By KRWG News
New Mexico – Gov.-elect Susana Martinez announced Monday she is nominating the warden at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants to lead the state Department of Corrections.
If the nomination is confirmed by the state Senate, Lupe Martinez would become the first woman confirmed as a corrections secretary in New Mexico's history.
Lupe Martinez, no relation to the governor-elect, has 25 years of experience in the corrections department.
She began her career as a classification officer and worked her way up through the ranks. She also has served as warden at the Roswell Correctional Facility and the Fort Stanton Correctional Facility.
She was a deputy warden at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Las Cruces.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.