One-on-One with Del Reanne Lucas [Albuquerque Journal, N.M.]

Oct. 21--THE BASICS: Born Del Reanne Johnson on Sept. 24, 1961, in Albuquerque; studied at University of New Mexico; married to Craig Wilson since 2010; two children: Presley Lucas, 12, and Chandler Lucas, 9; two stepchildren: Josh Wilson, 17, and Joseph Wilson, 21; Birman cat named Aurora and Shih Tzu named Teddy.

POSITION: President of Lucas Productions.

WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW: For her many skills -- whether it's design, dance or lobbying for public-school funding -- Lucas says people would be surprised to learn that she loves to cook and bake. In fact, she counts batter as her guiltiest pleasure.

"I don't think people see me very much as a homebody," she says.

When it comes to tough questions, "What's your favorite color?" isn't usually high on the list.

But what if you love them all?

That's what it's like for Del Reanne Lucas, who settles -- kind of -- on green when asked to choose.

"Green is nurturing to me. It's like plant growth, (being) alive and healthy if you look at it in an organic sense," she says. "But I love all color."

Don't let the subdued hues in her outfit fool you: Lucas loves color and she knows how to use it. Prior to her current role as president of Lucas Productions -- the parent company of the twice-yearly ABQ Home Expo and other events -- she operated her own commercial interior-design firm.

Lucas, something of a fitness fanatic herself, specialized in gyms, designing more than 375 health clubs around the world. But she also did offices, hotels, retail stores, banks and more.

The Albuquerque native got her first taste of professional design while working for an insurance company in college. She seized the opportunity to design new office space for the company, and her handiwork garnered kudos and interest. She says people often asked who was behind the office's distinctive look.

"I think it's because it wasn't generic. I used a lot of color, a lot of artwork, everything matched -- all the woods, all the desks, all the chairs," she says. "It wasn't your typical neutral (office)."

She realized she was meant for interior design and dropped her plans to become a biochemical engineer.

That's right, she was a budding engineer at the time.

Lucas says girls of her generation often were encouraged to consider careers in engineering, though she never really needed much prodding. Lucas -- who skipped eighth grade and graduated high school at 16 -- thrived in her math and science classes.

The daughter of two veterinarians, she knew she wouldn't follow in their footsteps -- "I didn't want to do that life-and-death stuff," she says. "I'm too much of a softie" -- but engineering, she thought, suited her well.

In hindsight, though, there were early signs that design was her destiny.

When she was just 4 or 5, her father built her a child-sized closet so she could hang and divide her clothes by color. Even back then, she wouldn't tolerate a clashing outfit.

"I'm just wired that way," she says. "When I was little and you'd put slippers on me and they didn't match my nightgown, it wasn't going to happen."

Like her mother, Lucas has a creative bent. She was a singer and dancer growing up, and the girl at Del Norte High most likely to craft the backdrops for school dances.

"It's always been about design and color for me," she says. Lucas made a living off those skills for 25 years. She worked projects around the U.S. and into Mexico, China and Taiwan. She says she was the relentless, I-don't-need-sleep type who prioritized her career above all else -- at least until she decided in her late 30s she wanted a family. She married Ken Lucas at 38 and had two kids.

But it really wasn't until a shocking breast cancer diagnosis in 2006 that she decided she had to take a step back. She gave up designing to spend more time with her family and to fight the disease, and she did so successfully.

"When you experience a life-and-death event, you realize how precious life is and most of the things we work so hard on every day are not the things that matter most," she says. "Our family relationships and our relationship with God provide the real blessings and meaning in life."

The following year, she was in remission.

But cancer wasn't quite done with Lucas or her family yet. It claimed Ken's life just a few years later, leaving Lucas to raise the couple's two young children and oversee a few family businesses.

"It's been a lot," Lucas says. "I will not deny that."

She credits her faith, community support and her inherently positive demeanor for getting her through the hardest stretches and says she's emerged with a sense of what really matters in life.

Though she serves as president of Lucas Productions, she says the job is not nearly as demanding as designing and gives her more time for everything else. That includes her work on education issues and other programs at her kids' school. She was the first president of the citizen advocacy group PEAPS -- Partners in Education & Advocates for Public Schools.

She also has remarried, adding two stepsons to her brood.

"I love life," she says.

Q: Do you miss designing?

A: I do miss designing. I loved seeing our finished products, and I loved meeting with customers and developing it. It was a great thing for me. I don't miss deadlines. It was very stressful at that level. ... I worked way too much.

Q: Where does your name come from?

A: My mom is the most artistic person you'll ever meet, and she totally made it up. It doesn't mean anything. ... I've never met another one. ... It's been a great trademark.

Q: What is the best compliment you've ever received?

A: That I have never met a stranger.

Q: What prompted you to get involved with PEAPS?

A: I became involved after having worked in my local PTA for several years. It became very obvious how underfunded our public schools are and how detrimental it is to our rising generations. I have been associated with (superintendent) Winston Brooks and (communications director) Monica Armenta at APS and from conversations about the concerns parents have, we started this advocacy group to educate parents on issues and how to help. We also took our voice to the capitol and have been working with legislators, the Governor's Office and APS to inform our local government that we do know it is wrong and we do care and we won't just stand around any longer. We as parents must make the difference!

Q: What's on your bucket list?

A: I've got two things: I want to own a country farm in Italy and I want to go on a mission with my husband.

Q: How would you describe yourself in three words?

A: Fun, enthusiastic and loving.

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