Longtime NMSU Arrowhead Center director leaves lasting impact on state, university

Original Article | Adriana M. Chávez | adchavez@nmsu.edu | October 7, 2024

 Kathy Hansen, one of the three founders of Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University, has retired more than 20 years after the center began as a university tech transfer and intellectual property office.

Alongside Kevin Boberg and former NMSU Chancellor and New Mexico Gov. Garrey Carruthers, Hansen started Arrowhead Center in 2003. Since becoming the center’s director and CEO in 2013, the center has grown into a key driver of innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development for New Mexico.

“While we had great hopes for what Arrowhead would be able to accomplish when we started the organization, the success we have achieved has been extraordinary to witness, even as someone who has been at the center of the work,” Hansen said.

“It would take days to do justice to the milestones achieved under Kathy’s leadership,” said Dana Catron, Arrowhead Center deputy director, who will serve as the center’s interim director until a permanent director is found. “From securing substantial U.S. Economic Development Administration support to earning our first Small Business Association Federal and State Technology award in 2015 for Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer – which we’ve proudly earned every year since – Kathy has been pivotal in support the creation of a nationally recognized support programming.”

Carruthers, Boberg and Hansen launched Arrowhead Center as the university’s economic development and technology commercialization engine when Carruthers was dean of NMSU’s College of Business and vice president for economic development. Boberg, who passed away in 2021, served as the center’s first director and CEO, with Hansen as the center’s first chief operating officer.

“Kathy Hansen is among the best hires I ever made,” Carruthers said. “She is quiet, but confident. She always excelled when it came to inspiring students, collaborating with faculty and staff, working with our community, and advocating for economic development in our state. In the economic development world, she would be a first ballot hall of famer.”

Hansen took the reins from Boberg in 2013, leading the center in its mission to promote entrepreneurship and innovation, and create economic opportunity throughout the NMSU system and in the richly diverse communities and populations the university serves.

As director, Hansen continuously looked toward the future while keeping tabs on current operations. She oversaw the implementation of programs involving elementary and middle school students through Arrowhead Center’s Innoventure program, and also helped promote programs involving high school and NMSU students.

She helped guide the establishment of the Hunt Center for Entrepreneurship in 2017, which was made possible by a generous gift from the Hunt Family Foundation. She helped in the creation of the Foster Innovation Exchange, which was established by the Foster-De la Vega family.

“I feel one of Arrowhead’s greatest accomplishments has been establishing an exceptional reputation among all stakeholders – particularly those in the private sector who have trusted us enough to invest their own funds in our work. These relationships have fundamentally changed the regional landscape,” Hansen said.

In 2020, Hansen supported the launch of the New Mexico Clean Energy Resilience and Growth, or NM CERG, cluster, which has won multiple awards from the U.S. Department of Energy and generated $112 million in economic impact in fiscal year 2024.

Hansen’s legacy will continue to extend throughout NMSU and beyond for years to come, Catron said.

“Her belief in the potential of others will remain one of her greatest legacies, and it’s something that will continue to inspire all of us who have had the privilege of working with her,” Catron said.

Hansen said her future plans include spending time with her daughter and her family at their home in Switzerland.

“While moving into the next stage is bittersweet, I am confident that the team who remains at Arrowhead will empower the organization to continue exceeding all expectations of what is possible in innovation and economic development,” Hansen said.