Betty Sisneros Shover met her husband, William, while volunteering at a suicide prevention center in Albuquerque when both were students at the University of New Mexico in the early 1970s.

“I’ve come full circle,” she said.

It would be more than three decades before mental health work would again become a focus for Sisneros Shover, now 71.

When a close family member needed support following a mental health diagnosis, she plunged forward — reading, learning, reaching out.

She and her husband, then living in Denver, quickly became involved with the National Alliance of Mental Illness, an organization that provides free, peer-led education programs and support services for mental health patients and families, those with “lived experience.”

The couple became trained to teach other families how to navigate mental illness — treatments, resources, emotions — and learn how to advocate for loved ones.

“It’s interesting how, at the end of the class, people leave feeling more empowered and maybe have less anger, more empathy,” Sisneros Shover said.

After the family moved to Santa Fe, she became involved with the local NAMI affiliate about 13 years ago. She is now the board president, a support group leader, a co-trainer for the Family to Family education program, a fundraiser and a fierce advocate for policies and services that benefit people with mental health needs.

NAMI Santa Fe has become a calling for Sisneros Shover, whose hours of volunteer work with the group have earned her a spot as one of The New Mexican’s 10 Who Made a Difference for 2023.

The affiliate was small in years past, she said, but it has since grown and increased its profile. With a team of dedicated volunteers and just two part-time paid staffers — her daughter, Jessica Shover, is the executive director — NAMI Santa Fe has a seat at the table when it comes to public discussions on mental health and regularly lobbies the Legislature.

“We can have an effect on decisions being made about public policy or access to care,” Sisneros Shover said.

She lauded city and county officials and state lawmakers for their support for the organization, funded with small public and private grants and donations. “I really feel very fortunate that our government officials are showing up for us,” she said.

Sisneros Shover described NAMI Santa Fe as a brotherhood and a sisterhood. “We’re all really there for each other,” she said. “It’s a wonderful thing to have when you’re dealing with — you know, some of these illnesses are very serious.”

She declined to name the family member who inspired her to become involved with NAMI but noted the loved one also benefited.

“If I hadn’t found that help, I don’t know where we’d be,” she said.

William Shover, a longtime partner in his wife’s NAMI work, died nearly eight years ago.

A Southern California native whose family had deep roots in New Mexico, Sisneros Shover moved to Albuquerque with her family when she was 13. She graduated from UNM in 1974 and moved with her husband to the Denver area in 1980 as they pursued their careers, she as a software systems developer and he as an electrical engineer.

The couple, who raised a son and a daughter, spent about 30 years moving between Colorado, Washington, D.C., and New Mexico before moving to Santa Fe for “semi-retirement” in 2010.

Sisneros Shover became a partner in her father’s real estate business, based south of Belen. Sylvester Sisneros, 98, a World War II veteran, eventually asked her to buy him out of the business, which was “kind of his legacy,” she said. The work has afforded her time to dedicate to NAMI.

The couple’s daughter, who nominated Sisneros Shover for the 10 Who Made a Difference Award, called her mother an inspiring leader. “I have never seen her too tired to answer a phone call or email someone in immediate crisis,” Jessica Shover wrote in her nomination letter.

She said in an interview her mother encouraged her to participate in NAMI’s Family to Family class, which led her to become a volunteer as well.

“I think she makes people feel comfortable and accepted,” Jessica Shover said, explaining her mother’s ability to draw board members and volunteers. “... She’s just always working for the benefit of everybody.”

Michele Herling, a fellow NAMI volunteer who also nominated Sisneros Shover, called her a “consummate leader.”

“Many on the board have shared that Betty created a ‘working family’ board atmosphere with an emphasis on the word ‘family,’ ” Herling wrote in her letter.

Sisneros Shover isn’t resting on her laurels. She’s looking ahead to other areas where NAMI can have an effect.

She cited a workforce shortage that leaves patients waiting too long for critical treatment and a rising youth mental health crisis.

NAMI Santa Fe’s programs are now limited to adults but it hopes to expand to youth. Sisneros Shover is encouraging other stakeholders to get involved.

“People know us . ... NAMI has made a name for itself here in Santa Fe,” she said.

“I think why people look to us is because of our lived experience,” Sisneros Shover added. “We’ve been on that journey and we know what the issues are.”