Kindness Connection Interview with Scholarship Winners

Michael Riordan was born and raised in Vermont. He began his college education at Vermont Technical College where he obtained an Associate’s Degree in Architecture. In 1994, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife Jennifer to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of New Mexico, which he received in 1999. While attending college, and after graduation, he worked in local civil engineering community and earned his Professional Engineering License.

In 2003 Michael joined the City of Albuquerque as the Transportation Division Manager. He went on to become the Director of the Department of Municipal Development where he implemented a capital budget in excess of $120 million. The last 3 years of his career at the City of Albuquerque he served as Chief Operations Officer where he oversaw 11 Departments with an annual operating budget of approximately $850 million.

In 2018 Michael created the Jennifer Riordan Foundation in honor of his wife Jennifer who passed away unexpectedly. The mission of the Foundation is to continue Jennifer’s spirit to be kind, loving, caring, and sharing by recognizing, promoting, and spreading acts of kindness.

Michael serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Board.

Tania Armenta is the President &; CEO of Visit Albuquerque, the organization charged with stimulating economic growth by marketing the region as a competitive and world-class leisure, convention and sports destination.

She has been with the organization for 21 years and has led the organization for the last four years. Tania is passionate about serving the Jennifer Riordan Foundation due to the tremendous love and gratitude she has for Jennifer and the Riordan family. Jennifer helped shape Tania into the person she is today, and it is an honor for her to support Mike Riordan’s efforts to carry on Jennifer’s remarkable legacy.

Tania serves on several national and local boards and is the immediate past chair of the New Mexico Hospitality Association. She’s been named “Tourism Professional of the Year” in New Mexico in 2012, one of Smart Meetings “2016 Smart Women in Meetings” award recipients and is a former recipient of the “40 Under Forty” awards by Albuquerque Business First.

Prior to Visit Albuquerque, she held positions in marketing for a magazine publisher and a sports organization in addition to working within the hotel industry. She earned her Bachelor of Journalism & Mass Communications from the University of Nebraska. She is a native New Mexican, married to her high school sweetheart and the mother of two teenage children.

Diane Harrison Ogawa is the Chief Community Partnerships & Systems Officer at Central New Mexico Community College. She previously served as a community relations executive with specialties in corporate philanthropy, volunteerism, foundation management and employee engagement. Diane is a corporate lawyer and has practiced law in Wisconsin, New York and New Mexico. She has served on more than two dozen community boards throughout New Mexico.

Jan has held a variety of leadership positions in the fitness industry, over the past 38 years, most recently as the CEO of Synergy Fitness. She has continued to spearhead many health initiatives throughout the State of Vermont.

Jan served as the Co-Chair of Trustees for Mater Christi School, as well as a Board Member of Age Well, YMCA, and Pioneering Healthier Communities. Jan graduated from Trinity College and lives in Vermont with her son, Matthew.

Mark Motsko is a Syracuse University Graduate who has lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico since 2003. He met Jennifer while working at KRQE and she was at UNMH. They quickly started a friendship after realizing they grew up less than 40 miles apart in Vermont.

Jennifer, ever showing her willingness to help other people, was instrumental in helping Mark get his position with the City of Albuquerque in 2005 where he met and worked with Michael. Mark has worked as a public servant for the last 15 years, first as a Public Information Officer, and most recently as the City’s Capital Improvement Program Official.

Mark has been married to his wife Carolina since 2008. They have two young daughters, Pilar and Augustina, who they are teaching to be kind, loving, caring, and sharing.

Ms. Wills’ tenure at Inovalon spans almost 18 years at Inovalon, as she served as one of the company’s first employees and has assisted the company’s incredible growth and product expansion that led to Inovalon’s IPO in 2015. In her current role as Director of Product Execution & Innovation, Quality Spectrum® Ms. Wills provides for direct management and execution of Inovalon’s HEDIS® Advantage MRR solution. Ms. Wills manages and supervises the HEDIS® MRR project management team and provides customer service and contract deliverables oversight. Ms. Wills ensures the successful communication and support of each health plan client organization and supports the productive and effective relationship between HEDIS® MRR Project Managers and health plan project support teams.

Prior to her Quality Spectrum Director role, Ms. Wills served as the Medical Record
Review Operations and Product Liaison Director for Inovalon. In this capacity Ms. Wills served as a key conduit and communications connection between MRR Operations and the Inovalon Product and Client Services teams. Key aspects of Ms. Wills’ role included the advancement of associate training, understanding and collaboration inter-departmentally to improve the services delivered to clients, and the expansion of overall operational support for both internal and external customers.

Ms. Wills holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of New Mexico. She and her husband, Dr. Jim Wills, have three children and live in Albuquerque, NM. Together, their family works to spread kindness throughout New Mexico and are committed to making Albuquerque the kindness capital of the world.

Greg Smith was born and raised in Bartlesville Ok. He receive a BS in Botany from Oklahoma State University. He received his Juris Doctor with highest honors from the University of Oklahoma. When he graduated, he moved to Albuquerque.

He started his legal career working at two large private Law firms. He recently retired from the City of Albuquerque as a Deputy Director of the Department of Municipal Development. He supervised over 400 employees and managed an annual budget of $25 million.

He was a contract lawyer throughout his 27 years at the City and was primarily responsible for construction contracts. Currently, Greg and his daughter run a family photography business specializing in Fine Art and Portraiture. Greg’s flower photography is available in the Tularosa Basin Gallery of Photography in Carrizozo New Mexico.