Join us for a heartfelt conversation about how one woman confronts racism and white privilege. Elaine has been a hero of mine for her commitment to social justice and personal responsibility. For a full transcript of this podcast please click here.

Elaine has been most active in public banking discussion in New Mexico since the fall of 2012 when the agency she volunteers with, Banking on New Mexico focused on ways to keep public dollars working for us at home, so our communities and all our residents can thrive. Subsequent research in our state and around the nation has convinced her that, with persistence in holding to our economic justice vision propelled with solid research and education about the public banking alternative, we can create a vibrant, economically healthy New Mexico.

Elaine recently served on the City of Santa Fe Public Bank Task Force.

"I grew up in a small town in western Tennessee when small business was still the center of a community’s economy. My father, a dairy farmer, taught me a powerful lesson when he set the family’s rules to buy only from dairy customers and from businesses providing local jobs. When Walmart arrived in Mayfield, he was quick to say, “this will be the death of downtown.” After my daughters were raised and I’d retired from organizational consulting work, my deep passion for the fair labor movement and reviving local economies took center stage. I am proud to have helped form the Santa Fe PFLAG Chapter (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and the groundbreaking Santa Fe Business Alliance, established to promote the importance of supporting locally-owned businesses and keeping more of our money circulating in our local communities. I advocated for the Living Wage Network and was a founding member of WeArePeopleHere! in 2011."