Her past employment includes work as executive director of two non-profit organizations focused on providing services to marginalized individuals and work as a journalist at the Gallup Independent, the Santa Fe New Mexican and the Albuquerque Journal. She is also a published and award-winning author.
“Transparency and the public’s right to know are coming under attack from numerous fronts,” Jessica Onsurez, president, said. “We are pleased to welcome Christine on board at this critical time as FOG takes on these challenges.”
Ms. Barber holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Florida and another in Biology from the University of New Mexico.
She has won awards for her news work from the New Mexico Press Association, the Associated Press Managing Editors and New Mexico Press Women. She is also an author winning the “best book” at the New Mexico and Arizona Book Awards in 2013, the New Mexico Book Award for mystery writing in 2011 and 2013 and the Tony Hillerman Writing Award in November 2007.
Ms. Barber takes over from Melanie Majors who is retiring from FOG.
“Melanie not only has years of outstanding service to the FOG community, and she has built on our strong foundation allowing us to move to the future,” Onsurez said.
Majors has more than 35 years of communications experience including stints in newspapers, magazines, television and public relations. She started her career as a reporter for the Grants Daily Beacon and went on to work at KOB-TV 4 News. Majors was the Public Relations manager at Rick Johnson and Company and later vice president at Cordova Public Relations. She owned the public relations firm, The Majors Company. She was an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico, teaching broadcast and print journalism as well as public relations. Majors is the recipient of numerous awards from the New Mexico Press Association, New Mexico Press Women, the Associated Press Managing Editors and the New Mexico Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, which honored her with the Vista Award in 2008. During her career, Majors was president of New Mexico Press Women and the N.M. Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America as well as holding several other offices in both organizations. She has written for local, regional and technical publications as diverse as New Mexico Magazine to Water Quality International.