Team

Chris Brennan
Program Director
Michael Garlid
Program OfficerMichael was raised in Tempe, Arizona where he received his Bachelor’s in Global Studies from Arizona State University with a minor in French Language and Literature. He then pursued a Master’s of Science in International Management in Lugano, Switzerland at Franklin University Switzerland.
His passion for travel and public diplomacy stems from personal experiences that challenged his core values and beliefs and led to a career in cultural exchange and community engagement.
Outside the office Michael works to support sustainable initiatives and has worked with the UN Habitat and participated at COP 26 and other international conferences. Through international and idea exchanges he believes urban settlements and lifestyles can be more sustainable and retrofitted for the future.

Kathy Kersting
Project Manager - Youthink2: Global ChallengesKathy was born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She has lived in the
Washington, DC area and in Oregon before settling in Albuquerque many years
ago. She has worked for over 20 years in the field of education, including various
roles at the University of New Mexico, as well as a teacher in public and private
schools. While she has retired from teaching, Kathy is excited to work with
Global Ties ABQ coordinating the YouThink 2 Virtual Exchange Program
between Albuquerque and Algerian high school students. This position combines
her experience in working with students, while also incorporating her interest in
global affairs. Kathy and her family have a keen interest in traveling and have
enjoyed visiting and learning about different countries and their cultures. They
have previously served as a host family for soccer coaches from the United
Kingdom, as well as for a German exchange high school student. As a family,
they have traveled to several European countries and they look forward to
expanding their travels to other countries in the coming years. Kathy has a
Masters of Science degree in Public Affairs from the University of Oregon (UO),
as well as a Masters of Arts degree in Elementary Education from the University
of New Mexico. During her time at the UO, Kathy was selected to live and work in
Pohnpei, Micronesia as part of a joint summer program between the University
and the U.S. Department of Interior. This experience first fed her interest in
travel and learning about other cultures. She looks forward to the adventures
ahead in coordinating the exchange program at Global Ties ABQ.
Board

Melora Palmer
PresidentMelora Palmer is a Communications Consultant specializing in content development and technical writing, she has over 20 years’ experience in the marketing and communications field.
Always internationally inclined, Melora worked in the private sector in the US, Canada and France where she was lucky to travel extensively… losing count at 30 countries! She then made a 360° shift into the nonprofit sector, first starting her own company to launch fair trade and ethical products from her home in Paris, France. She then lived in Haiti and West Africa where she worked in communications, report and grant writing for prominent humanitarian organizations such as CARE and Aid for Artisans.
Melora relocated to Albuquerque in 2017, her Alma Mater state, to put her then teenage daughter in high school… and you think communicating in business is hard, try it with a 17-year-old! Here, she works as a freelance content writer and editor within the nonprofit sector.
All along her commitment to serving her community and being part of the solution has held strong, she has volunteered for numerous charitable groups over the years and continues to be engaged in civic activities be-it political, social, or environmental. She is a daily yoga and meditation practitioner and is often seen at events arriving by bicycle. Melora is fully bilingual in French and English and conversationally adept in Spanish and Haitian Creole.

Jill Van Nortwick
Past President
Greg Polk
Treasurer
Stephen L. Bishop
Member-at-Large
Deborah Blank
Member-at-Large
Jon Ghahate
Member-at-LargeJon Ghahate 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.

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.

Antonio Flores
Member-at-Large
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.
Interns
We are currently looking for internship opportunities. Please email chris@globaltiesabq.org for more information.