March 9, 2010 by Julie M. Hughes NMSU NewsCenter
New Mexico State University Regent Blake Curtis shows the crystal plaque the university was awarded during the March 8 regents meeting for achieving a LEED gold certification for a new building at NMSU Alamogordo. With Curtis are fellow regents, university leaders and representatives from the Alamogordo campus. (NMSU photo by Darren Phillips)
New Mexico State University Regent Isaac Pino was elected to serve as chair of the Board of Regents at a regular meeting of the board Monday, March 8.
Regent Chris Anaya was elected vice chair and Regent Blake Curtis secretary/treasurer. They will each serve in these roles for one year.
All of the regents expressed thanks to Regent Curtis for his leadership as chair during the past year.
“This university is better off today because of your leadership,” said Regent Javier Gonzales.
Curtis expressed his congratulations to the new officers and thanks for the support he received this past year.
“It was a challenging year, a year full of difficult decisions, but in the end, all is well. NMSU continues to move ahead,” Curtis said.
Pino was appointed to the NMSU Board of Regents in March 2009. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from NMSU. Pino is the president of SunCor New Mexico and general manager and vice president of Rancho Viejo.
Anaya serves as the student regent and is pursuing a major in government. He is a native New Mexican and serves as a College of Arts and Sciences Senator for the Associated Students of NMSU. He is also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Curtis is a Clovis businessman and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the American Seed Trade Association, Leadership New Mexico, and the Association of Commerce and Industry.
The five-member board also includes Gonzales, who has 15 years experience as a leader in a broad range of projects in the public and private arenas, and Regent Laura Conniff, a broker and co-owner of Mathers Realty Inc. and co-owner of Leveldale Farms and Conniff F Cross Farm.
In other business the Regents heard reports on the Living the Vision Performance Plan, the NMSU Foundation’s “Doing What Counts” comprehensive fund raising campaign and the utilization of preferences in public works procurement. They also heard a post Legislative Session Update, which outlined budget challenges ahead for the university.
NMSU Alamogordo President Cheri Jimeno presented the Board of Regents with a LEED Gold Plaque. The Alamogordo campus earned the plaque for its Health Sciences Center Reidlinger Addition from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. NMSU made a commitment in 2006 to make all new building projects LEED certifiable, or “green buildings.” The Reidlinger Addition was the first at any NMSU campus to attain such a rating.