Melanie A. Kenderdine resigns as EMNRD secretary – Erin Taylor will serve as acting cabinet secretary

SANTA FE – Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced today that Melanie A. Kenderdine, secretary of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD), will resign for personal reasons effective today.

“Melanie brought national energy expertise to New Mexico, and I’m grateful for her contributions at EMNRD. I wish her well,” Lujan Grisham said.

Erin Taylor, deputy cabinet secretary, will serve as Acting Cabinet Secretary of EMNRD.

Kenderdine joined the administration in May 2024. Before her appointment, she served as co-founder, principal and executive vice president of the Energy Futures Initiative, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on clean energy transition. She also held high-level positions at the U.S. Department of Energy in both the Obama and Clinton administrations.

Taylor brings extensive experience in energy planning, environmental regulation and stakeholder engagement. She previously held leadership roles at EMNRD supporting the Energy Conservation and Management Division and Mining and Minerals Division. She was appointed deputy cabinet secretary in April.

Prior to returning to EMNRD, Taylor served at the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of State and Community Energy Programs, where she oversaw large-scale technical assistance initiatives for governments in all 56 states and territories. She also served as the state liaison for the federal Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization.

Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Pennsylvania State University, a postgraduate diploma in sustainable rural development from the University of Aberdeen, and a master’s degree in environmental policy and management from the University of Denver.