Governor announces new appointments

New Mexico’s governor on Thursday announced two new appointments to the state’s public education and police departments.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced these new members to her administration:

• Jason Bowie, deputy chief of the Rio Rancho Police Department, as secretary of the Department of Public Safety;

• Kurt A. Steinhaus, educator, education administrator and recently retired superintendent of Los Alamos Public Schools, as secretary of the Public Education Department.

Bowie relieves Timothy Q. Johnson, who led the department in an acting capacity since late September 2020. Before that, Johnson, a 21-year veteran of the state police, had served as deputy secretary and chief of New Mexico State Police, a division of the state public safety agency. He will return to that leadership role under Bowie; Robert Thornton, who served as chief while Johnson served as acting secretary, will return to his previous role as deputy chief.

Steinhaus, who retired from the Los Alamos school district in June, will take over for Secretary Ryan Stewart, who led the public education agency since August 2019. Stewart will step down at the end of August to address family health issues.