Team

Melora Palmer
Executive Director
Rosa Soriano
Program OfficerRosa Soriano Ynfante is a natural resources professional who combines environmental conservation with community engagement and social impact. Originally from Constanza, Dominican Republic, she brings a multicultural perspective shaped by her experiences living, studying, and working across the Americas. Through exploring approximately 13 countries, she has enriched her understanding of diverse cultural approaches to environmental stewardship and community development.
Her academic journey includes a Master's in Natural Sciences with a concentration in Environmental Sciences and Management from New Mexico Highlands University, where she was recognized as Graduate Researcher of the Year in 2023. Her research focused on the socioeconomic aspects of biochar adoption in northern New Mexico, reflecting her interest in the intersection of social sciences and environmental solutions. Her foundation in sustainable development began at Zamorano University in Honduras, where she completed her bachelor's degree. This international education fostered her commitment to promoting harmonious relationships between people and nature.
Rosa's expertise spans program management, partnership development, and community engagement, with significant experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder initiatives and managing large-scale projects. Her commitment to global agricultural development was recognized in 2023 when she was selected to represent the Caribbean region at the Young Farmer Forum during the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture Conference in Berlin. This international conference brought together agricultural leaders from across the globe to address pressing challenges in food security and agricultural sustainability. Throughout her career, Rosa has worked and volunteered across multiple countries, including Dominican Republic, United States, Brazil, Mexico, and Honduras, dedicating herself to building bridges between different cultures and fostering meaningful international connections.
In her role as Program Officer at Global Ties ABQ, Rosa is eager to expand her knowledge in international exchange programs while facilitating meaningful connections between global leaders and the Albuquerque community. She brings her passion for connecting people across cultures to her professional life, combining project management experience with a genuine commitment to fostering international collaboration and understanding. When not working, Rosa can be found enjoying outdoor activities, dancing, and engaging in cultural exchanges that broaden her perspective. She remains particularly interested in exploring South America's diverse cultural heritage and Asia's rich traditions, driven by her belief in the transformative power of cross-cultural experiences.

Kayla Johns
Community Engagement OfficerBoard

Dana Koller
PresidentDana Koller, born and raised in New Mexico, Dana has a proven track record of creating, operating and sustaining successful business ventures and community events around our state.
While Agile and Social Enterprise coaching are specialties and passions for Dana, he also balances life with many hobbies such as yoga, mediation, outdoor sports, and wine tasting just to name a few. Dana has a loving relationship with Cassandra Kent and her two beautiful children Isaiah and Jordyn all of whom are important motivators that cannot be replaced.
Dana founded the UN-17 initiative in 2018 in hopes to change the world of business for the better. The idea is based on the United Nations 17 Sustainability Goals which his organization promotes within the New Mexican business and governmental sectors.
He is currently President and CEO or Kaktus Brewing Co., PrAG, and UN-17 Social Club.

Philip Hultquist
Vice PresidentPhilip Hultquist is the Director of the Global and National Security Policy Institute and a Professor Practice for the Department of Political Science at the University of New Mexico. He is a research fellow for the Modern War Institute at West Point and a non-resident fellow for the National Institute for Deterrence Studies. He also advises study abroad projects for Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Previously, Philip taught politics, policy, and strategy for the US Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) and served as the interim director of the Goodpaster Scholars, the US Army’s practitioner PhD program. As SAMS, he led or co-led student-practitioners on field studies to Washington, DC, Indonesia, Europe, and nearly every US Combatant Command. Dr. Hultquist also taught for several years at Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago, where he served as the Director of the International Studies program.
Dr. Hultquist researches international relations, deterrence, and strategy with a regional sub-specialty on India. His prior research has covered irregular warfare, state targeting and repression in counterinsurgencies, peace settlements in civil wars, state and social politics of hydroelectric dams in India, and countering violent extremists in the Khalistan insurgency in India. His research has appeared in World Development, Journal of Peace Research, PS: Political Science and Politics, Conflict Management and Peace Science, the Journal of Punjab Studies, Special Operations Journal, and Military Review. His current research evaluates India’s foreign relations to draw policy implications for US strategy in the Indo-Pacific.
Philip holds an MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of New Mexico.

Chris Ferrara
SecretaryChris an education professional who is thrilled to take on a board role with GlobalTiesABQ. Chris is currently the Assistant Head of School at Menaul School, a 128 year-old New Mexican institution with a strong international program component.
Christopher’s current portfolio of duties includes managing Menaul School’s international operations as International Program Director. During his tenure, he established Menaul’s international accreditation and franchising model through Cognia, as well as its implementation in Menaul’s first overseas campus - Menaul School Qingdao in Qingdao, China. Menaul School Qingdao is currently preparing to send multiple students to study in Albuquerque on a yearly basis through programs developed by Chris.
In addition, Chris oversees Menaul School’s academic programs and teaching faculty. He developed and planned the implementation of Advanced Placement courses at Menaul School, building the program to the point that Menaul School now offers 14 AP courses, allowing talented local and international students to both benefit from college credit as well as to gain closer looks from top universities. In addition, Chris brought international mathematics curricula to Menaul through the implementation of Integrated Mathematics – focusing on the strength demonstrated through PISA testing that other nations bring to their mathematics programs.
Prior to his time at Menaul School, Chris worked as an international faculty member at Luoyang Normal University in Luoyang, China. He was recognized multiple times as teacher of the year for his innovative style of teaching as he prepared a new generation of young men and women to teach English throughout China’s most populous province. He holds a degree in History from the University of North Florida.

Antonio Flores
Acting Treasurer
Jon Ghahate
Member-at-LargeJon is of the Pueblos of Laguna and Zuni and of the Turkey and Badger Clans. Jon is the Museum Cultural Educator at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As the Museum Cultural Educator, his responsibilities are to develop and present a historically accurate and respectful narrative of the cultures, heritage, and legacies of New Mexico’s Pueblo communities. He has a diverse professional background as; a primary care and orthopedic-surgical Physician Assistant, a high school math and science teacher and athletic coach for the Albuquerque Public Schools, was an Associate Producer for Native America Calling, a live national daily radio talk program, and has volunteered for a number of civil and community organizations. He is a Vietnam Era veteran, in enlisted and commissioned medical ranks, having serviced in several military branches. He was a Kellogg National Leadership Program Fellow.
Through the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Jon has given presentations on New Mexico’s Pueblo communities, providing a credible and historically accurate paradigm of the Indigenous civilizations of the US Southwest, the impact of encroachment and colonization by Eastern Hemisphere entities upon of these civilizations, the acknowledgement of the diverse Indigenous civilizations of the Western Hemisphere that incorporated STEM constructs in establishing and sustaining their civilizations pre-Contact, the continued evolution and resilience of Indigenous peoples, the efforts of Indigenous people taking ownership of a more accurate and science-centered narrative of their history, and topics centered on Cultural Humility and Sensitivity. As a lecturer, he has presented to organizations such as; the Albuquerque Public Schools School Board, the University of New Mexico, the Crow Canyon Archeological Center, the Coronado State Historic Site/Park, The Nature Conservancy of Santa Fe, the National Park Service, the Sierra Club, the America Farmland Trust, the World Council of Churches, SITE Santa Fe, the US Air Force, the Pittsburg National Corporation, the Center for Indigenous Ministries, and META/Facebook. He has assisted some of these organizations with creating their ‘land acknowledgement statement’. Jon is a parent of two children and resides on the homelands of the Pueblo people of the Southwest United States.

David Campbell
Member-at-LargeDavid S. Campbell is the part-time Development Hearing
Officer for the City of Albuquerque and currently serves as
Chief Counsel of Mesa Del Sol, LLC, a master planned
commercial, industrial, and residential community in
Albuquerque, NM. Mesa del Sol is in the process of
constructing hundreds of residential units, along with Netflix’s
largest film production site in North America. Campbell is a 35-
year member of the NM State Bar, practicing municipal and real
estate law, in the private and public sectors. Government roles
have included serving as Albuquerque City Attorney, Planning
Director, and CAO/City Manager. Campbell retired from the
U.S. Department of State as a diplomat, having served in Africa
and South America, in addition to service as a U.S. Peace Corps
volunteer in Africa. He speaks fluent French and Spanish.
Graduate of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign
Service, with graduate and law degrees from the University of
New Mexico.

Miguel Sablo
Member-at-LargeMiguel Sabol is an international education professional committed to building global connections through cultural exchange, citizen diplomacy, and inclusive programming.
Miguel currently works as an International Education Advisor in the Global Education Office of the University of New Mexico, where he supports international students and scholars from admission to graduation to post-graduation work permission and beyond. He advises on F-1 and J-1 visa regulations, work authorization, travel, academic policies, and cultural adjustment in order to support students throughout their academic journey in the United States.
Previously, Miguel served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at the Universidade Federal da Paraíba in João Pessoa, Brazil. He moved to northeastern Brazil in March 2024 with his wife, Monica Briones, and returned to New Mexico at the end of the year. He has also worked at Instituto Cervantes Albuquerque in cultural programs and taught Spanish courses at the University of New Mexico. These experiences laid the foundation for his ongoing work in international education and citizen diplomacy.
Miguel brings a wide range of international experience and a strong commitment to people-to-people exchange. His journey in global engagement began at age 16 when he left Farmington, New Mexico, to spend his junior year of high school studying abroad in Valladolid, Spain. Since then, he has pursued opportunities to deepen his understanding of cross-cultural collaboration, including participating in the 12th Korea-America Student Conference in 2019 and earning a Critical Language Scholarship to study Brazilian Portuguese in 2020.
Professionally, Miguel has supported international collaboration across sectors. He worked with Ashoka’s Ayni Community in Latin America to assist social entrepreneurs and local government leaders in designing systems-change strategies that address community needs. He also interned with Global Ties ABQ, where he helped coordinate U.S. Department of State-sponsored professional exchange programs and supported visiting international delegations. These experiences reflect his belief in the power of citizen diplomacy to foster mutual understanding and lasting global partnerships.
In addition to his professional work, Miguel is a member of the Global Shapers Albuquerque Hub, where he has held leadership roles and leads youth-driven projects focused on community development and equity. He has been active in the Global Shapers community in both the United States and Brazil.
Miguel holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Spanish, a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies, and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at the University of New Mexico to further his commitment to public service and global engagement.

Emilie De Angelis
Member-at-LargeEmilie is Principal and Owner, Serafina Company. For more than 25 years, Emilie has managed ambitious fundraising initiatives at several of the nation’s leading art museums, cultural organizations, and educational institutions. An expert at generating private philanthropic support for truly transformative projects, she’s managed multi-million-dollar campaigns for the Art Institute of Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre, and many others.
Emilie is a fourth-generation New Mexican, born in Albuquerque. She studied art history at Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame and spent 18 years working at top organizations in Chicago. In 2016, she moved home with her husband and son to reunite with family and rediscover sunshine. Her consulting practice has served nonprofit clients locally and nationally ever since.
Emilie’s a current member and immediate past chair of the City of Albuquerque’s Arts Board that oversees its public art program, appointed by Mayor Keller. She's Vice Chair of the Board at Escuela del Sol Montessori and Harwood Art Center, and a board member of the Albuquerque Film and Music Experience Foundation.
From the early days of her career, Emilie has loved serving as a cultural ambassador and partner for government relations. She served as a cultural delegate on an Illinois trade mission to Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. At the Art Institute, she was honored to host foreign dignitaries from around the world for special visits to the collection, as well as serving on the Cultural Advisory Committee of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura.
Emilie’s personal travels have taken her from her family villages in northern Italy to UNESCO sites in 10 countries, including her favorite Caves of Dambulla in Sri Lanka. She is a go-to resource for a cultural trip idea and feels most at home lost in an art museum.