Albuquerque – Today, Governor-elect Susana Martinez nominated Dr. Jose Z. Garcia to serve as her secretary of the Higher Education Department. Dr. Garcia has been a professor at New Mexico State University (NMSU) since 1975 and was the director of the NMSU Center for Latin American and Border Studies from 1991 to 2003. He has published numerous articles on U.S.-Latin American relations and was a past member of the New Mexico Border Authority.
In nominating Dr. Garcia, Governor-elect Susana Martinez stated, “Dr. Garcia is a talented educator who will help me streamline New Mexico’s higher education system. His charge is to ensure that our universities and colleges provide students with all they need to be competitive in today’s global job market and the opportunity to develop their talents and skills right here in New Mexico.”
Dr. Garcia earned his B.A. in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College, was a Fulbright Scholar to Ecuador, earned his M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, was a Ford Foundation seminar participant in Santiago, Chile and graduated from the University of New Mexico with a doctorate in political science.
In response to his nomination as Secretary of the Higher Education Department, Dr. Garcia said, “I look forward to joining Governor-elect Martinez’s administration. She has asked me to ensure that our colleges and universities are among the leading centers of education and research in the nation. Our focus must be on preparing our students for the jobs of tomorrow in the most efficient means possible.”