SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced on Friday the appointments of Matthew Chavez as a Second Judicial District Court judge and Brenna Clani-Washinawatok as an Eleventh Judicial District Court judge.

Chavez will replace the Honorable Stan Whitaker, who retired from the Second Judicial District Court. Clani-Washinawatok will replace the Honorable Daylene Marsh on the Eleventh Judicial District Court following her retirement.

Chavez currently serves as Chief Legal Counsel to the New Mexico Department of Public Safety under Secretary Jason Bowie. Before his time with DPS, Chavez worked as a public defender in the Second Judicial District Office in Albuquerque. He graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law and was admitted to the bar in 2012.

Clani-Washinawatok, who currently works as a Child Support Hearing Officer, has provided legal counsel to the New Mexico Health Care Authority’s Child Support Services Division for over a decade. She graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law and was admitted to the bar in 2005.

Chavez’s appointment begins on March 15, and Clani-Washinawatok’s begins on March 1.