Getting to Know your Neighbor
Submitted photos
Joshua Kerns, the community and economic development director for the city of Belen, and his wife, DamiAna, at the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Ariz., on Dec. 31, 2022, to watch No. 2 University of Michigan play No. 3 Texas Christian University.
Joshua Kerns is the community and economic development director for the city of Belen. He has been married to his wife, DamiAna Kerns, for three years. They love to travel and explore all that the world has to offer. When they travel, he likes to see how other cities run parades and host events, and will pick up ideas to try and bring back to the community. He has three children, daughters, Aubryn, 20, and Quiana, 16, and son, Caleb, 14.
Q |
What do you think about when you’re alone in your car? |
A |
“When I’m driving alone, I am always thinking about the future. What is the next event we are hosting? What can we do to improve the event from last year? What businesses would be a great fit for the city? How can I contact this business and where would I pitch this business to develop in the city? Where are me and my wife going to travel to next?” |
Q |
What’s a myth about your profession you’d like to bust? |
A |
“I would like to bust the idea of that anyone in the parks and recreation field just get to play games all the time. The community gets to see us play and interact with youth, but they do not see all that goes on behind the scenes. We have to plan the sports season and activities. “We have to market the sport or activity, we have to develop the registration forms, take registrations, find coaches, set up a practice schedule, game schedule and picture schedule. We have to develop a code of conducts, order team jerseys, find officials and put together an official schedule, and keep the facility clean. It is a lot more than just the fun and games people think.” |
Q |
What were you like in high school? |
A |
“I was to myself, and focused on baseball. But I also had the responsibility of taking care of my sister. When I was in high school, at the age of 16, I was practically living by myself. My dad would drive up to Rio Rancho every night just to sleep so I (was) not alone, but he would leave every morning at 6 a.m. and wouldn’t get home until 10:30-11 p.m. “During my senior year, my sister moved in with me and she was only an eighth-grader, so I had to grow up really fast. I had another person that I was responsible for. “This taught me a lot about saving, what are needs and what are wants. My parents allowed me to do this so I could pursue my dream of getting a college baseball scholarship. So all focus was on baseball.” |
Q |
What is the best advice you’ve ever received and from whom? |
A |
“In college, when I was playing baseball, I was struggling. My coach pulled me into his office and we had a talk. I guess he figured out I was struggling with relationships with teammates. That’s when he gave me the best advice I ever received and I still, to this day, tell myself, ‘There are going to be people who do not like you for whatever reason, but if you do your job, they might not like you but they will respect you. So make everyone respect you.’” |
Q |
What did you want to be when you grew up? |
A |
“I wanted to be a psychologist. I was very interested in how people think. Why do people think a certain way, why do people do things that they do and how could I help people?” |
Joshua Kerns riding a horse in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Joshua and DamiAna Kerns at The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.
Q |
Who inspires you? |
A |
“This is a tough one for me because I have a lot of people who inspire me. First, I would say my grandpa and grandma inspire me because they have been married for more than 60. They show how beautiful a relationship can be with just one person. “The late Dave Romiegh inspired me and actually is the person who taught me all about parks and recreation, how to run leagues and activities, how to treat people in this profession. “Lastly, my college coach Scott Douglas. He always made time to get to know each one of his players, so I try to do that with the kids that play in the city’s youth leagues.” |
Q |
If you could work any other job for one day, what would it be and why? |
A |
“A sports team general manger. I have always wanted to know how things are ran and handled behind the scenes. How they put together teams.” |
Q |
What do you do in your free time? |
A |
“Free time? What is that? Just kidding. I love to travel. My goal is to hit all 50 states. Right now, I have reached 23 states. “I can’t just travel, so me and wife love to go dancing and go on scenic drives. We are very spontaneous. We will be sitting around and say let’s go for a drive. Next thing you know, we are in Pie Town to get one of those famous pies.” |
Q |
What’s something about you most people don’t know? |
A |
“That I actually put everyone else first. I would do anything for anyone if I could. In my position, I can’t do everything for everyone but, deep down, if they needed something that I could do I would. I am very loyal to people. The other thing people might not know about me is that I played three years of college baseball.” |
Q |
What three books would you to take to a deserted island? |
A |
“‘Hard work: A Life on and off the Court’ by Roy Williams, ‘My Prison without Bars,’ by Pete Rose, and Lance Armstrong’s ‘It’s not about the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.’” |
Joshua Kerns and his wife, DamiAna, were united in marriage on Dec. 19, 2019, in Hawaii.
Joshua and DamiAna Kerns take a hot air balloon ride at St. Patrick’s Balloon Rallye in Belen in 2022.
Q |
You find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What would you do? |
A |
“I would probably finish traveling to all the states that I have not been to yet. Then I would look at buying land here in Belen and creating a tiny home community for the less fortunate to help them get back on their feet. “I would save a little and, lastly, buy the land just north of Eagle Park and create a recreation fishing area like Isleta Lakes and donate it to the city.” |
Q |
Who is your best friend and why? |
A |
“My best friend is my wife, DamiAna. I can talk to her about anything. She is someone who gets me and gets my goals. She is my traveling partner. She is always there when I need her. If I need her to help me with keeping score, decorating for our Miracle on Main Street festival, she is there donating her time to help me reach my vision. She supports me in any adventure. That love and support lets me know every time that she has my back and that’s what a best friend is supposed to do.” |
Q |
What’s your favorite song to sing when you’re alone? |
A |
“This is a tough one because I don’t listen to a lot of music. Even when I drive, I like to be in silence so I can think. Plus I am a horrible singer. So bad it even hurts my ears. If I had to pick a song, I would say ‘Rodeo’ by Garth Brooks.” |
Q |
Where is your happy place, and why? |
A |
“My happy place would be on the road driving. I am either alone in thought or I am traveling with my best friend and wife.” |
Q |
Have you had a life-changing experience that led you to where you are today? |
A |
“Not really. When I first started in the parks and recreation field in Los Lunas, my dream was to always be the director in Belen. It took me 14 years to get here, but I finally got my chance in 2018. I have always — even at a young age — seen all the possibilities Belen has to offer.” |
Josh Kerns in Miami, Fla., with his wife, DamiAna, for her birthday.
In Kansas City, Mo., for a Garth Brooks’ concert.
Q |
What is your favorite movie scene and why? |
A |
“The scene in ‘Good Will Hunting’ where Robins Williams is on the bench talking to Matt Damon. It just hit me on you may know a lot about something but do you really know … talk about what love is but have you never looked at a woman and been truly vulnerable. This is what made me want to travel. “I didn’t want to just see pictures or read about a place. I wanted to see it for myself and with my own eyes so I can get a true understanding of something. With my wife traveling, I get to look into her eyes and feel that vulnerability. So this has to be my favorite movie scene. It is deep and makes you think about life and how you think.” |
Q |
If you could have dinner with one famous person — dead or alive — who would it be and why? |
A |
“Roy Williams; after reading his book, I have grown to respect how the man started to where he ended up. I would have so many questions on work ethic, the up and downs, how to get through struggles. He just seems like he is full of wisdom, and his mellow tone in which he talks would just be soothing.” |
Q |
What are you most proud of? |
A |
“The thing I am most proud of is that I could be who I am and don’t have to be someone else. I stick to staying true to myself. It is always hard because there are always times in life where you have to act differently, but with the support of my family, co-workers, bosses, employees they understand me and they allow me to be me. That is the most important thing to me and the thing that I am the most proud of.” |
Q |
How would you like to be remembered? |
A |
“I would like to be remembered as someone that cared for people, someone who was spontaneous, traveler and a loving and loyal husband, father, brother, son and friend. Someone who people could say was hard working and trustworthy. “This is hard but if you do everything true to yourself and do things with the very best intentions that people will respect what I stood for and what I did.”
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The couple took an impromptu, long-weekend trip to Alaska in January 2023.
The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.
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May 2, 2024
