COVER STORY

Betty Blea is Homes by Marie
by Lisa Ragsdale
Photos by Marie Leslie Photography

FEATURES

Meet the Young Women of Promise
Hair and Makup by Mark Pardo Salon & Spa
Photos by Consuelo Clemons Photography
Photos taken at Explora

Stars in Her Eyes
by Karen Keese

Betty Blea is Homes by Marie
by Lisa Ragsdale
Photos by Marie Leslie Photography

Marie Elizabeth Blea is in the business of making dreams come true. Betty, as she prefers to be called, is an attractive and engaging woman who began her custom home business, Homes by Marie, Inc., in 1990. Blea works closely with her clients to design and build new Southwestern and Tuscan-style custom homes in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas.

Blea’s first career in banking prepared her well for the challenges of working in a traditionally male-dominated field and is one of the main reasons for her present success in home building. She learned early on that she needed to affirm her professionalism and knowledge while working with men. She left banking to pursue her own business after attaining the position of vice president at Security Federal Bank, where she was the only woman executive. She says that at first, men were reluctant to work with her. One contractor asked her to “have her contractor call him.” She tends to take these moments in gracious stride. She understands that men are not used to women being knowledgeable and articulate about types of insulation, building codes, and concrete slab specifications. However, this is rarely the case now as women are becoming more involved in the home building enterprise. She estimates there are 25-30 women builders in the area.

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Meet the Young Women of Promise
Hair and Makup by Mark Pardo Salon & Spa
Photos by Consuelo Clemons Photography
Photos taken at Explora

The 2006 Young Women of Promise Awards is an inspiring event for the staff of New Mexico WOMAN . Each year we look forward to the arrival of letters from dozens of educators, parents, coaches, counselors, and friends who nominate enthusiastic, ambitious, creative, and goal-oriented young women. The selection process is difficult—in that there are so many unselfish, dedicated young women working on wonderful projects and doing terrific things in their schools and communities. These young women are making a difference.

The honorees here are the best of the best. They have committed hundreds (if not thousands) of hours on projects to make their communities a little better. They plan and participate in all sorts of activities to help the less fortunate. These young women work hard to reach their goals, and beyond that, they are role models for the next, younger generation.

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Stars in Her Eyes
by Karen Keese

Judy Stanley sits in her office, framed by a towering wall of plastic tubs, meticulously labeled “scissors,” “crayons,” “magnifiers,” and “flashlights.” The display is the hallmark of a veteran elementary teacher with nearly 20 years of classroom experience.

Stanley is director of education for the University of New Mexico LodeStar Astronomy Center. She is also the first female president of The Albuquerque Astronomical Society (TAAS), one of the largest astronomy organizations in the country, dating back to the 1950s.

She credits the ebullient astronomer Carl Sagan with igniting her passion for astronomy. Stanley relates, “I found Carl Sagan when I was a stay-at-home mom and he was on Phil Donahue talking about his book ‘Broca’s Brain.’ I went out and got that book and I read that book and I couldn’t understand it. I just didn’t have the foundation. I knew then that I needed to go back to school. Carl Sagan reached out across the airwaves and said that I could study science and that my being interested in science was natural and fun and really great. Then his television series ‘Cosmos’ came on, and I was hooked.”

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