Concha Ortiz y Pino


Maria Concepcion "Concha" Ortiz y Pino de Kleven was an American politician from New Mexico. In 1936, she became the sixth generation of her family to serve in the New Mexico legislature. Her father, Jose Ortiz y Pino, spent 10 years in the state House of Representatives. In 1941, at age 30, she became Democratic majority whip, the first woman to hold such a position in state government. President Kennedy appointed her to the National Council of Upward Bound. Ortiz y Pino founded the state's first educational program dedicated to traditional Hispano crafts, the Colonial Hispanic Crafts School, in Galisteo in 1929. She advocated for bilingual education, disabled and women's rights.
In 2004m Governor Richardson named the building for the Office of the State Engineer after her.

Early life and education

Born May 23, 1910 to Jose Ortiz y Pino and Paula Ortiz an elite land-owning family in Galisteo, New Mexico. She graduated from Loretto Academy in 1928.
After taking college classes at the University of New Mexico, she received her Bachelor's degree in 1942 as the first degreed recipient in Inter-American Affairs.

Career

At the age of 26, Ortiz y Pino Kleven became the sixth generation of her family to serve in the New Mexico Legislature, the youngest American woman elected to state office, and the third Hispanic woman legislator in the United States. In her first term she earned the respect of her colleagues with her determination, leadership and intelligence as she was assigned to five committees; corporations and banks, educational intuitions, judiciary, livestock and roads.

Presidential appointments

appointed her to the Nation Council of Upward Bound, which provides high school students access to mentors, after-school tutoring, academic advising and opportunities for career and leadership development. Lyndon B. Johnson later asked her to serve on the national commission on Architectural Barriers, which created the 1968 standards issued under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Similar standards apply to building and sites funded by the Federal government under Architectural Barriers Act of 1968. She also served on the National Humanities Council as an appointee of Gerald Ford. After leaving politics, she served on several community boards until her death on September 30, 2006.

Personal life

In 1943, she married Victor Kleven, her former professor. They operated a family ranch for several years in Agua Verde until 1956 when her husband died. She died in Santa Fe, New Mexico on September 30, 2006.