Mayor Keller Announces New Hires
Feb. 21, 2022
The City has added key hires in its continued effort to bolster staffing in support of important city initiatives and departments. These latest hires will fill critical roles as the City works to provide comprehensive homeless solutions, make strides in broadband advancement and accessibility, and grow its workforce to meet Albuquerque’s needs. Elizabeth Holguin will serve as Deputy Director of Homeless Solutions and Clinical Advisor; Catherine Nicolaou will be the City’s first Broadband Program Manager; and Patricia Tafoya-Harris will be Deputy Director of Human Resources.
“We look forward to getting to work with these new additions to our team, who will be working in some of our areas of greatest opportunity,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “We’re continuing to add to our staff so that we have the resources we need to address our city’s challenges and support the people of Albuquerque.”
Elizabeth Holguin, Deputy Director of Homeless Solutions and Clinical Advisor
Elizabeth Holguin, PhD, MPH, MSN, FNP-BC is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nursing and Health Policy Collaborative Fellow and a Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar. She received her Master’s of Public Health from Tulane University as a Master's International student and served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia. She then went on to receive a Master's of Science in Nursing degree from Duke University and became certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She recently completed her PhD through the University of New Mexico. Elizabeth serves as a World Health Assembly core delegate for the International Council of Nurses and also attended the 71st United Nations General Assembly to support the rollout of the High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth. Along with her husband, she is a local small business owner, a mother, and CYFD foster parent. Her professional interests include addressing the social determinants of health, sustainability of public health and global health programs, and implementation science.
Catherine Nicolaou, Broadband Program Manager
Catherine Nicolaou is the City of Albuquerque’s first Broadband Program Manager, leading City broadband initiatives and efforts. As an experienced telecommunications professional, she worked with state regulatory officials and the legislature to advance strategic broadband goals in the state. Catherine attended Arizona State University and prior to her role at the city, was the External Affairs and Marketing Manager for Sacred Wind Communications, a New Mexico-based company, dedicated to improving telecommunications services to rural and tribal areas within the state. She was a member of the FCC’s Communications Equity and Diversity Council working group, the City of Albuquerque’s Information Services Committee and is a board member for the New Mexico Technology Council. Catherine is a recipient of Albuquerque Business First’s 40 Under 40 Award.
Patricia Tafoya-Harris, Deputy Director of Human Resources
Patricia has over 20 years of Human Resources experience from various industries including healthcare, gaming, tribal government, and retail. She has extensive knowledge in all Human Resource Centers of Excellence including Total Rewards, Labor Relations, Training and Development, Talent Acquisition, Strategic Planning, and HR Systems and Analytics. Most recently, Patricia has been the Associate Vice President of Human Resources for Boulder Community Health where she led a 23-person human resources and employee health team. Patricia is native to New Mexico. She was born in Gallup and raised in Albuquerque. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and Accounting. Patricia is married with three daughters and one granddaughter.