Paula serves as the Director of Court Education. She served as the Court Services Deputy Division Director until recently and as the Sr. Statewide Language Access Program Manager until 2021. The 2020 Access to Justice Index, published by the National Center for Access to Justice, ranked the NM Judiciary’s Language Access Program under her direction #1 in the nation.

Paula is a nationally recognized expert in the language access field, and has spearheaded multiple initiatives and technologies to advance court access for LEP and low literacy individuals, and people with disabilities interacting with the NM State Courts. Paula is an ex officio member in the NM Judiciary of the NM Supreme Court’s Equity and Justice Commission, and created the Diversity and Inclusion Department within the AOC’s Court Services Division. She Co-Chairs NASJE’s Diversity, Fairness and Access Committee, and served as an NCSC’s Council of Language Access Coordinators liaison to COSCA’s National Language Access Advisory Committee until 2023. She was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she received a Master’s Degree in Translation and pursued doctoral studies in English.

Sonya Duke-Noel serves as the Attorney Supervisor for the Court Education Institute, overseeing the Judicial Education Team. She previously served the Judiciary as a Staff Attorney for the Thirteenth Judicial District Court and all together has more than 27-years of experience working in the New Mexico Justice System. Sonya holds a J.D. from the University of New Mexico and a B.A. in Human Services and Criminal Justice from Ottawa University. She has strong institutional knowledge of the NMJB and a strong belief that the people of New Mexico are better served when judges have the education and tools they need to be competent in the law and confident in their rulings. Sonya is honored to be part of the team bringing that knowledge to the New Mexico Judiciary through CEI.

Sarah Pepin holds a J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law and a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College. She has more than ten years of experience as a litigator in New Mexico courts. In her time as a criminal defense attorney, Sarah spent countless hours training new attorneys and walking individual clients through the nuances of the judicial process. She also spent three years working with the Second Judicial District’s Young Adult Court, a treatment court aimed at reducing recidivism and improving life outcomes for young people. All of Sarah’s time working with individuals prepared and motivated her to broaden her focus, so she is delighted to work with CEI and the judiciary as a whole. 

With a passion for justice and bilingual fluency, Jazmine Herrera is equipped to make a positive impact. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and Spanish from New Mexico State University, giving her the knowledge and skills to create change while blending her interests in law, culture, and language. As a former case manager at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, she dedicated her career to serving the justice system and the people of New Mexico. Now, she brings her expertise in education and passion for public service to the Court Education Institute. Eager to leverage her background, she is committed to empowering the New Mexico Judiciary through training and development. Her dedication to lifelong learning will support the Institute’s mission of promoting justice through education.

Laurie holds a B.S. with honors and a Latin American Studies certificate, and an M.A. in political science from Oklahoma State University. After Laurie worked as a Legislative Analyst in the Texas Senate, and managed public relations and marketing for the United Way of Amarillo, she moved to Santa Fe. Laurie worked in the Roundhouse as a legislative aide to the Speaker of the House, then joined JID as a trainer when FACTS, the case management system used prior to Odyssey, was rolled out statewide. She loved training, and worked as a trainer and project manager for two court software companies which took her to Kentucky.

Missing New Mexico, Laurie joined the help desk at ACS so she could work remotely from Taos. Laurie then gained valuable experience as a group sales and manager Director of Sales at Taos area resorts and hotels before joining the Eighth Judicial District as a court monitor. Laurie grew up in Amarillo, Texas, and is married to Christopher Moreau, a Canadian with whom she loves to laugh and travel.

Arlene Baca is the Statewide Integration & Training Coordinator in charge of Court Staff Training.  She has been with the courts for 25 years and has worked for the Second Judicial District Court, Thirteenth Judicial District Court in Sandoval County and the Judicial Information Division.  Her roles have included clerk, legal assistant and leadworker, JID training coordinator and IT Specialist.  Arlene was also the founder and CEO for her own company, providing technical services to semiconductor and optic industries.  

Arlene is certified as an Institute of Court Management (ICM) Faculty Instructor for the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and is working on completing all Certified Court Manager (CCM) and Certified Court Executive (CCE) courses through NCSC.  

She has also obtained several certificates through the National Association of Court Management (NACM).  

Arlene is looking forward to bringing this caliber of training opportunities to all court staff to help them learn various tools and skills that will add to their personal and professional growth with the NM Courts.

Margarita holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Michigan State University and a B.A. in Sociology from Alma College. She recently served as an IT Project Manager for the Judiciary. Margarita’s strong project management skills, experience in education and solid background in technology are a perfect fit for this position given the Institute’s short and mid term plans to acquire court education technologies such as a Learning Management System (LMS), a conference and event planning application, and develop a strong website presence. 

Diana has been with the New Mexico Courts since 2019. She brings over 20 years of diverse experience from both the tech and legal sectors. She started her career at Intel Corporation, where she spent 16 years honing her skills in training, support, and operations. After earning her post-degree certificate in Paralegal Studies at CNM, she transitioned into the legal field, working for a criminal defense attorney in Albuquerque, NM. She later earned her Bachelor’s in Sociology with a Minor in Criminal Justice and an emphasis in Criminology from New Mexico Highlands University, where she is also completing her MBA. 

Diana began her career in the court system at Bernalillo Metropolitan Court in the Probation department. She then joined AOC JID, working with the Odyssey Business Support team for three years and eventually serving as supervisor for the JID Service Desk for four years. Diana currently works as a Program Manager with Court Education where she focuses on developing efficient systems and user friendly content to support the judiciary’s training.

Born in New Mexico, Vanessa holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology with a minor in psychology from the University of New Mexico. She came from the University of New Mexico Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering Department. Starting off her career for the courts in the Background Investigations Division at Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court as a case initiator and bonding clerk. She enjoys learning about the courts and their atmospheres. Being able to understand the justice system helps her to enhance the Judiciary for the State of New Mexico.

Aspen James Harris-Grigg (they/them) holds a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law and a B.A. in Medical Anthropology and Global Health from the University of Washington.

Aspen was Editor in Chief of Volume 24 of The Scholar: St. Mary’s Law Review on Race and Social Justice. In this role, Aspen gained experience in and passion for working with a team and editing legal writing. Aspen’s experience with The Scholar prepared them to work with experts on a variety of topics and support them in creating legal writing to educate other legal scholars and practitioners.

Aspen has spent most of their career serving LGBTQ+ survivors of violence, first as an Equal Justice Works Fellow hosted by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, sponsored by Texas Access to Justice Foundation, and then working with the Safe2BeYou project at New Mexico Legal Aid. Throughout Aspen’s career, they have provided trainings to a variety of audiences, from non-legal domestic violence service providers to lawyers to clients themselves. Aspen’s career has focused on empowering those from underrepresented communities and lifting their voices to be heard by those in positions of power.

Aspen is excited to be at CEI and to work with the judiciary.

Michael holds a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and a B.A. in English from Cal Poly Humboldt. Before law school, Michael worked in criminal forensics. After law school, he was a trial and appellate lawyer with a diverse practice focused on business, environmental, and energy litigation. Most recently, he was a law professor teaching legal research and writing to first year law students.

In his time as a litigator and professor, Michael was dedicated to training and educating legal professionals. Now, he is honored to serve the New Mexico Judiciary and continue training legal professionals through his work at CEI.

Santana Kujawa holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; with graduate certificates in Online Instructional Design and eLearning, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University. He brings a strong background in education and instructional design to his role with the Court Education Institute.

Before joining CEI, Santana worked in K–12 education as a classroom teacher and instructional designer, developing curriculum and digital learning solutions for a wide range of learners. Through his graduate studies, he designed instructional projects focused on professional training, including scenario-based learning, multimedia courses, and interactive modules.

As Program Manager, Santana supports the Institute’s eLearning initiatives, including course development, instructional design projects, and the integration of innovative tools to enhance the judiciary’s training. He is passionate about creating accessible, practical, and effective learning experiences that empower court staff and advance the mission of the New Mexico Judiciary.