Experience Matters. Integrity Counts.
Joseph M. Maestas, PE, CFE
State Auditor
As a lifelong Northern New Mexican, Joseph has deep roots in our great State. He is the great grandson of a constitutional delegate, a land grant heir, and acequia water rights owner. He grew up on a small farm in Santa Cruz and raised in a family of public school teachers and military veterans. He has a bachelors and masters degrees in Civil Engineering. Joseph served our country for more than 30 years as a federal civil servant.
As a professional engineer, certified fraud examiner, and longtime public servant; State Auditor Maestas has a long track record of solving problems and challenging the status quo as an elected official. Prior to taking office as the State Auditor on January 1, 2023; he served as a chair and vice-chair of the Public Regulation Commission. During his tenure as a commissioner, he championed community access to solar energy and a just and equitable energy transition towards more renewable energy. He constantly strived to ensure proposed utility actions were in the public’s interest. As a city councilor in both Santa Fe and Española, and as the mayor of Española, Auditor Maestas fought for and implemented reforms and continued his career-long history of fixing problems, making government work better for his communities, and fighting for positive change. Joseph is bringing that same focus on changemaking to the Office of the State Auditor.