Board Member Profile

Lillian Montoya-Rael
Board Member
Principal, Flywheel Ventures

Lillian Montoya-Rael has over 20 years of direct work experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She is a seasoned operations professional with extensive leadership experience, proven expertise in strategic planning and implementation, financial planning/budgeting, and communications. She has a solid reputation for innovative and effective initiatives that are sustainable and for creating consensus around tough issues.

 Prior to joining Flywheel, launched LMR Consulting LLC, helping corporate and non-profit leaders navigate through everyday strategic and organizational challenges. Concurrently, she worked as a Wealth Management Advisor with Citi Smith Barney. Previously, she was the Director of the Community Programs Office at Los Alamos National Laboratory where she led strategic planning efforts, and the corresponding investments in regional education, economic development, and community giving. She was also the Executive Director of the Regional Development Corporation where she was one of the first economic development leaders to espouse a “regional approach” to regional diversification and development. Her experience also includes 12 years of state government employment where she was the Deputy Director at the NM Commission on Higher Education and State Cash Manager at the NM State Treasurer’s Office.

A native New Mexican, Lillian has distinguished herself as an active participant in many community, business and educational organizations and has been repeatedly featured as a New Mexico top business “Power Broker” by the New Mexico Business Weekly. She is currently a board member of the City of Santa Fe’s Business and Quality of Life Committee, New Mexico First, NM Appleseed, the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship, and the NM Business Roundtable for Educational Excellence.

Lillian received her BA and MBA from the University of New Mexico.