A juvenile detention center administrator has been named to a commission that oversees the independent state agency that provides legal representation to criminal defendants who can't afford lawyers.
Jeanne Quintero of Las Cruces was appointed to the Public Defender Commission by Gov. Susana Martinez for a term expiring June 30, 2015.
Quintero is superintendent of the J. Paul Taylor Center, which is part of the Children, Youth and Families Department.
She fills a vacancy caused by the resignation of ex-prosecutor and former district judge Susan Riedel, a Republican running for attorney general.
Quintero was a deputy district attorney in Dona Ana County when Martinez served as district attorney.
The commission oversees the Public Defender Department and has the power to hire and fire the chief public defender.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.