW-NM social work conference and recently completed the training of trainers offered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on "How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses." Additionally, I remain very interested in research that investigates and improves the lives of New Mexicans. I have been the principal investigator on a few grants and I have been serving on the State Dementia Services Leadership Committee. I live and work in the City of Albuquerque and metropolitan area and hope to represent its diversity and growing challenges through public policy input, improving access to mental health and alcohol and drug use disorders treatment and through excellence in continuing education. On a personal level, I am the proud mother of two wonderful adult children, I am a voracious reader and I love movies/films of all kinds and being an active patron of the performing arts - both theatre and music. 

 Daniella Montoya, LMSW, raised in Sena, NM, is a proud mother to her daughter Isabella. Earning her AA from New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in 2012, her BS in Psychology from Chaminade University of Honolulu in 2014, and her MSW with a Clinical Concentration from New Mexico Highlands University in 2020. Daniella has graduate field experience in the correctional setting as well as in the school environment with elementary aged children. She currently works as a licensed school social worker, serving grades 9-12. Daniella also serves as a Field Consultant for New Mexico Highlands University. Daniella is passionate about serving the youth of her community and over the last few years, she has had the pleasure of working with amazing students, caring families, committed staff, and helpful community agencies.  It has been, and continues to be, truly wonderful to experience and develop such long-standing, positive relationships with families and see such growth. Daniella looks forward to the continuation of obtaining knowledge and experience in the field of social work. Being from rural NM, she aims to learn from, empower, and support the social work professionals in the Northern Region and across the state.  

 Tonya M. Louis, MSW, identifies as she, her, and hers. She is an enrolled member of the Acoma Pueblo Tribe located in New Mexico. She has more than 15 years of behavioral health and public health experience at the tribal, federal, and state levels.

Currently, Ms. Louis is a Licensed Master Level Social Worker. She specializes in the field of suicide prevention, substance use, and community-based behavioral health. She is also certified in Native American Inspired Equine Psychotherapy. Ms. Louis was recently appointed to serve a two-year term as the Chair for the American Indian/Alaska Native Task Force (2022-2024) and a one-year term as First Vice President for the Board of Directors-Executive Committee (2022-2023) with the National Association of Social Workers-New Mexico Chapter.

Ms. Louis has extensive experience working with program development, adolescent/adult intervention processes, child welfare, treatment interventions and crisis response. 

Ms. Louis deeply appreciates the importance and mission of the social work profession which includes enhancing human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to unique needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty including promotion of social justice and social change.

M. Vanessa Ragsdale, LCSW, ACSW joined NASW in 1982. She received her MSW from Ohio State University. She is currently employed as a Social Worker at the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Administration Medical Center, Albuquerque and works with homeless veterans in the HUD VASH Department. Previously, she worked for 20 plus years as a School Social Worker in St. Louis Missouri where she also held several other part time positions in her “spare time.” 

I have been a member of the New Mexico National Association for Social Workers since moving here from St. Louis, Missouri. Her career has allowed her to experience a wide variety of rich opportunities where she has worked as a Clinical Social Worker, Medical Social Worker, School Social Worker, Residential Recovery Specialist and Military Family Life Counselor to name a few. In addition to the various positions she has held during her career, she has also worked in various states with the first being in her native East Coast, the mid-west and now in her new southwestern home state of New Mexico. She feels that having lived in various places has helped her to continue to grow in her understanding and empathy for the differences that we as social workers see in others who we have the honor to serve. In addition to her professional work life, she has also been privileged to have been chosen to serve in numerous leadership roles in a variety of civic, community and professional organizations.

Monique is a Licensed Master Social Worker in Texas and New Mexico and is currently under clinical supervision. She has been a member of NASW since graduate school. Originally from Houston, Texas, she has been serving the community for over 20 years. Monique is formally trained and has utilized the following modalities in working with clients: DBT, CBT, CPT, Prolonged Grief Disorder Therapy (PGDT), and EMDR. Monique is also licensed as a Substance Abuse Associate (LSAA) in New Mexico. Monique served in the US Army for 8 years prior to becoming a social worker. She earned her Master in Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas in 2015. She was trained at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and served at multiple veteran nonprofits in the Houston area before relocating to Las Cruces in 2020.