Education Committee

Matthew Gonzales is the Southwest State Affairs Director for the Consumer Energy Alliance with direct oversight of New Mexico, West Texas, Colorado and Arizona. He specializes in state policy and advocacy strategy focused on natural resource development across industries and sectors.

Matthew has over a decade of experience as a natural resources and public policy advisor, with expertise in developing successful procedural and legislative strategies that get clients the advocacy results they want. Matthew’s previous roles include Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Relations for the Association of Commerce & Industry of New Mexico, Director of the New Mexico Good Neighbor Program for the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association, Village Administrator for the Village of Cimarron and Government Affairs Director for New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau. Most recently, Matthew played an integral role in helping shape and negotiate key pieces of agriculture and natural resource legislation including the Pecan Buyers Licensure Act of 2018, the Healthy Soil Act of 2019, the Hemp Manufacturing Act of 2019, the Produced Water Act of 2019, and others.

As State Affairs Director for the Southwest, Matthew monitors all state activities affecting CEA Members and leads the Association’s lobbying activities in Santa Fe, Denver and Phoenix. Matthew is actively engaged in efforts to shape energy, environment, and natural resource policy development through educational outreach and direct advocacy.

Matthew is an Air Force veteran that served overseas in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. He is currently in his second term as a Council Member for the Village of Cimarron and he has served on the Cimarron Municipal Schools' Board of Education. He is a Member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and a Life Member of the VFW. Matthew has a home in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains of Northeast New Mexico where spends his free time fly fishing and exploring with his rescue pit bull, India.

George L. Smith II, RCE, is the Executive Director of the Commercial Association of REALTORS® New Mexico (CARNM), where he leads the organization’s strategic direction, operations, governance, advocacy, and member services on behalf of New Mexico’s commercial real estate industry. Since joining CARNM in 2020, he has helped strengthen the association through organizational growth, operational improvements, and enhanced member engagement while overseeing the Commercial Information Exchange (CIE).

George is a REALTOR® Association Certified Executive (RCE) and holds the ASAE Certificate in Association Management. He serves on the National Association of REALTORS® RCE Certification Advisory Board and as Chairman of the Board for LifeROOTS. In addition to leading CARNM, he provides association management services for CCIM New Mexico, IREM New Mexico, and SIOR New Mexico. A strong advocate for professional development and volunteer leadership, George is passionate about building high-performing organizations that deliver meaningful value to their members and the communities they serve.

As a transformational association executive with 28+ years of experience, I’ve had the privilege of leading mission-driven organizations through strategic growth, digital innovation, and operational excellence. From revitalizing membership strategies and launching AI-powered tools to orchestrating global chapter development and brand strategy, I’ve built a career on driving measurable impact.

Currently, I serve as Chief Membership Experience Officer at RIMS, where I oversee membership, marketing, and chapter engagement for a global network of risk professionals. I thrive at the intersection of strategy and execution — whether leading a $500K website transformation, spearheading data-driven marketing campaigns, or empowering volunteer leaders through training and best-practice sharing.