Los Alamos schools board appoints Elisa Baker to District 1 seat

Los Alamos Public Schools has filled its District 1 vacancy with Elisa Baker, putting a White Rock parent and Los Alamos National Laboratory leader into the seat that represents Piñon Elementary School and helps shape the decisions that matter most to parents, teachers and taxpayers.

Baker will be sworn in at the start of the May 12 School Board meeting, ending the vacancy created when Dr. Margie Serrato resigned effective March 26 after citing “pressing family obligations that demand an expeditious relocation.” District 1 covers Piñon Elementary, making the appointment especially consequential in a part of the county where school leadership and neighborhood life are tightly linked.

The Los Alamos Public Schools Board has five members, each representing one of five districts in Los Alamos County and serving four-year terms. The district adopted its current boundary maps on November 8, 2022, a reminder that the seat Baker is taking is part of a defined countywide governance structure, not a symbolic role.

Three people applied for the opening: Baker, Stephanie Galvez and Katie Mussack. The board heard from all three at a public forum on April 6 before selecting Baker on April 14. Board President Sondra Wyman said the board welcomed Baker and pointed to the way she described herself at the forum, emphasizing her ability to get to the root of complex issues, her respect for student voice and her support for transparency with the community.

Galvez highlighted nearly 25 years of experience managing complex projects and budgets, while Mussack framed the position as service to students, teachers, staff and families. Baker brought a different mix of credentials to the table: more than 20 years living in Los Alamos County, a leadership role at Los Alamos National Laboratory and a third grader at Piñon Elementary. Those connections gave the board a candidate already rooted in the county’s biggest institutions and its daily school-life concerns.

Baker said she looked forward to working with the board and Superintendent Jennifer Guy over the coming year as the district continued pursuing community goals. She also thanked the board for its confidence and thanked White Rock community members who reached out with encouragement.

The appointment lands at a moment when continuity matters. Los Alamos Public Schools says it serves 3,729 students across eight schools, and the district was named the 2025 New Mexico School Boards Association Large District School Board of the Year for governance, advocacy, training and community engagement. With Baker in place before the May 12 meeting, District 1 will have a vote again as the board moves through the spring calendar and its next round of decisions for Los Alamos County schools.