As other alumni of the Richardson administration pack up boxes and clear out offices this week, Rick Homans is hoping for a second chance at life as a state employee.

Homans, the first person Bill Richardson appointed as a Cabinet secretary when he became governor eight years ago, is executive director of Spaceport America, one of the outgoing Democratic governor's proudest achievements, judging by recent comments.

Homans has been a spaceport booster from early on. He was on hand in late 2005 when Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic announced, with Richardson nearby, it was investing in New Mexico's spaceport.

But those days are long gone. These days, Homans is meeting with representatives of Richardson's successor, Republican Susana Martinez, and he is unsure of what the future holds for his involvement in the spaceport.

"I love the project. I am committed to it. I would love to see it through," Homans said of the spaceport. "But I need to have further discussions with the new administration about what their goals are with the spaceport and what they want to do with the board and what they'd like to see with the executive director. I'd say it's a fluid situation."

Homans' situation personalizes the makeover about to happen to state government as Martinez is sworn in as New Mexico's governor Saturday. The Las Cruces prosecutor will bring in a new universe of names and faces, signaling the end of one era and the start of another as newcomers fill empty offices across Santa Fe.

Not everyone in a high-profile state post will be unfamiliar, of course, but many will be as Richardson alums say goodbye to jobs they've held, in some cases, for eight years.

Signals of the transition are ubiquitous. Every other day brings another announcement of a new boss at this or that state agency. Meanwhile, walks through state government buildings reveal the occasional once-cluttered office that is now sparsely adorned.

Most of Richardson's Cabinet secretaries, who serve at the will of the governor, have already started the process of moving on, although at least one — Michael Spanier at the Aging and Long-Term Services Department — hopes to stay on.

Of the nearly dozen folks The New Mexican spoke to, most high-profile Richardson staff and Cabinet secretaries are leaving state government but staying in New Mexico. A few are taking time off, while others are actively interviewing for new jobs. For example, Arturo Jaramillo, Richardson's General Services Department secretary, is angling for a new gig, he said.

"I'm interviewing with several law firms," said Jaramillo, who worked as a trial lawyer for more than two decades before joining the Richardson administration early on.

Others, such as Danette Burch, the outgoing secretary of finance and administration and a longtime top Richardson budget aide, are retiring from government altogether.

"I'm going to take some time off," Burch said after 16 years of helping in one way or the other to shape the state budget.

Still other former top Richardson aides have landed private-sector jobs, but are staying mum, at least for now, about where they've landed.

"All I can say is I have accepted a position in the private sector," Pahl Shipley said earlier this week. Shipley, currently head of publicity and media relations at the New Mexico Film Office, worked as Richardson's former communications director and as a top aide on Richardson's unsuccessful presidential run. "I can't be more specific until my new employer makes an announcement next week," Shipley added apologetically.

Like Homans, a few agency spokespeople hired during the Richardson administration — many agency communications directors serve at the will of the governor — hope to stay on. But none wanted to speak on the record, in part because they didn't know what the future holds.

Compiling a comprehensive list of a who's who of Richardson alums, and what their future holds, proved unachievable. Some prominent Richardson staffers and Cabinet secretaries proved difficult to reach. Some already had cleared out their offices. Others didn't return phone calls and e-mail messages.

In addition to contacting current Richardson officials, The New Mexican also reached out to a few top Richardson aides who left state government years ago to find out what they're doing these days.

Here's a list of recognizable and not-so recognizable Richardson administration alums and the latest on them:

Rick Homans

Position: Executive director of Spaceport America

Homans worked several jobs in the Richardson administration, including stints as a Cabinet secretary at the Economic Development Department and the Taxation and Revenue Department.

Homans, who served as the first chairman of the state Spaceport Authority from 2005 to 2007, and briefly as the agency's executive director, returned as executive director in June.

He hopes to stay on as executive director but acknowledged, "obviously the will and pleasure of the governor is paramount. I'm waiting to get more of a sense of direction."

Danette Burch

Position: Secretary of the Finance and Administration Department

Burch, a longtime top budget aide, took over as secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration, the governor's budget arm, in September following years as that agency's deputy secretary and state budget officer. Burch won the spot after her predecessor, Katherine Miller, left the department to become Santa Fe County manager.

"I'm retiring" after 28 1/2 years in government, Burch said. "I have no immediate plans to work."

Arturo Jaramillo

Position: Secretary of the General Services Department

Jaramillo joined the Richardson administration in 2003 as the director of the Regulation and Licensing Department. He then took over the General Services Department as secretary.

"I spent 26 years as a trial lawyer," Jaramillo said, adding that he wants to return to practicing law. "That's where my interests are."

Jan Goodwin

Position: Executive director of the Educational Retirement Board

Goodwin, Richardson's secretary of the Taxation and Revenue Department from 2003 to 2008, will stay on at the Educational Retirement Board in her role, she said. The board, and not the governor, picks the executive director.

Kelly O'Donnell

Position: Superintendent of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department

O'Donnell jumped around a lot in the Richardson administration, serving in a number of high-profile posts. She was deputy secretary at the Economic Development Department, assistant secretary at the state Taxation and Revenue Department and served as chairman of the Spaceport Authority.

"I'm going to do some private consulting and re-evaluate what I do next," O'Donnell said.

Toney Anaya

Position: Head of the New Mexico Office of Recovery and Reinvestment

The former governor, whose last day is today, was picked by Richardson in March 2009 to lead the agency responsible for administering federal economic-stimulus money allotted for New Mexico. Anaya said no one from Martinez's camp asked him to leave. "It's only appropriate," he said, adding that he had recommended that the new administration keep on his agency's staff. "They're all technicians," he said.

Michael Spanier

Position: Secretary of the Aging and Long-Term Services Department

Spanier was named secretary in December 2009, taking over after his predecessor, Cindy Padilla, won a job with the Obama administration in Washington, D.C. Spanier first served as the agency's director of Adult Protective Services, and then was tapped as deputy secretary, before he was appointed by Richardson as Cabinet secretary.

"I've made it no secret that I'd like to stay on" with the Martinez administration, Spanier said.

Tia Bland

Position: Spokeswoman for the state Corrections Department

Bland, who was the media point person for outgoing Corrections Secretary Joe Williams, was hired earlier this month as Bernalillo County's public information director, according to the county's website.

Dave Contarino

Position: Richardson's chief of staff from 2003 to 2006 and campaign manager for Richardson's presidential run

Contarino still lives in Santa Fe, although he and his wife have sold their title company, he said. On Wednesday, Contarino was skiing the ridges of the Taos ski resort, something he likes to do, he said.

"I'm an independent consultant," Contarino said. "I have some private clients and some political clients, and I do some pro bono work."

Rhonda Faught

Position: Served as Richardson's secretary of the Department of Transportation from 2003 to 2008

Since retiring, Faught has started her own consulting firm, R. Faught & Associates LLC, in which she works with companies hoping to do transportation business with states.

"I really haven't done a lot with the New Mexico DOT," Faught said. "It's basically been in other states, primarily in the West."

Faught added that she hasn't done any lobbying in New Mexico, and has no plans to do it in the future. "I'm not interested in lobbying. I have been asked," she said, although she acknowledged that she shows up at the Roundhouse on occasion during legislative sessions. "I have to keep up with what's going on here."

James Jimenez

Position: Richardson's chief of staff from 2006 to 2008 and secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration from 2003 to 2006

Jimenez left the Richardson administration in 2008 to become city manager for Rio Rancho, where he worked as the head of its finance division back in the 1990s.

Katherine Miller

Position: Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration from 2006 to 2010

Miller was named Santa Fe County manager in June.

Contact Trip Jennings at 986-3050 or tjennings@sfnewmexican.com.