FEATURED CANDIDATE - JON BARELA
New Mexico's 1st Congressional District - DONATE NOW
Jon Barela has served the people of New Mexico as a public servant and community leader for over 25 years. Committed to making New Mexico more competitive and prosperous, Jon wants to represent the community he’s called home for over two decades in the U.S. Congress.
A distinguished career in serving the People of New Mexico:
Jon’s public service career began shortly after receiving his bachelor’s degree in History and Diplomacy from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C., when he joined the congressional staff of legendary New Mexico Congressman Joe Skeen. As a senior aide to the Congressman, Jon became an expert on the House appropriations and legislative process. While working for Congressman Skeen, Jon earned his law degree from Georgetown in 1987, receiving many academic awards and scholarships.
Jon returned to New Mexico in 1987 and joined the Modrall Law Firm. Four years later, he answered the call to public service again to become New Mexico’s Assistant Attorney General and Director of the Civil Division. In this role, Jon led unprecedented efforts to enforce and educate the public about New Mexico’s open meetings and public records laws. He drew praise from a number of newspapers around the state during his tenure for promoting transparency and other accomplishments.
A commitment to outreach and community service:
In 1993, Jon joined Intel as its community and government relations manager. He set company benchmarks for outreach into underrepresented communities and was awarded the Intel Achievement Award, the company’s highest and most selective honor. Jon serves on numerous non-profit boards of directors and is passionate about making New Mexico a better place to live and work. Jon has made competitiveness and improving education central themes in his chairmanship of several significant organizations, including the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce (one of the country’s largest Hispanic chambers), New Mexico First (the state’s leading nonpartisan public policy group), New Mexico’s Work Force Development Board, and the Albuquerque Public Schools Foundation. He most recently served on the Albuquerque Public Schools Board, helping oversee operations of one of the country’s largest school districts. His commitment to Greater Albuquerque and his community service results has earned Jon distinction as one of state’s “power brokers” by the New Mexico Business Weekly.
Jon has since left Intel to become an entrepreneur. He sits on the board of directors of Cerelink, a local technology start-up business.
He is married to Gina Barela and has three children, John Paul, Christiana, and Joseph. Jon’s parents, John and Edna, reside in Las Cruces, where Jon was born and raised and attended public school.
