Meet the contributors:
Teague Heartfjord
Freelance Writer and Artist
Margaret Hartford has been a mentor, teacher, counselor and group facilitator in myriad settings for the past 35 years. She received a dual bachelor’s degree in Professional Writing and Psychology from SUNY at New Paltz in 1985 after which she worked as a writer and editor in the publishing field. She also completed coursework earning teaching credentials in secondary education and gifted education. In 1989, she started and served as the lead teacher at an independent school in upstate New York which had as its primary goal educating “at risk” brilliant young people who were no longer welcome in more traditional school settings. She has since worked in North Carolina, Colorado, Wyoming and Texas as a teacher, counselor and gifted education coordinator for school districts in under-served and poverty-stricken locations. In addition to her teaching credentials, she has completed training and serves as a teaching consultant with the National Writing Project; as such, she has worked extensively with teachers, students and community organizations to assist in the individual’s development of writing and other expressive arts as tools for self exploration and expression. She has worked in several locations with homeless youth and youth in crisis using writing and art projects which afford clients an opportunity to process their life experiences and self perspectives in a reflective manner which they can then use as a tool for further exploration, re-framing of destructive behavior patterns, and identification of healthier behaviors. Ms Hartford has completed course work to satisfy the requirements for her masters of arts in educational psychology with a focus on community counseling, graduating in May 2009 summa cum laude from the University of Texas. She currently lives and works in Dona Ana, New Mexico.
Jay W. Sharp
History Columnist
Jay published over 400 articles. He served as the regional vice president for the Texas Archaeological Society, president of the Houston Archaeological Society, president of the El Paso Archaeological Society and vice president of the Doña Ana Archaeological Society, and a docent for New Mexico’s Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum.
Gary Knight
Freelance Writer
Gary Knight’s specialty is strategic planning and marketing for non-profit organizations. He enjoys determining what prevents an institution from being maximally successful and then reorganizing it so that the institution is more effective in achieving its goals and its staff more satisfied with their roles and accomplishments. He has held numerous executive positions with academic institutions, including Harvey Mudd College and Claremont Graduate University; medical schools, including the University of Colorado and the University of Miami Medical Schools of Medicine, where he worked with research institutes in genetics, cancer, and spinal cord injury; and independent non-profit institutions ranging from an arts residency program in Miami Beach to a community foundation in Miami. In his one for profit assignment, Mr. Knight served as director of disease management for a national group of infectious disease physicians. Mr. Knight holds a B.A. in Political Science from Colorado College in Colorado Springs; a M.A. in Government with a concentration in political philosophy from Claremont Graduate School in Southern California; and an MBA from the University of Miami School of Business. As a civic and community volunteer, Mr. Knight served on the Executive Advisory Board for the Denver Public Schools; was president of the alumni association at Colorado College and served in that capacity on the Colorado College Board of Trustees; was a financial and administrative consultant for the National Cancer Institute for program project and center grant reviews; was Board President of Clayworks, the 4th largest ceramic arts non-profit educational institution in the U.S. located in Charlotte, North Carolina; was chairman of the Transportation and Parking Committee in Miami Beach; was a member of the Design Review Board in Miami Beach; was a member of the Planning Board in Cornelius, North Carolina; and was a member of the NPR Charlotte affiliate community advisory board. Mr. Knight continues to serve as an advisory board member for Clayworks and as a member of the Art Basel Miami Beach Host Committee. Mr. Knight is a passionate collector of the visual arts, including painting, photography, and ceramics, and is very happy to return to the West to live in Las Cruces after 31 years on the East Coast.
Maria Guadalupe Martos
Photographer & Politics Journalist
María is a native to the beautiful Land of Enchantment. Her Mexican culture and heritage has spearheaded her constant drive in working with people and making a positive impact on everyone she meets. María graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in Arts and certifications in Digital Filmmaking and Creative Media. While her love for film can sometimes find her lost behind a camera lens on her free time, she aspires to one day direct her first feature length film. She is extremely passionate and considers herself an artist who expresses herself spiritually through dance and music. She loves telling stories and collaborating with others. As a woman in the United States she feels its her duty to bask in the freedoms that her peers have fought so hard for. Social justice runs in her veins, and she hopes to shed light on all the important happenings in Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA and the world alike. María is a freelance photographer and journalist for Our Las Cruces and founder of the virtual community support group for grieving families Remembering Our Angels.
Manfred Schreyer
Publisher and Freelance photo-journalist
Manfred’s background is quite diverse. He holds an architectural degree from the Fachhochschule in Buxtehude Germany, and a Masters in Divinity from Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, IN.
After years of conducting business in the music industry in the Midwest, he finally settled down in Las Cruces, NM in 2017 and there he followed his passion of photography which had always been part of his life. He quickly found national and international associations that contracted him for assignments to write and take photos of current events.
In May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Manfred decided to create this online Magazine to give a more in depth perspective on the current issues of Las Cruces and to offer citizens of Las Cruces a voice.
Voices that share opinions, events and data.