City Announces Key Staffing Updates

The City of Albuquerque has filled two critical leadership roles that work to ensure consistent delivery of services and citywide operations. Mariela Ruiz-Angel, previously the director of the Albuquerque Community Safety Department, is now the Associate Chief Administrative Officer (ACAO), and Nathan Martinez is the director of the General Services Department (GSD). Both individuals have extensive experience both in and outside of the City, and will continue to guide initiatives that secure better results for Albuquerque in their new roles.

“We are very fortunate to have both Mariela and Nathan continuing their work for the City in these new roles,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “They will play an important part in making sure both our workforce and our community are supported and provided with the critical services our families need.”

Mariela Ruiz-Angel, Associate Chief Administrative Officer

Mariela Ruiz-Angel is a proud Chicana, born and raised in the border city of El Paso, Texas. She understands the needs of diverse communities and works to empower, educate, and advocate for all Burqueños. Prior to her appointment as the Associate Chief Administrative Officer, she was the founding Director of the Albuquerque Community Safety Department. In her role leading the third branch of public safety, Ruiz-Angel has worked to ensure the department’s mission of advocating and promoting a citywide culture that values the voices of all residents. Under her leadership, ACS has taken more than 60,000 calls for service. ACS has diverted 5% of 911 calls from police, allowing police to concentrate on crime and allowing ACS to work with those dealing with mental and behavioral health issues. She brings to the City of Albuquerque an extensive background in education, business development, and corporate customer relations.

Ruiz-Angel is a bilingual leader who holds a Master of Business Administration in Human Resources and a Master of Social Work in Leadership and Administration.

As ACAO, Mariela will oversee the Office of Emergency Management, Albuquerque Community Safety, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, and Health, Housing, and Homelessness.

Mariela is filling the role left vacant after Bob White’s retirement at the end of last year.

Nathan Martinez, Director of General Services

Nathan Martinez is a born and raised native Burqueño. His proven leadership in managing multi-million-dollar facilities is decades-long and speaks to his exceptional skill set. Nathan will now be bringing his project management, public service and impactful team-building acumen to the City of Albuquerque as the new Director of the General Services Department (GSD). GSD manages all of the City’s buildings, houses our Metro Security team and Crossing Guard Division, and provides support to every City employee.
Nathan is a graduate of the University of Phoenix and Central New Mexico Community College, and has earned certifications in project management (PMP) and facility management (FMP).
Prior to this new role, Nathan managed a diverse portfolio of facilities at Sandia National Laboratories as Operations and Engineering Lead, where he partnered with architects, space planners and engineers to maximize facility sustainability.

This move is actually a return to public service for Nathan, as before his career at Sandia, he served both supervisory and managerial roles for the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.
In his free time, Nathan enjoys riding bike-riding and hiking with his wife Teresa and their Weimaraner Cal. The family is also big fans of exploring New Mexico in their RV.