How a small-town Hispanic girl became CFO

Delfinia Salazar’s story begins like that of many Hispanic New Mexicans. She was born into a large family in a rural town, surrounded by extended family where religion played a significant role. She was raised in a humble home with parents who sometimes struggled to make ends meet and taught to work hard because nothing in life comes easy.

But each new chapter Delfinia writes in her story is proving anything but typical. This small-town New Mexico girl, who was often told a Hispanic woman couldn’t go to college, has achieved what she never even saw in her future: becoming the chief financial officer at Sandia.

Delfinia, known as Del to most, is the second Hispanic woman to hold this position. This alone is an admirable achievement, but Del’s story makes this accomplishment even more remarkable.

Growing up in New Mexico

“I was told that girls like me shouldn’t aspire to do more than raise a family,” Del said. But Del was determined to carve her own path. “If I was told I couldn’t do something, I naturally told myself I was going to do it.”

It’s something Del had to remind herself of many times throughout her life.

From a young age, Del had a love for reading. She learned at 3 years old. Living 45 minutes from Santa Fe in Chupadero, a tiny town that she says isn’t technically considered a town, Del always looked forward to the Bookmobile’s visits. “When I was little, I couldn’t wait for it to come so I could get a grocery sack full of books.”

It was the beginning of what she calls “her love of constant learning.” No one in her family had graduated from college, but Del never doubted that she would. Taking college courses while still in high school, Del had a plan for her future.

Life’s challenges

Then life, as it sometimes does, had other plans. In Del’s case, it brought what she calls an “unexpected blessing.” She became pregnant at 17 years old. “Nothing I can’t handle,” Del told herself. She and her now-husband Gregory still had big plans.

Then, just 28 weeks into her pregnancy, Del gave birth to their son Jesse. He weighed 2 pounds, 8 ounces. He was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of New Mexico Hospital. Del had to stay behind, as Jesse’s father went with him.

“That was the most challenging night of his life, watching what was happening to our son,” she said. “They let my husband hold our son that night, telling him he likely wouldn’t survive. When I was able to get there the next day, it was a life-changing moment for me — for who I needed to be as a person, as a mom, as a partner.”

It wasn’t easy. “We sacrificed a lot. We had to quit our jobs in Santa Fe. I failed a semester of classes. We didn’t know where we were going to stay each night or where our meals would come from, but we had to be there for our son,” Del said.

She leaned on her family and her faith.

“Being a mother flipped a switch in me. I told myself, ‘he will make it. We are going to make it through this,’” Del said. “I just would not let myself believe he was not going to get better.”

Molding her future

Del’s optimism paid off. Her son did get better, but it took time. Through it all, Del continued to work toward her future. She earned her high school diploma and continued her studies in community college. Del’s passion was reading and numbers, leading her to pursue finance and accounting.

However, Del’s experience was far from traditional. She didn’t walk the stage on graduation day, live as a student on a college campus or go out with friends. “I was focused on being a mother and reaching the next milestone that I knew I had to achieve. Obtaining those degrees and securing the best job I could get to support my family were my priorities. I had to ensure I had a good career going forward.”

Del went on to earn an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree with a dual major and three master’s degrees. By her side the whole time were her husband and son, sometimes literally.

“I sometimes had to take my son to class with me,” Del said. “We would go to the duck pond and then to class, especially when I worked at UNM and taught classes in grad school. He would sit and take notes. He was just a little guy learning to read at the time.”

Del reflects on it as another blessing. Little did she know at the time, she was molding his future too.

“He lived through it with us. He saw our dedication, working multiple jobs while taking classes. It was amazing to hear him say, ‘After I go to college, I’m going to Disneyland,’ or ‘After I go to college, will you have cookies for me?’ There was never a doubt that college was his next step, even when he was so little,” Del said.

Finding a place at Sandia

Del’s hard work eventually earned her a spot at Sandia. She started as an intern in 2003. Seven months later, she was hired full time and slowly began climbing the ladder. Del has served in many roles during her more than 20 years at Sandia but it’s her latest role as CFO that she considers her “unimaginable future.”

She credits part of her success to her mentor Bonnie Apodaca, the first Hispanic woman to hold the CFO title at Sandia.

“She brought me into her office one day to talk about my aspirations, which at the time didn’t include CFO. She then asked me, ‘Why aren’t you aspiring to sit in my chair?’ It was eye-opening. I realized I was putting limitations on myself because I was a female and minority. That day changed my momentum at the Labs.”

Del began as CFO in April 2024. While it is a significant accomplishment, Del said “pride” isn’t necessarily the word she would use to describe it.

“I feel gratitude more than anything,” she said. “Gratitude for those who have supported me. I am grateful for the intelligence, sense of humor and work ethic passed on to me from my parents. I am grateful for my husband and our son for cheering me on. I am grateful for the opportunities afforded to me at Sandia. I am grateful for the amazing career that I’ve had and being able to explore and contribute in different ways to our important mission.”

How far she’s come

Del’s role as CFO is a world apart from serving continental breakfasts and doing housekeeping at a local hotel, where she held her first job at 14 years old. Around this time, Del experienced an incident at a store in Santa Fe that had a lasting impact on her. She remembers going to the store to buy an outfit for a high school internship with her hard-earned money in hand.

“I will never forget it. They wouldn’t serve me. They kept going to people around me. Finally, a woman spoke up and asked ‘Why aren’t you allowing her to buy this?’ The clerk said, ‘She’s either going to steal it or doesn’t have the money.’ It was an assumption that because I was Hispanic, I was unable to pay.”

That wasn’t the only time Del experienced a negative stereotype because of her ethnicity.

“In school, my mom had to fight for us, for the teachers to place us in honors classes,” she said. “There was an assumption that because we were Hispanic, we were not intelligent.”

A champion for diversity

Del is helping break those stereotypes, not only through her own example but also as part of Sandia’s Hispanic Outreach for Leadership and Awareness group and the Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion initiative.

“As a Hispanic woman, I am grateful that we value diversity here,” Del said. “My husband and son are Native American, so I am passionate about being a strong advocate. I want to help people see that they belong here and that they can bring their full selves to work and learn about each other’s cultures and individual character.”

Del has always felt a sense of belonging at Sandia. “I have felt like I have a home, and my contributions are valued.”

Del wants others to feel the same. When asked what she would tell young Hispanic girls or others still searching for their future, she said, “The present moment used to be the unimaginable future. Don’t accept limitations. Imagine where you might be, what you can pursue in life. There is excitement, adventure and innovation in how we get there. If you don’t dream, you may not realize what you can accomplish.”

Del’s living legacy

Del Salazar said one of her greatest accomplishments isn’t just her career but helping her son Jesse find his. He followed in his mother’s footsteps, earning a master’s degree in 2019 and becoming a certified public accountant in 2023.

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION — Del and her husband Greg celebrate their son Jesse’s master’s degree in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Del Salazar)