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MPO board to develop executive director evaluation protocol after review of El Paso model and QAR notes
Summary
The Mesilla Valley MPO governing board asked staff to produce a locally tailored executive director evaluation protocol for consideration at its August meeting, after reviewing an El Paso MPO model and a state Quality Assurance Review.
The Mesilla Valley MPO governing board instructed staff on June 11 to draft a local evaluation protocol for the MPO executive director and present it for consideration at the August meeting, after discussing a draft process modeled on the El Paso MPO and reviewing findings from the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s Quality Assurance Review (QAR).
Andrew Ray, the MPO’s executive director, introduced a draft evaluation form used by the El Paso MPO and asked the governing board for guidance. Ray said the form would be adapted to the Mesilla Valley MPO and returned for board consideration in August. Several board members, including Trustee Johnson Buric and members with experience at other MPOs, said the El Paso form was an appropriate starting point and recommended tailoring it for local needs.
Board members and several attendees discussed process details. One practice described: the chair circulates the survey to board members, collects responses, reviews results with the director and brings any recommended actions back to the full board. Commissioner Gamaros and others suggested including a self-evaluation by the executive director as part of the packet; at least one member confirmed that practice had been used on a similar board.
The board also received the 2025 Quality Assurance Review from NMDOT. Ray summarized the QAR findings: overall the MPO was commended for efficient operations, but the QAR noted limited director attendance at some state meetings in the prior year. Ray said the absences were linked to a combination of lease negotiations, scheduling and litigation constraints and that he intends to increase his attendance going forward. Board members discussed the QAR note as constructive feedback and did not take adverse action at the meeting.
Action and decisions: the board agreed by consensus that staff should draft a Mesilla Valley MPO-specific evaluation instrument based on the El Paso format and present it at the August meeting for possible adoption. The board also requested inclusion of a director self-evaluation and follow-up on QAR recommendations.
Next steps: staff will prepare a draft evaluation protocol for the August agenda; the chair will circulate the form to board members when adoption is scheduled. The QAR will be published in the packet pages the board received and staff will follow QAR recommendations to increase engagement with state processes.
