About the NMPW Conference
NMPW hosts a state conference every year in the spring. The conference is a perfect opportunity to network with media professionals across the state. Numerous workshops are held and the organization announces the winners of the Zia Book Award, Communications Contest, Communicator of Achievement, and scholarships.
The 2023 NMPW Conference will be held Friday and Saturday, March 10 and 11 at Isleta Resort. The conference theme is “Telling the Untold Story.” Here is the schedule of events:
Friday, March 10, 2023
11:30 – 1:30 NMPW Board meeting @ Isleta
NMPW Member lunch on your own
2:00 – 3:00 Guardianship Panel on Zoom with Brett Darken, Diane Dimond, Rio Hamilton, Leonie Rosenstiel, and moderated by Sherri Burr
Long before the Britney Spears case hit the headlines, there was the New Mexico Guardianship Black Hole. Back in 2016, The Albuquerque Journal ran a series exposing abuses in adult guardianship, which does not just apply to the rich and famous. The Albuquerque Journal series helped expose problems and push toward some solutions. Here from journalists and individuals who experienced guardianship traumas.
3:30 – 4:30 Maxwell Museum Tour
5:00 – 7:00 Reception at Isleta Spa Pool (Invitation issued to the President of the Navajo Nation)
Saturday, March 11, 2023
8:00 – 8:45 Annual Meeting w/ continental Breakfast (President Sherri Burr)
9:00 – 9:45 Indian Boarding Schools with Rosalee Lucero (Isleta Pueblo) and Judy Avila (co-author of Code Talker) (Moderated by Sherri Burr)
The legacy of Indian boarding school system dates to the mid-nineteenth century when federal Indian Agents forcibly abducted children as young as four from their homes and enrolled them in church- and government-run boarding schools, often far-removed from their tribes and families. The tragedy that ensued has been dramatically braided into “1923,” a television show in the Yellowstone Universe of television shows.
10:00-11:00 Panel on Missing Indigenous Women with Irene Blea (author of Daughters of the West Mesa), Bella Davis (New Mexico In depth), FBI Special Agent in Charge (New Mexico) Raul Bujanda, and FBI Intelligence Analyst Don Metzmeier (Moderated by Loretta Hall)
Although the problem of missing and murdered Indigenous women is a national problem, it is worse in New Mexico than any other state. In late 2019, a task force was formed within the NM Indian Affairs Department to “to determine the scope of the problem, identify barriers and create partnerships to improve processes for reporting and investigating cases.” In May 2022, the task force issued its Response Plan. This panel will discuss the background of the problem and what the task force’s recommendations are.
11:15–12:00 Voter Intimidation discussion with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and the director of the Bureau of Elections for Bernalillo County Jaime Diaz (Moderated by Karen Wentworth)
12:00 – 1:15 Zia Award and Scholarship Luncheon (Moderated by Pat Hodapp and Brandon Larranaga)
2:00 – 3:30 Options
____ “Finding the Untold Story” Workshop with Bridget Grumet, the Austin American-Statesman’s Metro Columnist
As Metro columnist for the Austin-American Statesman, Bridget Grumet is expected to uncover meaningful untold stories. That could mean delving deeper into the background and implications of a story already in the public eye, or uncovering an issue or event that has hovered below the media’s radar. Attend this workshop and learn from her experience.
____ Tour of the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History
A nuclear bomb was once dropped at the tail end of Kirtland Air Force Base near Isleta, but did not explode. The tour will provide a detail exploration of the history of nuclear science.
5:30 – 8:00 Reception and Dinner (Moderated by Sherri Burr, Carolyn Carlson, and Adam Biederwolf)
Click here for a printable copy of the schedule.
Conference fees are as follows:
Full registration* for NMPW members: $185
Full registration* for nonmembers: $210
Friday reception only: $25 per person
Saturday lunch** only: $45 per person
Saturday banquet*** only (for NMPW members): $75
Saturday banquet*** only (for nonmembers): $85
Conference sessions only^^ $100
NOTES:
*Full registration includes all conference sessions including meals
**Zia Book Awards and Scholarships will be awarded at the lunch.
***Communications Contest results and the 2023 Communicator of Achievement will be announced at the banquet.
^^Includes Friday afternoon and Saturday morning sessions only; no field trips, no Friday evening reception, no meals (NMPW members do get Saturday morning breakfast)
Register online at https://nmpresswomen.fwscart.com. You can pay your 2023 dues at the same time and take advantage of the member rate! If you prefer to pay by check, please send it, payable to NMPW, to Treasurer Loretta Hall, 3219 El Toboso Dr NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104. Please include your email address and/or telephone number.
Conference attendees can reserve a room at the Isleta Resort Hotel for the discounted rate of $149 per night by calling 877-475-3827 and mentioning the NMPW conference or giving the code NMP0423.
About the NFPW Conference
The National Federation of Press Women conference is hosted yearly by a different state press women organization. It is another great opportunity for professional development and networking. The 2023 NFPW conference is on June 22-24, in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information visit the NFPW conference web page.