31-03-2025
Western New Mexico University welcomes new members to Board of Regents
SILVER CITY, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Senate recently confirmed four new appointments to the Western New Mexico University Board of Regents.
Joining the Board will be former District 2 state Sen. Steve Neville, John V. Wertheim, Keana Huerta, and J. Dean Reed. All four were nominated by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
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Bio provided by WNMU: Steve Neville, a resident of Farmington, served as a State Senator from 2004 to 2024. A graduate of Moriarty High School, Neville has undergraduate and graduate degrees from New Mexico State University. He served as the National Chairman of the Energy Council and as President of the San Juan Board of Realtors, among other leadership roles. He has worked in real estate consulting and investment since 1985.
Bio provided by WNMU: John Wertheim, an attorney based in Albuquerque, has served as an advisor to the late Governors Bruce King and Bill Richardson, to former U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and to current NM Gov. Lujan Grisham. His undergraduate degree is from Yale University, and his J.D. degree is from the University of New Mexico. In addition to his legal practice, Wertheim has a long record of community and political service.
Bio provided by WNMU: Keana Huerta was born and raised in Grant County and graduated from Cobre High School in 2023. She served as a Councilwoman for the Town of Hurley from 2023 to 2025 and is an active member of the Silver City Kiwanis. Huerta is studying nursing at WNMU, and she is the lead singer of Siempre Band. Working as a solo artist, she issued a single with the help of Tejano music luminary Shelly Lares. She will serve as Student Regent.
Bio provided by WNMU: J. Dean Reed is an alum of WNMU, having earned a B.A. and M.B.A. from the university. Most recently serving as Vice President for Cornerstone Diagnostics, Reed has extensive experience developing sales and training strategies in the healthcare field. While a student at WNMU, he served as student body president for two years, and since graduating from the university, he has been involved with the WNMU Alumni Association, including serving as Secretary of the Alumni Board.
Note: Photo from Western New Mexico University Alumni
The fifth Regent seat has yet to be filled.
University Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Jack Crocker said that the WNMU community was looking forward to moving forward with the new Regents. 'We appreciate Governor Lujan Grisham's thorough deliberations in appointing outstanding members for the board and their sincere willingness to serve. Students, faculty, and staff, and the community in general, look forward to the exceptional experience, knowledge, leadership, and expressed commitment each regent brings not only to support our current excellence but also to advance WNMU's historic legacy as a proud Hispanic Serving Institution, its academic quality, dedication to transforming students' lives, and longstanding service to the region and state,' Crocker stated in a news release.
The confirmation of new board members comes as the New Mexico Department of Justice continues its legal efforts to recoup $1.9 million that was paid to former university president Dr. Joseph Shepard as part of a buyout approved by the former group of regents.
Shepard and his legal team have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. A hearing to address that motion is set for June 16 in Luna County District Court.
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