New Leadership Comes Full Circle at CAV
It has been quite a journey that brought me to this place and my time as the executive director of CAV, Community Against Violence.
I was born and raised in this community by a large extended family: parents who taught me how to hope, to love and to never let anything hold me back; grandparents who taught me what family and hard work meant; aunts and uncles who helped define my core values; cousins who are my siblings and daughters who teach me every day about the person I aspire to be.
It is this family that taught me the importance of community, what resilience is, and that hope can change everything — and that being a woman of Hispanic culture should never be a barrier to success.
I have a story — everybody does — but that story does not define me. It allows me to approach the work I do every day with an open heart. That heart allows me to have passion, empathy and kindness for all those who walk through CAV’s doors.
When I was approached with the opportunity to become the next executive director of CAV, there was no question I would choose to proceed on this path. It is where I am supposed to be.
My journey with CAV began as a teenager, when I became one of the first teen self-defense instructors in the country through CAV. Of course, I did not know at the time that I would come full circle 35 years later.
CAV means many things to me, but mostly it means hope. With every opportunity we have, we remind the community that hope happens here. It is hope that provides our staff the lens and support to bring their most authentic selves to the “heart” work that they do every day. The staff of CAV is the reason we exist: They breathe life into the work we do. I could not be more humbled or proud to be chosen to lead our team.
My professional experience has been in the world of nonprofits. Over the last 25 years, I have been able to experience community work in a variety of environments and with many different communities and cultures. I bring all of those experiences to my work at CAV, and it is the lessons I have learned along the way that allow me to bring my authentic self to my role at CAV.
I am excited to re-introduce CAV and the services we offer to the community. I am also looking forward to the community having the opportunity to get to know me and what I bring to CAV.
I would be remiss if I did not thank those who came before me over the last 46 years. It is their passion that has laid the foundation for me to be able to step into this role. Malinda Williams, CAV’s executive director for the last 26 years, has worked tirelessly to create capacity within CAV to provide the multitude of services we offer. She understood what it meant to serve a rural community and has worked to extend the reach of CAV services to several counties beyond Taos County.
She also spent the last year working with myself, the staff and the board of directors to make sure the leadership transition was seamless, allowing our staff to feel comfortable with the transition.
Thank you, Malinda, for trusting me to carry CAV into the future.
Joella Ann Montoya is the executive director of Community Against Violence (CAV), which offers free confidential services for child and adult survivors of sexual and domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and child/elder abuse; community and school violence prevention programs; re-education groups for people using power and control in their relationships; counseling; shelter; transitional housing; and a community thrift store. To talk to someone or for more information on services, call CAV’s 24-hour helpline at 575-758-9888, or text CAV's 24 hour textline at 575-770-2706. Visit CAV online at taoscav.org.
