Arrowhead Center, Inc.
3655 Research Drive
PO Box 30001, MSC 700
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
Phone (575) 646-6120, FAX (575) 646-7037
3655 Research Drive
PO Box 30001, MSC 700
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
Phone (575) 646-6120, FAX (575) 646-7037
NMSU Interim President
Dr. Mónica Torres became Interim President of New Mexico State University on May 1, 2024. She earned her Bachelor’s (1982) and Master’s (1984) degrees in English from NMSU before receiving her Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico (2002). Dr. Torres has worked in higher education nearly forty years beginning in 1982 as a composition instructor. She has served as a faculty member and/or academic administrator at four universities and three community colleges in New Mexico, Minnesota, and Illinois. She has served at Doña Ana Community College for eleven years, first as vice-president for academic affairs, and since 2018, as its president. Her most recent assignment has been chancellor of the NMSU community college system.
Dr. Torres has engaged in community service throughout her career. She has served on the founding boards of the Mesilla Valley Film Society, La Piñon, and Ngage New Mexico. She currently serves on nine boards and commissions including the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, The Bridge of Southern New Mexico, MVEDA, and the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine.
NMSU Dean, College of Business
Dr. Bryan Ashenbaum began his duties as the dean of the NMSU College of Business on July 5, 2022. His most recent position was the associate dean for Curriculum and Graduate Programs in the Farmer School of Business at Miami University. He was previously the chair of the Department of Management, and before that, the director of the Miami Professional Institute for Management Education (PRIME) program. Prior to his academic career, he held various positions with Procter & Gamble, Honeywell, NIBCO, and Perrier. He also spent six years in the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Program, serving as a nuclear reactor operator and quality supervisor on the USS Bainbridge. He has been published in numerous academic journals such as the Journal of Supply Chain Management and the Journal of Business Logistics. He is currently the co-editor-in-chief of Transportation Journal. He holds numerous honors and awards for achievements, including outstanding professor awards for undergraduate and graduate teaching. Dr. Ashenbaum earned his Ph.D. in business administration from Arizona State University in 2006. He also holds a Master of Business Administration in supply chain management and a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from ASU.
NMEDD Cabinet Secretary
Born and raised in New Mexico, Rob Black brings over twenty-five years of experience and leadership in public policy, advocacy, and economic development to his role as Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Economic Development Department (NMEDD). Prior to taking on his role at NMEDD on September 16, 2024, Black was the President/CEO of the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce where he led the Chamber for six+ years. While at the Chamber, he launched Be Pro Be Proud, a statewide career technical engagement program in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Workforce solutions. While at the Chamber, Black also launched the New Mexico Organized Retail Crime Association (NMORCA) to better coordinate between law enforcement and retailers on key public safety issues.
Prior to joining the Chamber, Black was Senior Director for Community Relations at Pacific Gas and Electric of California, one of the largest combined gas and electric utility companies in the country. During his tenure, he ran the company’s $28 million annual charitable program as well as its community initiatives, volunteer programs, and professional sports sponsorships.
Black previously served as a member of the state’s Sustainable Economy Advisory Committee, Vice-Chair for the Early Childhood and Care Department Advisory Committee, and Chair of the Village of Corrales Planning and Zoning Commission.
Black holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of New Mexico and a juris doctorate from the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco.
NMSU Arrowhead Interim Director / ACI Interim President and Chief Executive Officer
Beginning October 1, 2024, Dana Catron serves as Interim Director of NMSU Arrowhead Center, Interim President of the Arrowhead Center, Inc. Board of Directors, and Interim CEO of Arrowhead Center, Inc., a non-profit corporation created to support the mission of NMSU. . Prior to this assignment, Dana served as Deputy Director of NMSU Arrowhead Center and as PI and director on multiple federal projects, programs, and initiatives focused on technology commercialization, R&D, and procurement, with an emphasis on SBIR/STTR programs and technology maturation. She is also the founder and director of the NM Clean Energy Resilience and Growth (CERG) cluster, funded through DOE. Catron has extensive experience and skills in technology commercialization, market validation, leadership, organizational and project management, strategic planning, program development and operations, grant writing and reporting, and grant management. She also serves as NMSU’s site director and is a member of the Internal Advisory Committee for the Accelerating Solutions for Commercialization and Entrepreneurial Development (ASCEND), which focuses on the commercialization of biomed tech out of research institutions. She has an outstanding track record of building and growing public private partnerships – particularly among academic and government institutions, such as the DOD, DOE, and national laboratories. Catron received her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science (focus on bovine genomics) from Washington State University and a master’s and Ph.D. (in progress) in Rhetoric and Professional Communication from NMSU.
NMSU Vice President for Research, Creativity, and Economic Development
From 2012-2017, Cifuentes was vice president for Research, Commercialization and Outreach at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (TAMUCC). Before moving to New Mexico State University in July 2018, he served as special assistant to the president.
At TAMUCC, Cifuentes oversaw increases in sponsored research and led the drive to have the university designated as one of the national FAA test sites. His research background is in oceanography and he has been a leader on research grants totaling more than $5 million. In addition to administration, he has been active in research with over $5.5 million in grant moneys awarded. Most recently, he served as PI on an NSF research coordination network project that built a network in South Texas, which includes eight Texas universities (five HSIs) and the Southwest Research Institute, and has organized international conferences in Scotland and Mexico. Prior to serving at TAMUCC, Cifuentes was on the faculty of Texas A&M University College Station (TAMU),where he rose from assistant professor to professor in the Department of Oceanography.He also served as executive associate dean and associate dean for research in the College of Geosciences at TAMU.
Cifuentes has a bachelor’s with honors in chemistry from Swarthmore College as well as a master’s in marine studies and a Ph.D. in oceanography, both from the University of Delaware.
NMSU Regent
Dr. Ammu Devasthali is a longtime artist, painter, and philanthropist who has called Las Cruces home for more than 30 years. Originally from India, she and her husband, Rama, a physician, came to the United States in 1981 and lived in Chicago before relocating to Las Cruces in 1987.
As an undergraduate, she studied Russian language at Nehru University in New Delhi, earning a bachelor’s degree. Later, she attended Moscow State University in Russia and earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Soviet literature. Dr. Devasthali holds a Master of Arts in printmaking from NMSU’s Department of Art. She later earned a second MFA in painting. An entrepreneur, Dr. Devasthali opened her own art studio, Art Ventures, in Las Cruces, giving artists a space to work and create. She also started a jewelry business, Designs by Ammu, which she operated for a number of years. At this time, she become involved in nonprofit work.
For more than 13 years, she served as a board member for the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, having served as president for two years and secretary for four years. During her time at the Community Foundation, she helped establish a women’s fund, Springboard, whose mission is to improve the lives of women in southern New Mexico through scholarships that provide opportunities for advanced education.
Dr. Devasthali and her family have raised funds for many projects and scholarships in the southern New Mexico region. She spearheaded efforts to raise private funds to help build the ASNMSU Center for Performing Arts and NMSU’s visual arts facility, Devasthali Hall.
Regent Devasthali serves as the chair of the Regents Audit and Risk Committee, member of the Regents Real Estate Committee, Position Director for Arrowhead Center, Inc., and the Board of Regents liaison to NMSU Foundation.
NMSU Dean, Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences
Dr. Rolando Flores is the Dean and Chief Administrative Officer for the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University. Dean Flores holds a doctorate in Grain Science and Industry with specialization in international trade from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in agricultural engineering from Iowa State University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Universidad de Costa Rica. Flores served as faculty at Iowa State University and Kansas State University where he taught food processing courses and conducted research. He has also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service in process risk modeling and has served as administration director for the National Production Bureau of Costa Rica Dean. Flores’ research focuses on optimizing water use in food processing operations, developing new uses for grains and other agricultural products and their by-products. He has over 85 scientific publications, 150 technical presentations and has obtained over $2.5 million for his research program while at Iowa State University and Kansas State University. Prior to coming to NMSU, Dean Flores was Professor and Department Head for the Department of Food Science and Technology; and Director of The Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
NMSU General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer
Lisa Henderson serves as NMSU’s general counsel and chief legal officer. She is an experienced public attorney, previously serving as general counsel for the Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office, deputy general counsel for the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services, and associate general counsel at Oklahoma City Community College. She additionally worked in a private law firm for seven years in employment law, insurance defense, and oil and gas contract litigation. While with the Land Office, Henderson was involved in real estate and investment projects to align the business interests of both the public and private sectors to maximize resources and increase earnings for the benefit of the educational trust fund. Other areas of focus were recovering royalty income and developing proposed legislation to benefit the trust. Henderson earned her law degree with honors and her Master of Laws in healthcare from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in Norman. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in biology from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where she graduated summa cum laude.
NMSU Interim Dean, Engineering
Dr. David V. Jáuregui, PE, is the Interim Dean in the College of Engineering (COE) at New Mexico State University (NMSU). Dr. Jáuregui was previously the Associate Dean of Academics working with the COE departments on assessment and evaluation for accreditation of the undergraduate engineering and engineering technology programs. Dr. Jáuregui leads the effort in establishing international collaborations such as the NMSU-UACH Program Agreement forstudents from the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH) to jointly pursue Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees at NMSU. He also previously served as the Department Head of Civil Engineering where he supported multi-disciplinary and multi- university research programs including ReNUWIt, CBBG, Tran-SET, NAWI and QCAM. As director of the NMSU Bridge Inspection & Evaluation Program, he provides co-op internship opportunities for engineering students related to infrastructure asset management.
Dr. Jáuregui received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Civil Engineering from NMSU in 1992 and 1994, respectively, and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas-Austin in 1999. He currently serves as the NMSU Vice President of Education on the NMSPE Board of Directors.
NMSU Controller
Ross Justus is a New Mexico CPA who currently operates as the NMSU Controller. He originally joined NMSU as an Audit Manager in the university’s internal audit function. He also operated as the university’s Chief Audit Officer for six years before moving to Accounting and Finance. Prior to joining the university, he performed external financial statement and compliance audits with KPMG LLP and Moss Adams LLP. Mr. Justus is a lifelong New Mexico resident, having graduated from NMSU’s College of Business as well as New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, NM. He lives in Las Cruces with his wife and three daughters.
NMSU Regent
Term Expires: December 31, 2024
Garrett Moseley is a native of New Mexican, born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is a graduate of Valley High School. He is set to graduate from NMSU in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Criminal Justice. Upon his graduation he will pursue a Master of Business Administration and will graduate in summer 2025.
While attending NMSU, he has been heavily involved in the Associated Students of New Mexico State University. As a junior, he served as a senator for the college of Arts &, Sciences. During his time as senator, he advocated for increased lighting on campus, expansion of library hours, and served in the senate finance committee. In April 2022, he was elected as ASNMSU Student Body President. As President he led a staff of over 45 students and a $750,000 operating budget. Regent Moseley spearheaded a renovation of the James B. Delamater Activity Center. He secured a $4.3 million dollar appropriation from the NMSU Student Fee Revenue Bond. Alongside the ASNMSU Governmental Affairs team, he lobbied for additional funding at the New Mexico legislative session. During his tenure, he led a philanthropy initiative that united the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico, University of Texas El Paso Student Government Association, and the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico to raise money for migrant assistance. As President, he worked alongside the ASNMSU Senate to appropriate over $70,000 to the ASNMSU Emergency Funding Account, which provides wrap-around services for at-risk students. Moseley worked with the NMSU Foundation to lay down the framework for a $250,000 emergency funding endowment which will provide annual funding for the ASNMSU Emergency funding account.
Regent Moseley serves on the Regents Student Success Committee, Regents Financial Strategies, Performance and Budget Committee, and serves as Position Director for Arrowhead Center, Inc.
NMSU Dean, Arts and Sciences
Dr. Enrico Pontelli received his Laurea degree in Computer Science from the University of Udine (Italy), an MS in Computer Science from the University of Houston and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from New Mexico State University. He joined the faculty of NMSU in 1997, receiving tenure in 2002 and promotion to Full Professor in 2005. He was recognized as Distinguished Achievement Professor in 2012 and appointed Regents Professor in 2014. He served NMSU as the Head of the Computer Science Department from 2009 to 2014, as an Associate Dean from 2014 to 2016 and he is currently the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. His research interests are in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (specifically knowledge representation and reasoning), logic and constraint programming, high performance computing, bioinformatics and assistive technologies. He has also embraced challenges related to computer science education research with particular emphasis on broadening participation in computing for students from traditionally underrepresented groups. He has published over 250 peer reviewed publications and he has secured close to $14 million in research funding. Some of the recognitions received include best paper awards at several international venues (e.g., Conference on Computers Usability, International Conference on Logic Programming, and Frontiers in Education), an NSF Career award and the NMSU Donald Roush Award for Excellence in Teaching. He serves on the editorial boards of several international journals, he is the Editor in Chief of the quarterly newsletter of the international Association for Logic Programming, and he is the founder and director of the NMSU Center for Research Excellence in Smartgrids Technologies. Dr. Pontelli has served as advisor for over 40 master’s students and he graduated 14 doctoral students.
NMSU Interim Dean, Health, Education, and Social Transformation
Dr. Phillip Post is the Interim Dean of the College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation (HEST) at New Mexico State University. Dr. Post has held multiple leadership roles within the college, and as Associate Dean for Academics, he has assisted in managing the college’s budget and HR operations. He has served as the college’s liaison to the Office of Government Relations, advocating for HEST’s priorities at both state and federal levels. His efforts in securing over $1.1 million in external funding, including a $250,000 BofA Progresando grant for first-generation Hispanic/Latinx students and a $400,000 grant to establish a VR/AR lab on campus, highlight his success in fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and addressing health inequities in southern New Mexico. Dr. Post’s leadership is marked by his commitment to strategic partnerships and innovative approaches that advance the college's mission and address the diverse needs of our community.
Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer
As of March 25, 2024, Dr. Lakshmi Reddi serves NMSU as its Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer. Prior to this appointment, he held the position of Dean of the College of Engineering. He has over 25 years of academic experience as an educator and researcher in interdisciplinary themes related to civil and environmental engineering. He has secured extramural funding of $15 million from sponsors at all levels—federal (NSF, NASA FHWA, EPA) and state agencies, regional centers, and local industries. His funded activities include basic and applied research, tech transfer and outreach, integrated research and education, and interdisciplinary research spanning numerous disciplines within and outside engineering. Dr. Reddi has received recognitions not only for his academic accomplishments (teaching, research, advising/mentoring, service) but also for his administrative skills. Dr. Reddi’s administrative experience includes serving as department head/chair at two research-intensive universities—Kansas State University and University of Central Florida. Prior to joining New Mexico State University, he served as the Dean of the University Graduate School at Florida International University (FIU). Dr. Reddi received his bachelor of technology in civil engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in India, and an MS and PhD in civil engineering from The Ohio State University.
NMSU Director, Physical Science Lab
BG(R) Sanchez officially retired from the Army on November 30, 2018. He assumed his duties as the Deputy Director, Physical Science Laboratory, NMSU in October 2019 and was announced as the Director on June 16, 2020.
He began his career as an enlisted Soldier in the New Mexico Army National Guard. He is a 1987 Distinguished Military Graduate of New Mexico State University ROTC.
BG(R) Eric L. Sanchez assumed command of White Sands Missile Range on 25 August 2016 and relinquished command on 10 August 2018. He additionally served as Commanding General, 94thArmy Air and Missile Defense Command, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.
Additional Command assignments include: Battery Commander, D/2-43 ADA, Fort Polk Louisiana and Operation Southern Watch (Southwest Asia); Battalion Commander 1-7 ADA Battalion, Fort Bliss Texas and the Republic of Korea; Brigade Commander, 35thADA Brigade, Osan Airbase, Republic of Korea. He additionally held numerous staff level positions.
His military education includes the Air Defense Artillery Basic and Advance Courses, the Combined Arms and Services Staff School, the Command and General Staff College, and the Naval War College. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Education from New Mexico State University, and Masters of Science degrees from Central Michigan University, and the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
President and CEO, Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance
Prior to coming to Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance in February, 2009, Davin Lopez served as Vice President of the New Mexico Partnership, joining the Partnership at its inception in 2003. Lopez spent five years in corporate real estate with General Growth Properties and the Macerich Company, where he held roles as Director of New Business Development and Strategic Planning. He also spent two years in private business, consulting and advising smaller, high-growth companies. Lopez holds a master’s degree from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, San Diego, and is also a licensed real estate Broker in New Mexico.
President, Providence Technologies
James C. (Jim) Manatt Jr. is a former President, NMSU Board of Regents, is Chairman/CEO of Thrust Energy, Inc, Roswell, NM. His energy companies conduct exploration for oil and gas. He is the co-inventor and owner of US Patent 8,077,547, “Directed Beam Seismic©,” an advanced applied field method and apparatus for geophysical exploration. His companies have conducted computational/geophysical R&D with both Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories, and have worked under contract with Gas Research Institute for advanced technology commercialization in the energy field. He is an NMSU Distinguished Alumnus and Distinguished Military Graduate having graduated with a bachelor’s degree in university studies with an emphasis on business and marketing. Arrowhead Center was conceived and developed as a result of his leadership and advocacy while an NMSU Regent.
President, JKM Consulting
Jackie Kerby Moore founded a small woman-owned business, JKM Consulting LLC, in 2020. Prior to starting her own company, Jackie worked at Sandia Labs for 35 years. At Sandia, she served as the Manager of Technology and Economic Development. In this role, she led several results-oriented technology transfer programs for the Labs, including New Mexico Small Business Assistance (NMSBA), Entrepreneurial Separation to Transfer Technology (ESTT), Sandia Science & Technology Park (SS&TP), and the Center for Collaboration and Commercialization (C3) located in downtown Albuquerque. During the 2020 NM State Legislature, Jackie successfully lobbied for a new Technology Maturation tax credit program for Sandia.
Jackie is a Past President of the Board of Directors for the Association of University Research Parks (AURP). She chaired AURP’s inaugural Washington Summit, resulting in the first Science Park legislation introduced in both the U.S. Senate and House.
Jackie received a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from New Mexico State University. While at NMSU, she was a student athlete playing women’s fastpitch softball. She later received a Master of Business Administration Degree from New Mexico Highlands University.
NMSU has recognized Jackie with a Distinguished Alum Award from the College of Business.
President and CEO Prism Strategies Group
Mike Rogers is a former part-time Senior Project Director and full-time Chief Marketing Officer for NMSU. He is currently President and CEO at Prism Strategies Group in Truckee, California. He has an extensive background in technology, with work at the IDG as Executive Vice President and then Publisher/Chief Executive Officer of their flagship media property: Computerworld. He served on the Board of Directors of the Guidewire Group which was very active in the entrepreneurial start-up ecosystem of Silicon Valley. Rogers has continued involvement with NMSU, having served on the Alumni Board and Chapter President in the San Francisco Bay Area conducting a successful campaign to increase active alumni membership. He serves on the College of Business Advisory Council and is teaching at the College of Business in an adjunct faculty position. He is the recipient of the James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service to the University and has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumni from the College of Business.
3655 Research Drive, Genesis Center-C
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001