Thaddeus Lucero

As Bernalillo County’s Chief Administrative Officer, County Manager Thaddeus Lucero oversees the operation of four divisions, 25 departments and some 2500 employees.

Since his appointment as County Manager, he has overseen numerous large scale, historic projects including the multi-million dollar South Valley Drinking Water Project; the transition of the Metropolitan Detention Center to the County in July 2007 and the expansion of the Community Custody Program; a Juvenile Detention Center initiative that has reduced the facilities’ population from 5000 to 3000 or fewer residents per year through the use of progressive, alternative programs; the opening of MATS, a public, substance abuse treatment facility that provides a continuum of care along with a transitional housing component; the opening of South Valley Health Commons offering a wide range of comprehensive health care; and the completion of the Edith Boulevard reconstruction project. He also implemented the County’s two-year budget cycle and maintains a moderate budget with continued stable growth in main revenue sources including gross receipts and property taxes resulting in a healthy bottom line. Under his budget leadership, Bernalillo County now has a AAA Bond Rating which is the highest rating of any county in the State of New Mexico.

He was born and raised in the North Valley and graduated from Valley High School. In 1977 he moved to Seattle, Washington where he graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Urban Planning in 1981. He attended the JFK School of Government-Harvard University Program for Senior Executives in July 1996. He is currently a member of the American Planning Association, a non-profit public interest and research organization representing 39,000 practicing planners, officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues; and of National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), an organization that enhances governance skills and deepens the understanding of critical policy issues, and of Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), an organization which promotes the professional management of governments for the public benefit

“I was honored to be selected to the board,” Lucero said. “The Atrisco Heritage Foundation has made such strides and it has been such a thrill to be a part of it”.