Allan Oliver is a left-of-center advocacy philanthropy official working as the executive director of the Thornburg Foundation, where he oversees the Foundation’s Strategic Initiatives and Community Funding grants. ¹

Prior to joining Thornburg Foundation, Oliver was a staffer for Democratic state officials in New Mexico including former Governor Bill Richardson (D). ²

Census Advocacy

Oliver is a co-chair of the New Mexico Counts 2020 Committee, which is made up of funders and key partners of the New Mexico Census Funder Collaborative’s state advocacy project, New Mexico Counts 2020. The two-year project intends to “assure that all New Mexicans are counted in the 2020 Census,” and the Committee is responsible for securing resources and funding for the project. ³

Oliver is a member of the Media and Messaging committee of i Count NM,⁴ a project of the Statewide Complete Count Commission (SCCC), established by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) in April 2019 to bring awareness to the 2020 Census, with resources focused on hard-to-count areas. ⁵ Oliver’s main concern for the 2020 Census is the federal funding that he believes the state will lose, due to a supposed undercount of young children in the 2010 Census. ⁶

Oliver is on the Leadership Team of the Funders Census Initiative (FCI), a project of the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP) that uses outreach, education, and resource development to promote philanthropic support for what is calls “a fair and accurate 2020 Census.” ⁷

Environmentalist Advocacy

Oliver established the Partnership for Responsible Business, and is the former CEO of the New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce (NMGCC), both of which promote the use of environmentalist energy. ⁸ In 2011, while with NMGCC, Oliver was a guest on the environmental and sustainability podcast Green is Good. ⁹

State Politics

Oliver formerly served as Cabinet Secretary-Designate, Deputy Secretary, Director of Cabinet Affairs, and Deputy Communications Director for the New Mexico Economic Development Department during the administration of former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D). ¹⁰

Oliver formerly served as a speechwriter for the Governor of New Mexico, as communications director for New Mexico Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish (D), and as deputy chief of staff for the New Mexico House Majority Leader. ¹¹

Oliver is a former state campaign director for the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), a former consultant with the Organization of American States, and former co-director of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. ¹²

1. “Staff.” Thornburg Foundation. Accessed January 26, 2020. https://www.thornburgfoundation.org/about-us/staff/.
2. “Allan Oliver.” LinkedIn, Accessed January 29, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/allan-oliver-884600/.
3. “About Us.” New Mexico Counts 2020. Accessed January 29, 2020. https://nmcounts2020.org/about/.
4. “Allan Oliver.” i Count NM. Accessed January 26, 2020. https://www.icountnm.gov/community-voices/allan-oliver/.
5. “About Statewide CCC.” i Count NM. Accessed January 29, 2020. https://www.icountnm.gov/about-statewide-ccc/.
6. “Allan Oliver.” i Count NM. Accessed January 26, 2020. https://www.icountnm.gov/community-voices/allan-oliver/.
7. “Leadership and Partnerships.” Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation, 2020. Accessed January 29, 2020. https://funderscommittee.org/fci-leadership-and-partnerships/.
8. “Staff.” Thornburg Foundation. Accessed January 26, 2020. https://www.thornburgfoundation.org/about-us/staff/.
9. “Seizing Green Opportunities in the Land of Enchantment with New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce’s Allan Oliver.” Green is Good, September 14, 2011. Accessed January 29, 2020. https://greenisgoodshow.com/episode/2011/09/seizing-green-opportunities-land-enchantment-new-mexico-green-chamber-commerce-allan-oliver/.
10. “Staff.” Thornburg Foundation. Accessed January 26, 2020. https://www.thornburgfoundation.org/about-us/staff/.
11. “Allan Oliver.” LinkedIn, Accessed January 29, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/allan-oliver-884600/.
12. “Allan Oliver.” LinkedIn, Accessed January 29, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/allan-oliver-884600/.