Meet the Board

Chris Mortensen. President 

As the president of the GMCS school board, Chris Mortensen is focused on ensuring that our students do not settle. He said, “Never be satisfied with second best. Never settle for the low expectations others may have of you.” This idea of striving for greatness is a central theme that presents itself throughout our board meetings and impacts the decisions that Chris makes as board president.   

Mr. Mortensen is a business owner in our community and his entrepreneurial expertise significantly contributes to the board. He is a graduate of Gallup High and all his kids currently attend or have attended GMCS schools. He believes in the value of GMCS stating, “GMCS is the best option to educate your kids in McKinley County….PERIOD.” When asked about what he is most proud of achieving as a school board member, he focused his answer back on the students saying, “I am most proud of the progress our kids are making. We take kids wherever they currently are and help them do better, help them to accomplish all of their goals.”   

Priscilla Benally. Member  

Priscilla Benally is all about equity and ensuring that our rural students receive the resources they deserve. She is a GMCS alumni and has had four children graduate from GMCS. When asked about some of her most proud moments as a school board member she said, “Over the years, our school district has achieved significant milestones and faced various challenges, like the fight for and getting our $24 million dollars in Impact Aid returned to our students, being the lead plaintiff in largest New Mexico education lawsuit called Yazzie/Martinez (this legal win has helped close the gap on unfairness for our students and brought millions of dollars to education), and developing and implementing the first GMCS strategic plan called Elevate 2025 that outlines our vision and how we will improve our children’s education.” Many have witnessed Ms. Benally critically question the strategies put in front of her and the other board members, and she is no stranger to having hard conversations that challenge others. Ms. Benally welcomes the opportunity to improve our district. Her focuses include continuing to advocate for educational equity, promoting up-to-date innovation in teaching and learning, and ensuring fiscal responsibility to maximize the resources available for our schools and staff.   

Pictured Left to right: Superintendent Mike Hyatt, Charles Long, Chris Mortensen, Priscilla Benally, Kevin Mitchell, Michael Schaaf

Charles Long. Vice President   

Charles Long has served on the GMCS school board since 2017, leveraging his political connections to help improve the district. His career began in the early 80’s when he was nominated as the Crownpoint Chapter President. From there, Mr. Long has served in several other capacities such as working as an Executive Staff Assistant to Leonard Haskie Administration and serving as the McKinley County Treasurer for 12 years. He was also a former GMCS school board president.   

            He believes our district is in great leadership hands with the current Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent stating, “He (Mike Hyatt) is very knowledgeable and I work with him very well. With the creation of a Deputy Superintendent, we created a system where we now have a strong leader to automatically step in if something were to happen to the Superintendent.”   

When asked about where he feels our district needs to improve Mr. Long stressed that the parents need to be more involved as partners with the schools. He stated. “There are always needs at the schools, but I think the biggest improvement that we need is working more closely with the parents. Parents need to be more engaged as partners with the school in order for their kids to be successful.”  

Kevin Mitchell. Member  

Kevin Mitchell has served on the GMCS school board for nearly 12 years and has seen GMCS go through many transitions. When asked about the achievement he is most proud of, he explained how he believed our district has made great strides within recent years. “I have seen so many accomplishments within the past 7 years. To see our budget and our financial status be the best that it has been in history has been good.” Mr. Mitchell’s entrepreneurial background makes him especially interested in the workings of the district. He has been a business owner for over thirty years. He attended Navajo Community College and Oklahoma State University, and he understands the importance of starting from the bottom and working your way up to the top.   

He feels passionate about making sure students have quality teachers in the classroom, and that those teachers stay with the district long enough to make impactful connections with the students, rather than leaving after a year or two. He prides himself on being an advocate for keeping the smaller, more rural schools open when their closure was in question years go. “When I came on board, we were trying to consolidate some of the schools, and I fought hard to keep those schools open because I believed they needed to stay open. And today our students are thriving in those schools.”   

Michael Schaaf. Secretary  

Mr. Schaaf is not shy about talking about GMCS. As a board of education member for 7 years, he has seen the district evolve from what he describes as a more tumultuous environment, to a smooth and high functioning school district. He lends his community leadership expertise to the district, as he also serves as a City of Gallup Council Member. Mr. Schaaf has a long list as to why he thinks GMCS is such a great district, but he also understands many of the challenges and opportunities for improvement that GMCS faces. When asked about where he feels the district needs to improve he stated, “Test scores can be better. We are moving in the right direction, but they can always improve.  We’re above the state average now but we need to keep going. Also, graduation rates…. that needs to improve too, and we’re really focused on that.”  

In Michael’s 7 years on the GMCS board of education he has seen many positive changes happen as well. When asked about his most proud achievement as a board of education member, he had no shortage of district wide accomplishments to refer to. He rattled off many positive things about GMCS saying, “There’s been so much that’s happened! Lincoln recently getting the National Blue Ribbon Award was wonderful. We have provided free meals for years now. We provide the students with all their supplies now, starting McKinley Academy, starting the Pathways program. So much. There’s more to come too!”