Our Team

The Economic Development Cabinet and larger Economic Development Team were established in fall of 2022 to recognize, enhance, and promote the economic development impact NMSU has on local, regional, and national economies. The process has been two-fold: First, the cabinet was created; second, a larger team was established to develop and implement strategies as suggested by the cabinet.

 

About the Economic Development Cabinet

The cabinet’s purpose is to:

  • Promote the importance and value of university-led economic development throughout the NMSU system.
  • Collaboratively determine overarching economic development goals for the NMSU system.
  • Cultivate external (i.e., off-campus) partnerships with stakeholders who can help to advance economic development goals.
  • Assist in positioning the NMSU system for success in securing funding and support for economic development efforts.
  • Set strategic priorities for the NMSU economic development mission.
  • Provide direction to the NMSU Economic Development Team whose purpose is the implementation of economic development strategic priorities.

The cabinet membership is based on areas of university influence suggested by Harvard Business professor Michael Porter in his article, “Colleges and Universities and Regional Economic Development: A Strategic Perspective.” The areas of university economic contributions and members represented on the cabinet include:

Executive Leadership

Luis Cifuentes, Vice President for Research, Creativity and Economic Development

Advisor and Network Builder

Dana Catron, Interim Director and Chief Executive Officer of Arrowhead Center

Technology Transformer and Incubator

Patricia Marquez Knighten, Director of Innovation Commercialization in the Office of Intellectual Property at Arrowhead Center

Workforce Development

Monica Torres, President of Doña Ana Community College

Real Estate

Scott Eschenbrenner, Chief Executive Officer of Aggie Development

 

About the Economic Development Team

The team comprises campus leaders who recognize the value of economic development and how it is influenced by the university. The team used the fall semester of 2022 to define, analyze, and plan intentional economic development activities to be implemented moving forward. The result was a thoughtful list of activities that have the potential for short- and long-term improvements in our region. 

Members of the team are:

Eric Sanchez, Physical Science Laboratory

Chris Erickson, College of Business

Dana Catron, Arrowhead Center

Luis Cifuentes, Research, Creativity and Strategic Initiatives

Rolando Flores Galarza, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Enrico Pontelli, College of Arts and Sciences

Bryan Ashenbaum, College of Business

Yoshi Iwasaki, College of Health, Education and Social Transformation

Lakshmi Reddi, College of Engineering

Marcella Shelby, Physical Science Laboratory

Jay Lillywhite, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Patricia Marquez Knighten, Arrowhead Center

Patricia Sullivan, Office of Strategic Initiatives

Monica Torres, Doña Ana Community College

Scott Eschenbrenner, Aggie Development

Amanda Bradford, Marketing and Communications