Doing it All
Valerie Trujillo is the Executive Director of the Northwest Regional Education Cooperative #2 (NWREC#2) and a volunteer coach for the Taos High School Varsity Cheer Team. Mrs.Trujillo also currently serves as a board member/legislative representative for the New Mexico Council of Administrators of Special Education (NMCASE). The NWREC #2 serves eight-member school districts: Chama Valley, Taos, Questa, Peñasco, Mesa Vista, Cuba, Jemez Mountain and Dulce. District. Mrs. Trujillo was selected as New Mexico Principal Of The Year and represented our State in Washington, D.C. in 2014. In 2016, Trujillo received the Woman of Distinction Award. The Taos News honored Trujillo in its publication of Taos Woman.
Family Life
Mrs. Trujillo has an amazing family support system, She is married to John Trujillo who is from Denver, Colorado. Valerie is a mother of five children, Cruz Chavez III(Suzie), Andres Chavez, Marcus Chavez (Audrea), Isaiah Chavez and Jonnea Trujillo. She is also a proud grandmother to four grandchildren, Marikah, Sienna, Gianna and Jacob. Her parents, Larry and Doris Lopez who are both originally from Peñasco. She has three siblings, Darrell Lopez, Jonathan Lopez(Rosa) and Melanie Lopez (Andrew).
Mrs. Trujillo is a 1993alumni from Taos High School where she graduated with honors. She went on to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from New Mexico Highlands University. In 2008, she received her Master’s Degree in Education Leadership from the University of New Mexico.
Educational Journey
This is Mrs. Trujillo’s 24th year in education. Mrs. Trujillo began her career in education by teaching at Casa de Corazón, an all-girls group home in Taos. She then taught at Taos Middle School for five years and also coached the Taos High School Varsity Dance Team and Taos Middle School Track Team. She then moved to Santa Fe where she lived for nine years. She taught at Agua Fria Elementary School and Pinon Elementary School. She then later worked as the Assistant Principal at Capshaw Middle School. She then moved to Questa where she lived for seven years. Mrs.Trujillo was the high school Principal and Athletic Director for Questa Schools for four years and then became the Superintendent for Questa Schools for three years.
There are ten regional education cooperatives located throughout New Mexico, supporting 69 rural school districts, charter schools, and state-supported schools. RECs also work directly with the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) on state-wide projects and initiatives through Intergovernmental Agreements. The NWREC #2 provides technical assistance and professional development to their member districts.They assist in Child Find Services, Common Core Support, MLSS/SAT support, SDAA Monitoring, IDEA B Application Assistance, Transportation Training, PBIS Trainings/Coaching, District Strategic Planning Assistance, Mentorship Program,Substitute Training, Teacher Observation Calibration, etc. The NWREC #2 also oversees the Title III Consortium, North Central Consortium and CTE/Work Base Learning Consortium for their region.
Mrs. Trujillo in Her Spare Time
In Mrs. Trujillo’s spare time, she enjoys baking and cooking. She is known for her lemon bars and other yummy treats. Mrs. Trujillo also enjoys camping, fishing, painting and hanging outwith her grandchildren. Mrs. Trujillo loves to help others through her work in education. Her soft spot is teen parents because she was one herself.
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