From the Veep

From the Veep

Mar 15, 2021 | Alumni Executive Director Letter, Spring 2021

From the Veep

This issue of Mirage magazine is published digitally, nearly 12 months after our lives changed so dramatically. Like you, the staff at the Alumni Relations Office has successfully taken on the changes and challenges of working from home. We have been creating innovative programming, continuing the support needed by our chapters, constituent groups, committees and individual alums, while still working hard to support the mission of the UNM Alumni Association to keep all the members of our Lobo Pack connected to the University.

Every new year is as much about looking forward as it is reflecting upon the past, and as our calendars switched into 2021, I couldn’t help but reflect upon the ways we have been able to bring our programs — from Green Chile Roast by Post to Lobo Living Rooms, the Lobo Love campaign, and Lobos for Legislation briefing to sports watch parties — into digital platforms to reach and connect with even more of our alumni across the country and even internationally.

The Alumni Association and the staff at the Alumni Relations Office have worked diligently with creativity and compassion to keep our alumni connected to the University during this otherwise difficult time, and we will continue to provide programming and opportunities to connect virtually while also keeping up to date on the latest regulations and mandates that will allow us to host in-person events safely and responsibly.

Mirage is just one of the ways to connect. Prior to this issue’s 100-percent digital delivery via email to our alumni, the Alumni Association would print and mail more than 145,000 copies to our Lobo Pack members throughout the United States. While we explained in the Fall 2020 Mirage that going digital does reduce the cost of printing and mailing, it is of utmost importance to us to keep Mirage thriving online. This new way of publishing Mirage will allow us to continue to share alumni stories and photos, but also allows us to publish enhanced and interactive content.

As our Pack has grown — now to more than 200,000 strong — so has our need to communicate the achievements and accomplishments of alumni. We look forward to sharing your stories in new ways as Mirage grows and changes with you, too.

Let’s connect –

Connie Beimer
Interim Vice President for Alumni Relations

Photo of Connie Beimer
Creative Solutions in a Challenging Year

Creative Solutions in a Challenging Year

Mar 15, 2021 | Alumni Association President’s Letter, Letters, Spring 2021

Creative Solutions in a Challenging Year

2020 was full of challenges ranging from a global pandemic to issues of racial injustice and a controversial U.S. presidential election. The Alumni Association (AA) and the Alumni Relations Office (ARO) faced our own challenges of finding ways to safely continue our programs. ARO staff, Association board members, regional chapter leaders and committee chairs all flexed their creative muscles to find new and innovative ways to deliver for our alumni.

Prior to the Fall semester, we launched the AA Community Connector Series Vodcast on racial equity, inclusion and justice. The series created a safe space for honest conversations and highlighted the expertise of our university faculty. President-Elect Mike Silva and I interviewed leadership from the Division for Equity and Inclusion, African American Student Services, the Athletics Department, the Health Sciences Center and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development. We concluded the series by interviewing the presidents of our Native American, Black and El Centro Alumni Chapters.

We followed up the series with our AA board members interviewing UNM’s four new deans. We hope you visit our social media pages to learn more about the deans and their initiatives at the Anderson School of Management, the School of Architecture & Planning, the College of Education & Human Sciences, and the College of Fine Arts.

The pandemic presented us with the challenge of Homecoming. We held virtual and socially distant events from a spirit yard sign campaign to a virtual Lobo Living Room with past UNM presidents. At our drive-in movie event at Balloon Fiesta Park, we crowned the Homecoming King and Queen. We concluded the week with tailgate parties in our UNM decorated driveways. The challenges were great, but our Homecoming Committee and ARO staff successfully kept us Connected by the Unexpected.

A major part of that success was the Green Chile Roast by Post. Unable to have the traditional in-person roasts, ARO staff found a new way to get their green chile to Lobos and New Mexicans around the globe. We sent approximately 3,000 jugs of green chile to all 50 states and Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. While it initially seemed like a lost year to raise money for our regional chapter scholarships, this ended up being the most successful to date.

Our virtual Lobo Living Rooms were not limited to Homecoming. They began in the summer with football coach Danny Gonzales. After Homecoming, we featured a panel of UNM alumni and experts who discussed the science of COVID-19. We wrapped up the Fall with mental health experts who provided tips on staying healthy during the pandemic.

Lobos for Legislation continued its UNM advocacy activities, including hosting a virtual briefing for our Lobo alumni legislators. President Garnett S. Stokes and Barbara Damron and her government relations team shared UNM updates and priorities and fielded questions in preparation for the legislative session. The successful event was attended by 19 engaged and inquisitive legislators.

President Stokes and I continued the long-standing tradition of celebrating and honoring our Lobo veterans, military service members and their families. We shared our personal military connections and honored our 228 fallen soldiers with taps and the tolling of the Alumni Memorial Chapel bell.

With COVID not allowing us to view Lobo football games in-person, the AA hosted a Coast-to-Coast Virtual Watch Party for the Air Force game to show our appreciation for our team’s hard work. Alums of all ages and backgrounds around the country gathered in our favorite Lobo gear to watch the game. Alums had an opportunity to speak with Athletic Director Eddie Nunez and Deputy Athletic Director Dave Williams. We shared stories about our experiences as students, our favorite hangouts and our love of being Lobos. Although that game did not end the way we wanted, our football team finished the season with two strong inspirational wins and a lot of promise for next year.

Finally, the AA began its major initiative of the year, the Alumni Career Network, an online community providing resources that include career mentoring, training, podcasts and more. The Network will be a resource for all Lobos to connect with each other for career guidance. The Network will also incentivize students to attend UNM knowing they will receive mentoring, internships, career training and job placement support as alumni. We look forward to the Network being the primary resource for alumni-to-alumni hiring and mentoring regardless of the UNM school or the campus they attended. In the end, everyone’s a Lobo!

Now in 2021, the association continues to explore new opportunities and partnerships to connect alums to the University and to each other. As we begin our slow return to our normal activities, we look forward to incorporating our lessons learned and new virtual activities into the Association’s regular programs.

Let’s connect –

Chad Cooper
Alumni Association President

Photo of Chad Cooper
Obits – Spring 2021

Obits – Spring 2021

Mar 15, 2021 | Class News, Obits, Spring 2021

Photo of the exterior of Hodgin Hall looking West

Obits – Spring 2021

1930-1939

Billie F. Addison, ‘39

1940-1949

Caroline Brentari Beaumont, ‘45, ‘48
Harriet J. Whiting, ‘45, ‘50
Author E. Charette, ‘46
Cruz Carlos Castillo, ‘47
Louis Dale Kaiser, ‘48
Marc Evans Myton, ‘49

Elizabeth Ann Dargon Erickson, ‘49
Barbara  Ernest, ‘49
Myra Ravel Gasser, ‘49
Gilbert E. Miranda, ‘49
Martha Jo Porter, ‘49

Lydia G. Ras-Allard, ‘49
Martin  Rubenstein, ‘49
Nancy D. Shaw, ‘49
Myrl Leon Smith, ‘49

1950-1959

Charles Benedict Archuleta, ‘50
Robert E. Lane, ‘50
Robert Arthur Mikkelsen, ‘50, ‘70
Marilyn M. Pollock, ‘50
George M. Popelka, ‘50
William T. Van Court, ‘50
Charles Duncan Alsup, ‘51
Daryl  Gilmore, ‘51
Walter L. Hyde, ‘51
James R. Lotz, ‘51
Norman A. McNew, ‘51
Wade A. Myers, ‘51


Donald G. Rieser, ‘51

Jane J. Rowe, ‘51, ‘83
Robert Warren Stark, ‘51
Joe M. Stell, ‘51
H. Tom Taylor, ‘51
Victor George Umbach, ‘51
Floyd  Vance, ‘51
Richard Louis Allinger, ‘52
John Walter Hagen, ‘52
Burdette Henri Martin, ‘52
Barbara Bongard Rogers, ‘52
Gretchen L. Clatworthy, ‘53
Darrell U. Davidson, ‘53
Dorcas Knudsen Doering, ‘53
Bill  Gentry, ‘53, ‘53, ‘59
Malcolm J. Skove, ‘53
Noel C. Sorrell, ‘53
Donald S. Anderson, ‘54
James F. Lackey, ‘54
Gary L. Tietjen, ‘54
Frank B. Gilmer, ‘55, ‘67
Allan L. Gruer, ‘55
Claude Leonard Lewis, ‘55, ‘60
Thomas Parrish Lief, ‘55, ‘61
Louis Bernard McKee, ‘55
Helen E. Weaver, ‘55
Sarah Stringer Burkstaller, ‘56
Sylvester G. Chumley, ‘56
Glenn Roy Haste, ‘56
Betty Thorf Jack, ‘56
Peggy Lou Kirkland, ‘56, ‘62
Wayman M. Robertson, ‘56
Robert Miles Sweeney, ‘56
Bruce Robert Wood, ‘56
Richard L. Brown, ‘57, ‘57, ‘65
Nancy B. Jennings, ‘57
George R. Reddy, ‘57, ‘61
Paul Olaf Scheie, ‘57
Irvine Elwin Davis, ‘58, ‘60
Charles J. Ederer, ‘58
John S. Havens, ‘58
Robin  Hazen, ‘58, ‘68
Barbara Jean Holt, ‘58, ‘58
Florence Ruth Marshall, ‘58
John N. Middleton, ‘58, ‘70
George J. Unterberg, ‘58
Dick  Wilson, ‘58
Wycliffe V. Butler, ‘59
Lewis O. Campbell, ‘59
Edward A. Gonzales, ‘59
Virgie Nell Hale, ‘59
Patricia H. Holt, ‘59
Jack W. House, ‘59
Eleanor L. McConnell, ‘59, ‘59
Sandra C. Strong Fitzgerald, ‘59

1960-1969

John F. Adams, ‘60
William L. Baker, ‘60
Barbara McKnight Bowser, ‘60
Jose Andres Chacon, ‘60
Charles Edward De Sutter, ‘60
Robert H. Kuehn, ‘60
Karen Quelle McKinnon, ‘60, ‘77
Gary T. Montague, ‘60
Walter L. Willis, ‘60, ‘65
William R. Bennett, ‘61
Jack B. Carlson, ‘61
Byron Gale Crego, ‘61
Elizabeth H. Doolittle, ‘61
Elizabeth Ann Galligan, ‘61, ‘95
Richard D. Jones, ‘61
Harold W. Nelson, ‘61
Karl F. Nigg, ‘61
Edward L. Patterson, ‘61, ‘63
Gordon M. Purslow, ‘61
Elizabeth Thomas, ‘61
George Lawrence Adkins, ‘62
Sidney B. Gasser, ‘62
James A. Gosse, ‘62
Patsy L. Rodgers, ‘62, ‘69

Marvin Chester Weber, ‘62
Lee A. Woodward, ‘62

 

 

Charles A. Bandoian, ‘63, ‘69
Ralph B. Clark, ‘63
Sajjad H. Durrani, ‘63
Dennis L. Mangan, ‘63, ‘71
William I. Norwood, ‘63
Ernie Simpson, ‘63, ‘68,
David M. del Castillo, ‘64, ‘67, ‘67
Nelson W. Eskridge, ‘64
Michael M. Simon, ‘64
Fred W. Wellborn, ‘64
Peter M. Welsh, ‘64
Patricia C. Wilding-White, ‘64
Grace L. Colvin, ‘65, ‘65,
Julia Anne Harris, ‘65, ‘70
Richard G. Hay, ‘65, ‘67
Patricia Diane King, ‘65
Paul Daniel Lackey, ‘65, ‘65, ‘73
Jean M. Marshall, ‘65, ‘65
Paul Gerald Meyer, ‘65
John Marcus Nielson, ‘65
Veronica Reed, ‘65

William F. Riordan, ‘65, ‘68
Charles Eugene Shipley, ‘65, ‘68
Arthur John Bennett, ‘66
Frederick Gaudenz Broell, ‘66, ‘69, ‘70
Donald A. Jelinek, ‘66
Lynn Tarleton Ritchie, ‘66, ‘76

Ausencio Romero, ‘66, ‘69
Marcus A. Boyer, ‘67
James Olaf Halvorson, ‘67
Daniel T. Jennings, ‘67, ‘73
Patricia Winter Mendius, ‘67
Virginia A. Miles, ‘67
Keith D. Neel, ‘67, ‘67
Louis Rodriguez, ‘67
Jesus Carruth Sandoval, ‘67
Joseph P. Sekot, ‘67
Benjamin M. Butler, ‘68
William G. Delano, ‘68
Karen J. Fisher, ‘68
Calvin E. Guymon, ‘68
William Rathberger, ‘68
Alain Michel Serieyssol, ‘68, ‘69
Sylvia Jean Sisson, ‘68, ‘68
Billy Joe Thorne, ‘68
Terry L. Booth, ‘69
James J. Cox, ‘69
Elizabeth A. Crain, ‘69
Dale W. Foster, ‘69
Jay Daniel Hertz, ‘69
Johanna Kennedy Major, ‘69
Caryl Arden Mitchell, ‘69
William Allen Rathgeber, ‘69
Lauralea Ann Stephens, ‘69
Dee C. Whitlock, ‘69, ‘69

1970-1979

Maxine Cowton, ‘70, ‘70
Rhonda Joan Crume McCarley, ‘70, ‘76
William Lee Hatch, ‘70
Richard Wright Irvin, ‘70
Del Paul Jack, ‘70
William E. Kraus, ‘70, ‘71
Edward Leroy Lane, ‘70
Percy Larranaga, ‘70, ‘78
Carlos Brazil Ramirez, ‘70
James R. Sawtelle, ‘70
Knollie Lee Sell, ‘70
Suzann I. Trout, ‘70, ‘76
Susan C. Wheeler, ‘70
John Russell Callan, ‘71
Charles E. Hughes, ‘71
Ella Onetta Labrier, ‘71
Bill Lord, ‘71
Anne Patricia O’Brien ’71
James Terrell Ray, ‘71
Kenneth Alois Sabisch, ‘71
Thomas Arnold Tabet, ‘71
Milton Maurice Brewer, ‘72
Jerry Lynn Buckner, ‘72
Clayton Fisher Childs, ‘72, ‘76
Robert J. Hodge, ‘72
Donald Lee Kurle, ‘72
Roberto Martinez, ‘72

Jim Metheny, ‘72
Mary Katherine Cornell, ‘73
Julie Cullender Gutierrez, ‘73, ‘93
Dora M. Juarez, ‘73
Lillian E. Martin, ‘73
Charles Edgar Merritt, ‘73
David Lee Otero, ‘73
Cleve Bruce Pillifant, ‘73
Joe Bill Scrivner, ‘73, ‘81,
Donald Ray Standiford, ‘73
Roberta Wellems, ‘73
Walter B. Henderson, ‘74, ‘76
George E. Kennedy, ‘74, ‘78
Lawrence D. Larkin, ‘74
David James McNally, ‘74
Kirk Gregory Williams, ‘74
George Austin-Martin, ‘75, ‘76
William B. Bentley, ‘75
Emily Bunting, ‘75
Mart Cooper Hanna, ‘75
Norman George Johnson, ‘75
Suzanne Leslie Kupferer, ‘75
Ronald Woodrow Light, ‘75, ‘77, ‘79
Maebah B. Morris, ‘75, ‘79,
John T. Reilly, ‘75
Roland Kent Sanchez, ‘75
Thomas E. Singleton, ‘75
Jeannine H. Encinias, ‘76, ‘81
Susan Elaine Haley, ‘76
Deborah Zamora Kalmus, ‘76
Anita Aufill Kelly, ‘76
Lydia Rede Madrid, ‘76
Anna Maria Delfinia Padilla, ‘76
Mark David Rieb, ‘76, ‘80
Howard Yee, ‘76
Susan Carol Doering, ‘77
Jill Leslie Furst, ‘77
Albert Castulo Lujan, ‘77, ‘81
Deborah Ann White, ‘77
Patricia K. Archibeck, ‘78, ‘91
Thomas E. Dinkins, ‘78
Mary Katherine Ann Gallegos, ‘78
Roger Gene Gonzales, ‘78
Donna Kalb Herbst, ‘78, ‘92
Sara Beth McComas, ‘78
Doris Elaine Shorey, ‘78, ‘79
Katrina M. Space, ‘78
Anne C. Bullock, ‘79
Mitchell S. Fletcher, ‘79
John Francis Gilligan, ‘79
George Franklin Meade, ‘79
Carol Anne Shelton, ‘79

Anne O’Brien ’70

1948-2019

portrait of Anne O'Brien

Ms. Anne O’Brien was a graduate of Highland High School and the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque from which she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism in 1970.   During her career she lived and worked in Chicago, Santa Barbara, and New York before returning to Albuquerque in 1998.  She retired from the City of Albuquerque where she had been a project coordinator.

Ms. O’Brien had a wide variety of interests but was most passionate about her animal companions.  Her love for animals is reflected in her wish that her entire estate be given to organizations that support animal welfare.

1980-1989

Clifton L. Brashar, ‘80
Christine Anne Hemingway, ‘80
J. Patrick Josey, ‘80
Carolyn Swain Palmer, ‘80
Barbara A. Sanchez, ‘80, ‘84
Larry D. Bush, ‘81
Christopher James Clark, ‘81
Donald C. Cole, ‘81
Dorothy Dwyre Grosvenor, ‘81
Charlean B. Raymond, ‘81
David Neil Robertson, ‘81
Olivia T. Romero, ‘81
John R. Witcofsky, ‘81
Edmund L. Ciccarello, ‘82
Jeanne Bennett Dailey, ‘82
Tong-Hai Hu, ‘82
Linda Raquel Morse, ‘82
Judith Ann Rogala, ‘82
Eloisa Bergere Brown, ‘83
Felipe Antonio Chavez, ‘83
Gloria Whitney Crane, ‘83
Ann Marie Dumas, ‘83
Gilbert Michael Martinez, ‘83
Nina R. Santiago, ‘83
James P. Baiamonte, ‘84
Joseph L. Lifke, ‘84
Candy Lea Sapier, ‘84
Diane Marie Tapia, ‘84
David Owen Taylor, ‘84
Esther Marie Archibeque, ‘85
William Harvey Broughton, ‘85, ‘88, ‘94
Lois E. Detwiler, ‘85
Cassandra Janette Gulley, ‘85
Bill Kosta Hanges, ‘85
Phyllis A. Patterson, ‘85
Richard Michael Barr, ‘86
Eliane Van Stichel, ‘86
Maria Evette Candelaria, ‘87, ‘91
Rose Martinez, ‘87
Louis Arthur Redmond, ‘87, ‘89
Claude Hillary Muller, ‘88
Grace Sandoval Pedro, ‘88
Lane Burgess Theiler, ‘88
Kathryn Lynn Bogren, ‘89
Joyce Marion Connors, ‘89
Britten Finney, ‘89
Steven James Tullar, ‘89

1990-1999

Roberta Josephine Arnold, ‘90, ‘94
Gilbert Gene Cadman, ‘90
Richard Wayne Martinez, ‘90
Sarah Leigh Vidal, ‘90
Jacqueline Kay Walters, ‘90
Patricia A Ortiz Brower, ‘91, ‘95
Mary E. Harrison, ‘91
Katherine Louise Schlapp, ‘91
David George Hanna, ‘92
Derrick P. Joe, ‘92, ‘93,
Elizabeth S. Reil, ‘92
Rick Gregg Sherwood, ‘92, ‘07
Jack Bateman, ‘93
Larry M. Bishop, ‘93, ‘95,
Chris Peter Johnson, ‘93
Ryan Ernest Pemble, ‘93, ‘99
Barbara L. Johnston, ‘94
Louis B. Ashley, ‘95
Lester Leon Bleil, ‘95
Taleah R. Hartman, ‘95
Joseph Torsiello, ‘95
Paul Arthur Barrientos, ‘96
Beverly Alice Gross, ‘96
John Gordon Odell, ‘96, ‘00
Eric Charles Smith, ‘96
Jasson Christopher Cwiekalo, ‘97
Nancy Elizabeth Rogers, ‘97
Kelvin Michael Scarborough, ‘97
Valery Lee Blood, ‘98
Keith Louis Buchanan, ‘98
Serafina Fellin, ‘98
Sharon Anne Ford, ‘98
Jane Nell King, ‘98
Wayne Thomas Parks, ‘98
Diann Elizabeth Pino, ‘98
Beverly Mitchell Allred, ‘99
Allison Patricia Anderson, ‘99
Urszula Jolanta Biela, ‘99

2000-2009

Bethany Catherine Reeb-Sutherland, ‘00, ‘03, ‘06
Sarah M. Moody, ‘01
Allison Moule, ‘01
Charlene G. Struck, ‘01, ‘03,
Christin Kathleen Kennedy, ‘02
Miranda Sanchez, ‘02, ‘11,
Lance Bennett Stillwell, ‘02
Emily A. Coleman, ‘04
Nicholas Jason Miera, ‘04
Steve Munoz, ‘04
Nicole Lee Tipton, ‘04
Ryan David Cunningham, ‘05
Kendra R. Morgan, ‘05
Maynard David Becenti, ‘06, ‘06, ‘09
John William Joseph Charles, ‘06
Janet Langston Schoen, ‘06, ‘06
Stacie N. Cruz, ‘07, ‘13
Shayla Spolidoro, ‘07, ‘11, ‘11
Claresia Begay, ‘08, ‘08
Lynsey A. Horcasitas, ‘08
Victoria T. Sype, ‘08, ‘09
Marilyn J. De Palma, ‘09

2010-2019

Paula A. Ferguson, ‘10
Hannah Helen Philbrick, ‘10
Kermit A. Yonnie, ‘10, ‘15,
Theodore Raymond Bolstad, ‘11
Manuelita I. Chapman, ‘12, ‘17
Jonathan M. Lucero, ‘12
Michael E. Watts, ‘12
Michael Francis Brett, ‘15
Edward Jude Davis, ‘16
Bobby Dale Gibbs, ‘16
Veronica Iturralde, ‘16
Adrienne Kelsey Lawless, ‘16
Benjamin Michael Smith, ‘16
Rebecca S. Cox, ‘17
Shirley Ann Ashley, ‘18

Pending Graduate

Jacqueline Ann Smith

Staff, Faculty & Friends

Bob Anderson
Shirley Archunde
Ronald Eugene Blood
William Harvey Broughton
Edwin H. Caplan
Hannah Colton
Richard V. Croghan
Michael Davidson, MD
Raphael J. DeHoratius, MD
Patricia Kathryne Fowler
Stephen L. Gregg, MD
Richard Irvin
Niles Ragner Johnson
David H. Munger, MD
Wilma Jean Nash
Paul Platero
Dr. Patrick G. Quinn
Harold V. Rhodes
Tom Saunders

Melissa L. Vargas

1970-2020

Those emotions are flowing across The University of New Mexico’s campus community after the recent loss of one of its valued staff members, Melissa L. Vargas, who died peacefully on Saturday, May 30, 2020 surrounded by her family. A native New Mexican, Vargas was raised in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque. She graduated from Manzano High School, attended New Mexico State University, and then The University of New Mexico where she studied and received her Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Speech-Language Pathology. After graduating, she began a distinguished 23-year career at The University of New Mexico.

Juliana “Julie” Cullender Gutierrez

1951-2020

Passed away peacefully in the arms of her husband, Alberto, at home surrounded by loved ones on Friday, July 3, 2020. After getting married and briefly working as an English teacher, Juliana took a position at UNM Medical Center. Always the consummate overachiever with a fierce intellect, uncommon work ethic and natural talent for management, Juliana rose rapidly through the ranks. After earning her MBA, along-side her sister Mary Lou, she ultimately became the VP of Business and Finance at UNM.

Veronica Reed

1941-2020

Veronica Reed, born Friday, June 20, 1941 passed away Sunday, December 27, 2020. The cause of death (cancer) was very recently diagnosed, and her decline was quick. Veronica was very active at UNM, where she served on the Alumni Board and the Lobo Living Room Committee, and at Santa Fe Opera, as a member of the SF Opera Guild Education Committee. She was known and loved for her engaging personality, her energy and generosity of spirit, and her presence will be sorely missed.

If you have a photo you would like included in the obits, please email it with a full name and grad year to alumni@unm.edu

New Leader at Health Sciences Center

New Leader at Health Sciences Center

Mar 15, 2021 | Campus Connections, Spring 2021

Photo of the exterior of Hodgin Hall looking West

New Leader at Health Sciences Center

The UNM Health Sciences Center has a new leader — Douglas Ziedonis, MD, MPH, a psychiatrist who most recently served as associate vice chancellor for Health Sciences at the University of California, San Diego.

The UNM Health Sciences Center’s mission encompasses education, research and clinical care. It includes the School of Medicine and Colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing and Population Health, UNM Hospital, the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center, community-based clinics and a robust research arm. It employs some 10,000 people and has a budget of $2.2 billion.

Ziedonis joined UNM in December 2020 with two titles — executive vice president for UNM Health Sciences and chief executive officer of the UNM Health System — following the retirement of Paul B. Roth, MD, MS, who served in executive positions at the Health Sciences Center for 40 years.

UNM President Garnett S. Stokes, who made the appointment following a 10-month search, said Ziedonis is ready to lead a large and complicated academic, research and clinical system.

“He comes to UNM with a keen appreciation for the complexities of running the state’s only academic medical center, including the current stressors derived from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic,” Stokes said. “Additionally, his own medical and public health background and accomplishments have targeted addressing health disparities – including issues such as homelessness, mental illness, and addiction — and being a champion for diversity.”

UNM Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs James Holloway, who led the search committee, said he was impressed especially by how Ziedonis listened to multiple voices and perspectives.

Prior to joining UC San Diego, Ziedonis held leadership roles at the University of Massachusetts, UCLA, Yale University and Rutgers. The second-generation son of Latvian immigrants, Ziedonis received his medical degree from Pennsylvania State University Medical School and his master of public health degree from Yale. He is internationally recognized for his research in mental illness and addiction, especially tobacco addiction.

“President Stokes has created a really strong transformative leadership team with great cohesion, and I welcome the opportunity to be a part of her leadership team and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and balance across all the missions,” Ziedonis said. “As a Research 1 University, we will need to have more inter-disciplinary partnerships and innovation hubs to be successful in receiving federal and other resources, including collaborations with other universities in the state, the community and local businesses. I know that Health Sciences schools and colleges serve an important role in the future growth of the University.”

Ziedonis will be joined in New Mexico by his wife of 30 years, Patrice.

Photo of Douglas Ziedonis, MD
It’s Official – UNM Has A New Seal

It’s Official – UNM Has A New Seal

Mar 15, 2021 | Campus Connections, Spring 2021

Photo of the exterior of Hodgin Hall looking West

It’s Official – UNM Has A New Seal

UNM’s official seal for decades, which featured a sword-carrying Spanish conquistador and a rifle-toting frontiersman, has been scrapped and replaced by a simple graphic design.

The Board of Regents chose the new design on a 3-1 vote, ending a controversy that has spanned years. UNM began using an interim seal in 2017 following protests by Native American student groups over concerns that the seal, which had been used for decades, promoted racism and non-inclusion.

UNM proposed five seal options in early 2020 and gave the university community a chance to vote. The most popular design had a howling Lobo and the Sandia Mountains in the background.

Regents instead chose a more simplified design that officials said would better reflect the University on diplomas and graduation apparel. The University will begin the process within the next year of phasing out the interim seal and replacing it on transcripts, banners, commencement regalia, diplomas and diploma frames, as well as other university documents.

University Seal Graphic

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