Steve Jenkusky, M.D. 

Steve was elected to the board in 2025.  He was born and raised in New York City, volunteered at the Bronx Zoo, and had an early interest in biology and bird watching. From a young age, Steve loved the American Museum of Natural History. In 1976, he graduated from St. Francis College Brooklyn with his BS in Biology, followed by a Masters in Zoology (Wildlife Biology) from the Cooperative Wildlife Research Lab at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 1979.  Steve was a researcher with the lab in 1979 and 1980, trapping bats, chasing geese, and writing the Florida Key Deer recovery plan, among other tasks. From 1980-1986, he was a planner and grant writer for reclamation of abandoned coal mines in Illinois with State of Illinois.  Then, his career took a major turn, with Steve earning his Medical Degree from Southern Illinois University, Springfield, in 1990 and then moving to New Mexico where he did his Psychiatry residency at UNM from 1990-1994.

Steve fully retired from medicine in November 2025 after thirty years practicing and teaching addiction psychiatry with UNM (associate professor).  He also worked for Presbyterian Healthcare and a few other places. He served on the NM Medical Board for fourteen years as well as on two Presbyterian boards.

As a psychiatrist, Steve fully understands the healing qualities of nature. He has always enjoyed the outdoors (especially birding and fly fishing) and hopes in retirement to spend more time doing both, as well as learning wildlife photography and serving on the board of Bosque del Apache NWR.