We’re pleased to introduce the facilitators of the 2025 Albuquerque Workforce Leadership Academy! The Academy — launched in partnership by City of Albuquerque Economic Development Department, Central New Mexico Community College, and the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program — brings leaders from across the Albuquerque workforce ecosystem together for a year-long series of retreats, workshops, and action learning projects. The Academy provides a forum for local leaders to work collaboratively to identify local and regional systems-based challenges and create shared solutions for economic opportunity for all. Fellows work with leading practitioners throughout the country as they deepen networks; strengthen systems leadership skills; apply race, equity, and systems change frameworks to their work; and increase understanding of effective strategies and programs.
The Albuquerque Workforce Leadership Academy is one of three local academies launched in 2024. Alumni of the Academy become part of the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, joining more than 370 alumni from 22 previous Academies in 17 cities in the US and Canada.
Facilitators
Justin Hilliard
Workforce Development Liaison
City of Albuquerque Economic Development Department
Justin Hilliard is the workforce development liaison for the City of Albuquerque’s Economic Development Department. With a deep passion for community outreach and job training initiatives, he aims to strengthen the local workforce and enhance Albuquerque’s economy for all residents. Justin oversees the city’s Job Training Albuquerque program, which has expanded under his leadership to serve over 2,000 workers at more than 300 small businesses. This initiative has successfully created over 1,100 new jobs in the local economy, increased wages for workers by more than 25%, and focused on ensuring equitable access to opportunities for historically underserved communities. Before his role in Albuquerque, Hilliard worked with the film commission in the City of Dallas Office of Economic Development. He has over 20 years of experience in marketing, filmmaking, and economic development across both the public and private sectors. Hilliard earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Media from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Outside of work, Hilliard is an avid movie enthusiast and basketball fan who enjoys writing, painting, and spending quality time with his wife, Arianne, their son, Julian, and their two dogs.
Rachel Snyder
City Hall Fellow
Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative
Rachel Snyder is a Harvard Bloomberg City Hall Fellow with the city of Albuquerque, where she works with the Economic Development Department on policies and programs that reimagine the relationship between education and work. She is a recent graduate of the Master in Public Policy program at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). Prior to HKS, she worked for the District of Columbia Public Schools, where she brought together business, public, and nonprofit partners in the region to expand work-based learning opportunities for Washington DC youth and went on to support the passage of the first apprenticeship policy for K-12 students.
During her time at HKS, she worked on workforce and education policy initiatives in the governor’s offices of Arizona and Wyoming. She published longitudinal research on student outcomes for one of the first US youth apprenticeship programs. Previously, Rachel taught eighth grade science; her students’ stories are her motivation to create new pathways to good jobs. Rachel is a native Arizonan and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability and Political Science from Arizona State University. She is an avid hiker and jigsaw puzzle enthusiast.
Mary Silentwalker
Senior Director of Work Based Learning
Central New Mexico Community College
Mary Silentwalker, of San Felipe Pueblo and Navajo tribes, joined Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) in August 2023 as the senior director for work-based learning within the workforce and community success division. In this role, she spearheads programs that connect students with real-world career experiences, including internships, apprenticeships, and service learning initiatives, collaborating closely with local community partners.
Mary has dedicated 20 years to higher education, focusing on serving underserved populations and Native American communities in recruitment, student support, and career development. She is an Arizona State University alum, holding degrees in speech and hearing sciences and higher education. Outside of her professional life, Mary is an avid thrifter and a devoted mother of four.
