Albuquerque Personality Hazel Tull-Leach Joins NDI New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico (PRWEB) November 20, 2014 -- NDI New Mexico is proud to announce that Albuquerque personality Hazel Tull-Leach has joined the organization as Albuquerque Director of Development. Tull-Leach is known as a passionate advocate for children. For 18 years, she fundraised to support the University of New Mexico; 10 years in athletics and eight years as Executive Director of Development and Marketing for UNM Children’s Hospital. Prior to that, she helped build the UNM women’s basketball team as an assistant coach. Her voice is recognized throughout New Mexico from the seven years she spent as an announcer for the women’s basketball team.
“We are thrilled to have Hazel Tull-Leach join our executive team, leading development in Albuquerque,” says NDI New Mexico’s Executive Director Russell Baker. “Hazel brings together many qualities that are fundamental to our mission: professionalism, positivity, healthy living, relationship-building, a high standard of excellence, and caring for our children and community at large. She is such an admired advocate of children and we are proud to have her in our organization.”
“I love NDI New Mexico’s methodology, core principles, and focus on health and wellness through the arts, since childhood obesity is such an epidemic in this state,” says Tull-Leach. “Our public elementary schools are facing many challenges. NDI New Mexico’s methodology aligns with them and helps to reinforce and boost children’s academic performance. NDI New Mexico makes a difference and has real measurable outcomes.”
“Each day I learn more and more about how NDI New Mexico equips children with tools for success in education and in life. NDI New Mexico is inclusive and far-reaching, serving predominately at-risk children. This population of adolescents is from the same demographic I was helping while working for the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital.”
Tull-Leach graduated from Albuquerque's Cibola High School and then earned her B.A. in English, with a minor in Health Education, from Texas Tech University. While there, she played basketball for the women’s team, which led her to pursue coaching. She became the Assistant Coach for the UNM Women’s Basketball team in 1995 and helped build the team’s audience from only nine season ticket holders to over 10,000. Family circumstances caused her to relinquish coaching in 2000; however, she stayed in the athletic department and discovered she enjoyed raising funds for all 21 athletic teams. She eventually created the planned giving program called ‘Lobo Legacy,’ which successfully increased the athletic department’s endowment.
Tull-Leach is still approached by strangers who recognize her voice as one of the radio broadcasters covering the UNM Women’s Basketball team. She was in this role for seven years and then transitioned to working for UNM Children’s Hospital. While at UNM Children’s Hospital, Tull-Leach added all five UNM hospitals and its many clinics to her portfolio to address the organization’s wider-reaching financial needs.
She began working for NDI New Mexico in the summer of 2014. Tull-Leach is happy to have come full circle, working again for an organization that serves a population so close to her heart. With the completion of The Hiland Theater renovation, Tull-Leach will be working with the board and staff of NDI New Mexico to build a solid foundation of support for the organization’s programs. “Having grown up in Albuquerque, and being here with an organization that impacts the lives of so many children in positive ways, it is really important to me to help build out our capacity. We must continue to inspire children to work hard, do their best, never give up, and be healthy. I learned the NDI New Mexico Core Four through sports; I am so excited now to do my part to bring them to children through the invaluable NDI New Mexico programs.”
ABOUT NDI New Mexico: NDI New Mexico is a 501(c)(3) founded in 1993 which inspires children to work hard, never give up and do their personal best through multi-faceted programming. NDI-NM uses dance as the medium for helping children to develop discipline, a standard of excellence, and a belief in themselves that will carry over into all aspects of their lives. NDI-NM partners with public schools and state agencies to provide classes to thousands of children in underserved communities throughout New Mexico. Our statewide programming reaches more than 9,000 students and classroom teachers in 91 schools annually. In Albuquerque, NDI New Mexico is located at the Hiland Theater, 4800 Central Avenue SE. In Santa Fe, NDI New Mexico is located at The Dance Barns, 1140 Alto Street. For more information, visit http://www.ndi-nm.org.
Alexandra Pratt, JLH Media, http://www.jlhmedia.com, +1 505 310 2489, [email protected]
Share this article