Rio Rancho names Karissa Culbreath as deputy mayor

Karissa Culbreath moved into one of Rio Rancho’s most visible backup roles when the City Council chose her as deputy mayor in a unanimous vote. The May 14 decision put the District 5 councilor at the center of Mayor Paul Wymer’s new administration as the city heads into budget talks, capital planning and other decisions that will shape daily life in Sandoval County’s largest city.

The post is not ceremonial in Rio Rancho’s system. The city is governed by six council members elected from six separate districts and a full-time mayor elected at-large, and the deputy mayor presides over governing-body meetings when the mayor is away. The deputy mayor can also step in at community events when Wymer cannot attend, making the role one of the city’s main public-facing leadership posts.

The council’s choice came after the April 14 runoff and gave the new administration a quick start on building a working leadership team. Jeremy Lenentine, who had served as deputy mayor from April 2022 to May 2026, nominated Culbreath. The council confirmed her without dissent, signaling an early consensus inside the governing body even as the rest of Wymer’s team is still taking shape. Wymer was elected mayor in April 2026 to a four-year term, and the District 4 seat he left on April 30 is being filled separately, with applications open through May 26 at noon.

Culbreath’s rise also reflects continuity inside city hall. She was first appointed to the council on Dec. 10, 2020 to fill a District 5 vacancy, then won four-year terms in March 2022 and again in March 2026. A University of New Mexico scientist with a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from Vanderbilt University, she serves as medical director of infectious diseases at TriCore Reference Laboratories and as an associate professor of pathology at the UNM Health Sciences Center. She has lived in Rio Rancho since 2012.

The deputy mayor slot now sits at the center of a city that is still managing growth, road reconstruction, channel work and street improvements while reviewing its fiscal year 2027 budget and capital program. Culbreath’s elevation means she will be one of the people most likely to represent Rio Rancho when meetings, public events and council debates put pressure on the new administration’s early agenda.