ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Former Bernalillo County Manager Julie Morgas Baca is taking on the new role of executive director of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta non-profit organization.
Morgas Baca will assume leadership of the organization on Sept. 3, a little over one month ahead of the 52nd Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. She succeeds Paul Smith, who has been with the organization for 27 years.
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“We are so pleased to welcome Jule Morgas Baca,” Judy Nakamura, president of the AIBF board of directors, said in a news release. “Her leadership track record, her impressive background, her contacts in community and government, make her the right choice for AIBF.”
The organization hired Berkhemer Clayton Retained Executive Search to pool candidates from around the nation. Morgas Baca served as county manager since 2015 before she retired in June.
“Leading the Fiesta is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Morgas Baca said in the news release. “I am honored and delighted to begin this new journey with such an influential board and accomplished team who are instrumental to the success of Fiesta.”
To view the full news release, click here.
