Commissioners

Kim Smith Casford 

New Mexico Commissioner

Kim Smith Casford is a native New Mexican, born in Belen and raised in Los Lunas and Albuquerque, where she graduated from West Mesa High School and attended the University of New Mexico, focusing on American History.

Smith Casford has an extensive, 45-year background in the lodging industry in Chama, where she owned and operated several properties; the most recent, Vista del Rio Lodge, that she planned, designed, and built as a new property.

She has been involved with the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad for the past 23 years, in various positions and commitments, including Marketing Manager, Administrative Manager, General Manager, Community Relations Liaison and Chief of Staff.  During her tenure as General Manager, she received several awards, including Progressive Railroading magazine’s Woman of the Year, and the New Mexico Governor’s Commission on the Status of the Women’s Trailblazer award for excelling in a non-traditional role.  With Smith Casford’s appointment to the Commission in May of 2023, she becomes the first woman to serve as a New Mexico Commissioner.

Smith Casford is a past Vice President of the Democratic Women of New Mexico, a charter member of the Rotary Club of Chama Valley and serves on the Board of Directors for Las Amigas de Neuvo Mexico.  She is an active member of the Chama Valley Chamber of Commerce.

She is married, with 6 children, and enjoys living on their ranch west of Chama.