The University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) hosted three new vice presidents from The University of New Mexico (UNM) main campus recently including: Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration Teresa Costantinidis, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Assata Zerai and Vice President of Enrollment Management Dan García. 

UNM President Garnett Stokes has encouraged key administrative employees to visit the branch campuses to gain broader perspectives in order to optimize the relationships among all campuses. Their visit to UNM-LA included a tour of the campus, a meeting with campus leaders, and an open forum reception with UNM-LA faculty and staff.

Costantinidis arrives at UNM with 33 years of experience at University of California (UC) Berkeley and UC San Francisco. Her top three priorities at UNM include budget transparency and developing a holistic view of the overall budget to better manage finances, building relationships with the branch campuses to determine if there are more cost effective ways to work together, and capital project planning. Costantinidis commented, “I am thrilled to have stepped into an environment filled with great people.”

Zerai, a Professor Emeritus from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, joined the UNM campus in August. Her priorities at UNM are expanding faculty diversity, revamping the search process for employees, and focusing on diversity among graduate students, aiming to mirror the current diversity seen at the undergraduate level. Among other things, Zerai has adopted the initiative to create a more inclusive university seal for UNM.

García has worked at the University of Washington Tacoma, West Texas A&M University and most recently the University of Texas at Arlington. Although he joined the UNM staff just three weeks ago, he has already articulated his top priorities. Garcia aims to improve communication with students to cultivate a greater understanding of university expectations and the value of a degree, streamline processes that may hold students back, and promote communication among colleagues.

As the open forum session concluded, UNM-LA Advisory Board member Michelle Hall reflected, “I am delighted at everything I have seen and heard today. The enthusiasm and excitement are contagious.”

UNM-Los Alamos is an innovative, rigorous, and affordable comprehensive branch community college that provides foundations for transfer, leading-edge career programs, and lifelong learning opportunities. For more information, visit UNM-LA.