Floyd J. Trujillo

Floyd J. Trujillo, "The Greatest Coyote" led both the TTCS Governance Council and the TTCS Foundation for over two decades with inclusivity, fairness and a powerful and ambitious vision for serving students. At the age of 23, Floyd was the bright young parent of a TTCS student and was tapped to join the Governance Council. He did, and proceeded to make local history, building one of the most significant schools in all of New Mexico. I was fortunate to be able to see Floyd at his home on December 30, and he remarked to me that the doctors told him that aside from the cancer, he was otherwise healthy and may have six months to live. He was grateful, noting that he "still had a lot of work that he wanted to get done for the school." Floyd J. Trujillo was a mentor to me and so many others here at Turquoise Trail and I cannot express how much this loss hurts me personally. There is simply no one like him. In his last months, he would still meet with me for hours on end despite the immense physical challenges he was facing. He gave so incredibly much to a place that I care deeply about, and did so in a way that was nothing short of masterful. When he began, TTCS was very much rambling and free form and under Floyd's leadership, we have become home to nearly 750 students, built a middle school, we have a Governance Council that has never been stronger, our finances are impeccable, and our students are growing academically in significant ways. Before his passing, he was nominated and was designated to receive the "Excellence in Governance Award" from Public Charter Schools of New Mexico. The award will be presented to him posthumously at their ceremony later this month. We will be at work honoring his legacy at our school in ways that will hopefully live up to what he has done for countless members of our school community.