Office of General Counsel
NMDOT Legal Division
The Office of General Counsel (OGC) is divided into three practice areas. Contact information for each group is listed below.
OGC Front Desk
505-795-1517
Physical Address
1120 Cerrillos Road, Room 123
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1149
Mailing Address
PO Box 1149
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1149
Administration
Steve Hamilton, General Counsel
505-795-1517
steve.hamilton@dot.nm.gov
June Leyba, Business Support Manager
505-470-9903
june.leyba2@dot.nm.gov
Librada Valdez, Legal Secretary
librada.valdez1@dot.nm.gov
Teya Martinez, Legal Secretary
teya.martinez@dot.nm.gov
Operations and Finance
The Operations and Finance Practice Group addresses legal and management issues related to the NMDOT’s construction and maintenance operations, including: construction law; water rights; state and federal program environmental and funding compliance; and contractor eligibility matters.
Elizabeth Travis, Deputy General Counsel
505-231-7659
elizabeth.travis@dot.nm.gov
Ken Swain, Assistant General Counsel
505-231-3869
ken.swain@dot.nm.gov
Greg Cole, Assistant General Counsel
505-660-1024
greg.cole@dot.nm.gov
Samantha Baca, Paralegal
505-660-5215
samantha.baca2@dot.nm.gov
Administration, Contracts & Employment
The Administration, Contracts and Employment Practice Group provides legal counsel and representation in matters of administrative/operations support, including policy development, rulemaking, regulatory enforcement, intra- & inter-governmental agreements, contracts and procurement, grant administration, employment and labor law, civil rights, garnishments, damage claims, IPRA and torts.
Aaron Frankland, Deputy General Counsel
505-490-2730
aaron.frankland@dot.nm.gov
John Newell, Assistant General Counsel
505-469-6411
johnp.newell@dot.nm.gov
Kara Kupper, Assistant General Counsel
kara.kupper@dot.nm.gov
Vacant, Assistant General Counsel
Renee Montoya, Paralegal
505-660-8331
renee.montoya2@dot.nm.gov
Right-of-Way Practice Group
The Right of Way Practice Group assists in the acquisition of land needed to improve and widen highways, including negotiating with adjacent property owners and filing condemnation cases, when needed. This group also advises NMDOT management on various other right-of-way issues, including the use of NMDOT rights-of-way for access, utilities, broadband deployment, and highway beautification.
Sean Fitting, Deputy General Counsel
sean.fitting@dot.nm.gov
Samuel Ottley, Assistant General Counsel
samuel.ottley@dot.nm.gov
Deborah DeMack, Assistant General Counsel
505-469-8286
deborah.demack@dot.nm.gov
Diana Luna, Paralegal
diana.luna@dot.nm.gov
Records and Information Management
Records Custodian
IPRA.Requests@state.nm.us
505-469-0724