NMAG/CNPE Staff
Frank R. Lopez, Executive Director
FRANK RENÉ LÓPEZ has dedicated most of his professional career to working with community and nonprofit organizations. He has a strong business background and extensive experience in nonprofit capacity building, including strategic planning, board and leadership development, fundraising, grant writing, fund development and social enterprise. Prior to joining New Mexico Association of Grantmakers, he was the Director of New Mexico Programs for the WK Kellogg Foundation. Prior to joining WKKF, he served as the executive director for Ngage New Mexico, a nonprofit organization located in Las Cruces New Mexico. “Ngage” is focused on improving education through “collective impact,” which is a model for facilitating change by bringing together key partners for greater community impact. In that capacity, he facilitated the development of the county-wide “early childhood education coalition. He has assisted hundreds of organizations with strategic planning and development. He served as a coach for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s fellowship program. He is a teacher at heart and has delivered presentations throughout the United States. He has also taught at several universities, including the University of California at Berkeley, UT El Paso, New Mexico State University and Texas Tech University School of Law. He is an attorney, licensed to practice law in California and Texas. He has a BBA in Accounting from UT Austin and JD from UC Berkeley, School of Law.
Larry Alei, Operations Manager and Director of the Encore Fellowship Program
Larry Alei joined the New Mexico Association of Grantmakers in July 2020, and serves as Operations Manager and Director of the Encore Fellowship Program.
Before joining us, Larry served as Interim Director of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence and Encore Fellowship Program Director, at the United Way of Central New Mexico. Prior to that, he held a variety of business and management positions at Intel Corp. for 26 years.
Larry has a long track record of community service, including stints on the UNM Anderson Schools’ foundation board and on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of New Mexico. He has also served as a governor’s appointee on the State of New Mexico Technology Research Collaborative, and as president of his church’s board of directors.
Larry is a father of two who enjoys the outdoors. He is also an A/V professional who provides services for concerts, fundraisers, weddings, and other events.
Pierre Joseph, Director of Strategic Philanthropy and Impact Investing
Pierre Joseph currently serves as the director of strategic philanthropy and impact investing for the New Mexico Association of Grantmakers. He brings 10 years’ experience working in various roles in government, philanthropy, and the non-profit sector.
Prior to joining NMAG, Pierre served as a program officer at the Solidago Foundation, where designed and developed national and place-based grantmaking strategies to support more inclusive economies. He is interested in how emerging financing strategies, blended funding streams and democratized access to capital, can build wealth, expand opportunity, and increase economic mobility in underserved communities throughout the United States.
Pierre started his career as a policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. At HHS, Pierre staffed the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services where he worked on many issues ranging from two-generation approaches to child poverty, substance use disorder, and linking health systems transformation to the broader social determinants of health. Additionally, he served in roles at the Administration for Children and Families and the White House Rural Council.
Pierre earned his B.A. in political science from Amherst College, with a concentration in urban politics and policy. In 2014 Pierre was named a Harry S. Truman Scholar. He serves on the board of directors of two national nonprofit organizations, Liberation in a Generation, and Freefrom.
When he is not working, Pierre enjoys running, video games, podcasting, and spending time with his family.
Danielle LaJoie, Senior Program Coordinator
Danielle LaJoie serves as the Senior Program Coordinator for the New Mexico Association of Grantmakers.
She has worked throughout her professional career to create a more just, effective, and community-led social impact sector. Before joining NMAG, Danielle served as the Graduate Research Assistant for the Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy. In this role, she worked with foundation clients to strengthen their giving strategies and streamline their grantmaking processes, while collaborating on original social-sector research.
Prior to this, Danielle developed and implemented programs for regional and national philanthropic infrastructure organizations including the Council of Michigan Foundations and the National Center for Family Philanthropy. Her career began by bringing capacity to organizations promoting youth philanthropy through her work with the Michigan Community Foundations Youth Project and the Frieda C. Fox Family Foundation program, Youth Philanthropy Connect.
Danielle holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Administration degree in Nonprofit and Philanthropy Leadership from Grand Valley State University.
On the weekends, you can find Danielle reading, cooking, and listening to podcasts, occasionally simultaneously.
Joshua Keeney-Lujan, Communications Assistant
Joshua Keeney-Lujan joined CNPE in August 2019 as a Communications Assistant through the UNM work study program. Before joining us, he worked at UNM Los Alamos as an Admissions Assistant. He is pursuing a degree in Marketing Management.
Joshua lived in Espanola, New Mexico during his high school years at McCurdy Charter School. His hobbies include watching and playing sports such as football and basketball.