Our Team
Karina Armijo, Director
Karina Armijo comes to the Outdoor Recreation Division with 27 years of experience supporting small businesses and events in Northern New Mexico in both the public and private sectors. After receiving a B.S. in Design from the University of Cincinnati, Karina spent time at Los Alamos National Laboratory working in the communications department.
She later continued her career in the private sector providing creative and web design services for the tourism and outdoor recreation-related industries. Most recently, she spent eight years with the Town of Taos as the first Director of Marketing and Tourism, developing and managing local and regional programs to support businesses and events throughout the Enchanted Circle. Outside of work, Karina enjoys spending time in the outdoors, whether learning a new activity like fly fishing or tackling her lifelong love of trail running and hiking; she finds exploring and recreating in the great outdoors her sanctuary.
Now Hiring - Marketing OUTREACH Coordinator
The application closes April 26, 2024. Candidates can be located anywhere in New Mexico! Apply now. Marketing Outreach Coordinator (EDD#10114080)
The Marketing Outreach Coordinator for the Outdoor Recreation Division plays a crucial role in advancing our mission by promoting key initiatives and managing communications for vital programs such as the Trails+ Grant program, the Outdoor Equity Fund, and the Outdoor Business Accelerator program.
This position serves as the linchpin of our outreach efforts, engaging stakeholders across various channels including social media platforms, bi-monthly e-newsletter, press releases, and website updates.
AJ Jones, Deputy Director
AJ Jones is an outdoor enthusiast with nearly a decade of both marketing and natural resource management experience, including wildland firefighting. Their love for outdoor recreation work started with her first position as a teen with YCC in Oregon. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environment, planning, and design, a master’s degree in community and regional planning, and a master’s degree in water resources with a focus on policy from the University of New Mexico. They have guided marketing and design for dozens of businesses, with promotions seen in state, national and international media; and her branding and design work graces several iconic places. AJ has also been a part of several habitat restoration and ecological study projects over the years including UNM’s Sustainable Water Resources Grande Challenge and BEMP’s Advanced Internship studying burn sites in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque. She has called New Mexico home since 2007 when they moved for college and has been enchanted ever since. AJ spends their time between Albuquerque and Taos with her extended family.
Alongside their career, AJ can be found running through the woods searching for tents with food, a.k.a. doing ultra-marathons. They also enjoy spending time on the beautiful trails of New Mexico backpacking with their spouse and dog, advocating for gender-inclusive running races, and gardening.
Carl colonius, Outdoor Recreation Planner
Carl Colonius is a long-time resident of northern New Mexico. In 1995, he co-founded Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in Taos, and was the Executive Director until transitioning out of the organization after 20 years in 2014. In 2011, he was honored by Obama’s White House as a Champion of Change for his work to align marginalized youth with sustainable employment. In 2012, Carl was awarded Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award by his alma mater, Carleton College. In 2014, he was recognized as an Unsung Hero of Taos by the Taos News. Recent projects include working with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions on national service expansion in New Mexico, assisting in the development of the Enchanted Circle Trails Plan, then fronting the Enchanted Circle Trails Association, and supporting strategic partnerships and organizational capacity through Colonius Consulting.
Carl lives in Arroyo Hondo north of Taos, has been married to Romy for 23 years, and has three children, all graduates of Taos High School. Carl skis, bikes, kayaks, backpacks, gardens, assigns chores, is a parciante on the Acequia Madre del Llano, and can be found tooling around the West in his airstream.