Our Board

Rod joined the board in spring 2017, not quite a year after his prostatectomy at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center. By the time he was in his mid-60s, Rod had been charting annual PSA readings; however, he now wishes he’d known about the significance of what such a collection of slightly increasing readings can mean. Upon his diagnosis, a relative urged him to go to PCSANM’s office, get to know people, and start becoming educated. He did.

Rod worked at Sandia National Labs for about 35 years in the public relations area. Rod continues to enjoy running events of various distances (maybe not marathons any longer), swimming (although he’s awful at it), and biking. There is also family of various generations and locations. A former college DJ and newspaper record review columnist, he’s got loads of music; he’d be happy to discuss with you.

After a 30-year career as an Air Force civilian preceded by an Army tour in Vietnam, Larry retired from a position in the Pentagon in 2000 and moved with his wife Carolyn back to Albuquerque, where they had previously worked at Kirtland AFB.  Larry especially liked New Mexico for its outdoor attractions.  He hiked every trail in the Sandia Mountains at least once and has worked on 134 projects with New Mexico Volunteers for the Outdoors on public lands throughout the state.  After retirement he co-authored a book on managing defense programs with a retired Secretary of the Air Force and wrote an award-winning history of sonic boom research for NASA.

In 2016, at the age of 72, Larry was diagnosed with an aggressive case of prostate cancer. He began treatment at the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center with Androgen Deprivation Therapy and underwent two months of External Beam Radiation in early 2017.  When his PSA kept rebounding, he began quarterly Lupron injections in 2019 and taking daily Nubeqa capsules in 2022.  To compensate for having no testosterone, he has followed a daily routine of long walks in the Sandia foothills with a heavy backpack and other weight-bearing and aerobic exercises.

Larry first became acquainted with the Prostate Cancer Support Association at its annual conference in 2018 and began attending its semi-monthly support group meetings (and wishes he had done so sooner).  He joined the Board of Directors in 2022 and became Secretary in December 2023.

Jeff joined the board in 2024.  In 2022 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  Fortunately for Jeff his wife had met a board member of the PCSANM which was instrumental in guiding Jeff and his wife through the process of getting treatment.  Following Jeff’s treatment and during his more than 2 years on hormone therapy Jeff became (and continues to be) active in the support group meetings.

Jeff spent 29 years as a staff member at Sandia National Laboratories.  He has an extensive history of long distance running, mountain biking, and roaming NM (and a lot of North America) in his Volkswagen Westphalia.  He is an avid snowboarder (with a little skiing too) and always looks forward to days at Taos Ski Valley in the winter.

David Naquin has called Albuquerque home since 1990. Over the course of his 40-year career, he held senior management and Board positions with local businesses and New Mexico Indian tribes, focusing on marketing and economic development. He retired in 2016.

Since retiring he has traveled to England, China (surviving COVID isolation), Africa, India and Italy.  More adventures are on the horizon.

Following several years of active surveillance for prostate cancer, a rise in PSA levels led to surgery in late 2020. After attending several Saturday meetings, David became active in PCSANM and joined the Board in early 2024. He lives in the Northeast Heights with his wife of 55 years.

Melissa joined the board in 2025 after being immersed in research to assist her husband Jeff with his treatment in 2022. She is delighted to provide a caregiver’s perspective and support a diverse opinion on the board.

Melissa works as a technical escalation manager for Oracle Corporation. She is a certified personal trainer with specialized training for bone and spine health with the BoneFit program. She also teaches Spin classes and enjoys learning about, and practicing, the mind body connection. In her free time, she enjoys so many different things, she is almost never home.