By KRWG News
New Mexico – RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRWG) Longtime New Mexico governmental official Lou Gallegos has died at the age of 72.
Gallegos was chief of staff for former Republican Gov. Gary Johnson and former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici. He also served in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Interior departments.
Gallegos died Saturday after a long illness.
Gallegos served as Johnson's chief of staff from 1995 to 2001. He helped coordinate implementation of a welfare-to-work program and managed care administration of Medicaid.
Gallegos was Domenici chief of staff in 1980-84, and an assistant secretary in the Interior Department in 1989-90.
He was secretary of the Human Services Department under former Gov. Garrey Carruthers.
After leaving the Johnson administration, Gallegos was an assistant secretary of agriculture until retiring in 2003.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. KRWG