Anaya used her position as the state's first lady to promote early childhood education and the Museum of New Mexico, as well as issues related to homelessness, human trafficking, mental health and domestic violence.
[1][2] She met her husband, attorney Toney Anaya from Moriarty, New Mexico, in the 1960s while she was working for the United States Department of Labor in Washington D.C. and he was an aide for Senator Joseph Montoya.
[1][2] The couple, who were married 1969, moved to a home near New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and had three children, Kimberly, Kristina, and Toney Jr.[1][2] Anaya reportedly became enamored with her adopted state and actively discouraged her husband from taking positions back in Washington D.C.[1] An artist, weaver and tapestry maker, Anaya incorporated New Mexican designs and motifs into her pieces.
Elaine Anaya used her position as the 23rd First Lady of New Mexico to promote the arts and the state's extensive museum system.
The first lady devised a system to identify significant artefacts and other pieces which were in storage and worked to have them displayed in museums, government buildings, nonprofits, and public spaces throughout the state.