Lab announces new Community Relations director

Contact: John Gustafson, (505) 665-9197 (00-011)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Jan. 24, 2000 -- Joe Salgado, Los Alamos National Laboratory's deputy director for Business Administration and Outreach, announced Monday that Christina Armijo has been selected as the new director of the Laboratory's Community Relations Office.

Armijo joined Los Alamos in 1990 and has worked as a manager in several versions of the Laboratory's community outreach organizations. She currently heads the University of California's Northern New Mexico office.

"We had a number of very well qualified applicants for this position, and the process of evaluation and selection was painstakingly thorough. I express my appreciation both to the people who cared enough to apply for the position and to the people who served on the screening committees and advised me during the selection process," Salgado said.

CRO has lead responsibility for overseeing and strengthening the Laboratory's relations and interactions with Northern New Mexico communities and Pueblos.

"CRO essentially advocates within the Laboratory for continued attention and response to regional issues," Salgado said. "Christina will be a key player in the Laboratory's planning and communications efforts and, ultimately, our overall success in meeting community and tribal expectations in the areas of sustained economic development, environmental protection, and the health and safety of the public."

"This is a critical time for Los Alamos to demonstrate it can be a more effective partner with the citizens of Northern New Mexico," Armijo said. "I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute significantly to that effort and fully believe that with the committed staff at CRO and the strong support of BAO and others across the Lab we have the necessary perspective, talent and will to make this a tremendous success."

When Armijo began work at the Laboratory in 1990 she helped establish the Working Group to Address Los Alamos Community Health Concerns, a Laboratory-community effort to investigate and resolve concerns about a possible increase in brain tumors in the Los Alamos community.

Prior to joining the Laboratory she spent 14 years with the Department of Energy, and developed the first communication program for the Waste Isolation Pilot Project early in its history. She's also been an assistant press secretary for Defense Programs and Environmental Restoration and Waste Management at DOE Headquarters. While at DOE's Albuquerque Operations Office she earned her bachelor's degree in 1983 in business administration from the University of Albuquerque.

In 1996 she was selected to establish the University of California's new Northern New Mexico office. As the leader of UC's regional office, Armijo counts among her successes bringing UC into a more collaborative relationship with the communities of the region and helping find ways to apply UC expertise in areas such as economic diversification, education and quality of life. Working with UC Davis, for example, Armijo brokered development of a geographical information system-based modeling program that can be used in land use planning. The model has been presented to Española officials and is also intended for possible use by Rio Arriba County planners.

A fifth-generation New Mexican, Armijo traces her roots back to ancestors who homesteaded near Las Palomas. She was born and raised in Albuquerque's South Valley and has been a Santa Fe resident since 1990.

Outside of work Armijo stays busy in a variety of community and charitable activities, including AIDS awareness and care programs, and economic and professional development efforts. She currently serves on the Tri-Area Association for Economic Development Board, works with the Brothers of the Good Shepherd on homeless support, and is a member of the Mexican-American Engineering Society.

The Community Relations Office is part of a newly formed division -- Communications and External Relations -- within the BAO directorate, but Salgado emphasized he will continue to work closely and directly with the CRO director. A national search is underway for a director for the new division, which also includes the Public Affairs and Government Relations offices.s

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