
TVAA Board of Directors
Rio Grande del Rancho
Sam DesGeorges - TVAA President
Sam’s background is in Wildlife Management, receiving his B.S. degree from New Mexico State University. He retired in 2015 as the Field Manager with the Taos Office of the Bureau of Land Management. His final project as Field Manager was the designation of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Along with serving on AA-CT’s board, he is presently engaged as President of the Taos Valley Acequia Association, Project Manager for the Acequia Madre del Rio Grande del Rancho and as a board member of New Mexico Wild. He also manages two farm properties that have been passed down through the generations in his family.
Amy Gonzales
Sam’s background is in Wildlife Management, receiving his B.S. degree from New Mexico State University. He retired in 2015 as the Field Manager with the Taos Office of the Bureau of Land Management. His final project as Field Manager was the designation of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Along with serving on AA-CT’s board, he is presently engaged as President of the Taos Valley Acequia Association, Project Manager for the Acequia Madre del Rio Grande del Rancho and as a board member of New Mexico Wild. He also manages two farm properties that have been passed down through the generations in his family.
Darlene Vigil
Darlene Vigil is a Taos County Commissioner and a life long resident of Taos New Mexico. She began her career in public service at the Taos County Assessor’s office in 1983, and retired after 31 years after being an assessor for 8 years. She is committed to maintaining traditional and cultural practices that benefit present and future generations in an ever changing world. She believes in the wisdom of the community and continually draws from it!
Darlene serves on the following boards of directors for entities that aspire to keep community in the forefront. These include New Mexico Association of Counties, National Association of Counties Agricultural and Rural Community Affairs, Taos County Cooperative Weed Management, Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area, Taos Valley Acequia Association, and Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC). She also is currently involved with the 100% Community Initiative working towards providing essential services for the entire county.
Rio Chiquito
John MacArthur - TVAA Executive Board Member at Large
John was born in Chicago, IL and raised in Marlboro, VT. He pursued a 2-year college education and completed a 4-year apprenticeship with Ray Bates, The British Clockmaker. John has been actively involved in various boards and committees, including serving as a commissioner for Acequia del Monte del Rio Chiquito and as a trail boss for Taos Saddle Club. In 1970, John moved to Taos and married his wife Pam in 1974, and together they bought land in Talpa. They built their house and over the years added shops, barns, arenas, and accumulated a quantity of farm equipment. He has been involved with Acequia del Monte del Rio Chiquito since that time and was elected commissioner in 2005. He co-manages administration of Talpa Reservoir. John had a cottage business (Johnny’s Fabco, decorative and construction welding), and worked for many of the top contractors in Taos and retired in 2017. Pam and John have a small horse-boarding business and grows hay. Both John and Pam are avid horseback riders and have extensively explored many of the high country and wilderness areas around Taos. He has made several high-grade regulator clocks during his work career, has won two national clockmakers craft competitions, and continue to make these time-pieces.
Darryl Maestas -
Sam’s background is in Wildlife Management, receiving his B.S. degree from New Mexico State University. He retired in 2015 as the Field Manager with the Taos Office of the Bureau of Land Management. His final project as Field Manager was the designation of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Along with serving on AA-CT’s board, he is presently engaged as President of the Taos Valley Acequia Association, Project Manager for the Acequia Madre del Rio Grande del Rancho and as a board member of New Mexico Wild. He also manages two farm properties that have been passed down through the generations in his family.
Carlos Arguello
Sam’s background is in Wildlife Management, receiving his B.S. degree from New Mexico State University. He retired in 2015 as the Field Manager with the Taos Office of the Bureau of Land Management. His final project as Field Manager was the designation of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Along with serving on AA-CT’s board, he is presently engaged as President of the Taos Valley Acequia Association, Project Manager for the Acequia Madre del Rio Grande del Rancho and as a board member of New Mexico Wild. He also manages two farm properties that have been passed down through the generations in his family.