Las Cruces Mayor Pro Tem Kasandra Gandara has been appointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) Council on Youth, Education and Families for 2021.
Kathy Maness, president of the National League of Cities Council, informed Mayor Pro Tem Gandara of her appointment in a February 11 letter. Gandara also serves as the Councilor for Las Cruces City Council District No. 1.
The Council oversees and supports work of the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education and Families. This year, the Council will be co-chaired by Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Mayor Melvin Carter, of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Councilmember Tameika Isaac Devine, of Columbia, South Carolina, will serve as Board Representative.
“Knowing of your deep commitment to these issues, I am confident that you (Mayor Pro Tem Gandara) will make valuable contributions to the work of the Council and the YEF Institute,” Maness wrote in her letter of appointment. “I also hope that you will look for opportunities during the course of the year to use your position on the Council to promote and advance NLC’s Building Back Better 2021 Agenda.”
The NLC Council will conduct its first meeting on Monday, March 8 in conjunction with NLC’s Virtual Congressional City Conference. The Council will also meet two additional times during 2021.
The Council is unique among NLC standing committees. In addition to local elected officials, national policy experts and youth leaders also serve as full and active members of the Council. The Council’s meetings, while relatively brief, are substantive, highly focused, and thought-provoking.
In addition to her appointment to the NLC Council, Mayor Pro Tem Gandara was presented with a 2021 Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Excellence Award in January. Mayor Pro Tem Gandara was bestowed with the award during the 28th annual New Mexico Children’s Law Institute Conference.
Since 2012, the Children’s Court Improvement Commission, of the New Mexico Supreme Court, has awarded Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Excellence Awards to members of the Children’s Court community who have contributed significantly to their field and demonstrated outstanding dedication, leadership, knowledge, and integrity.