New Mexico Representative Brings Experience From the Education Frontlines to Her House Seat

"Being a committee chair or majority leader is powerful," says New Mexico Representative Mimi Stewart (Flemming Fellow ’97). "But you can do a lot — sometimes even more — outside the formal leadership circle."

Stewart’s experience in the policy world did not begin in the legislative arena. Her work outside these circles gave her the desire to pursue elected office. A special education teacher and past field representative for the American Federation of Teachers, Stewart ran for office because she found it so frustrating that legislators failed to understand the intricacies of New Mexico’s public school funding formula.

Now, as a member of an education study committee, Stewart continues her battle to make education a top priority among legislators. She has shaped spending options for local districts to focus on needs outside of regular school days and years: early childhood development, full day kindergarten, summer academic programs and before- and after-school programs.

Stewart has more than once taken on powerful industries and won. Her first year in office, Stewart introduced legislation to expand the rights of mobile home residents against the powerful lobbies of realtors and manufactured homebuilders.

Stewart continued her advocacy for victims of domestic violence in the 1999 session by steering two bills into law, one requiring that state courts recognize protection orders issued in other states.