Felecia Caton-Garcia

The meeting included reports on student success in the quantum technician program and an employee recognition award for extraordinary dedication. Legislative updates were provided, along with information on upcoming events and graduation planning. The Board received a presentation on the economic outlook for the region and state. Additionally, the Board approved revisions to the 2026 meeting schedule and selected a vendor for the Film & Digital Media Center Project.

The meeting included the administration of oaths of office for re-elected and newly elected Board members. The Board proceeded with the organization of the Board, resulting in the unanimous election of Annette Chavez y De La Cruz as Board Chair, Nancy Baca as Vice Chair, and James A. Chavez as Secretary. The President's Report highlighted the success story of a student in the Rigging Grip Workshop partnership with Netflix, recognition of the January Excellence Award recipient, updates on a 1% increase in spring enrollment overall and a 14% increase for CNM Ingenuity, legislative priorities, and an announcement for CNM Day at the Legislature and the State of the College event. Key resolutions considered and approved included the acceptance of the external audit report for fiscal year 2024-2025 (Resolution 2026-01) and revisions to the Employee Handbook sections concerning Employee Categories, Employee Definitions, and Noncompetitive Hires (Resolutions 2026-02, 2026-03, and 2026-04, respectively). Board members offered extensive praise and thanks for the service of outgoing Chair Mr. Swisstack.

Key discussions during the meeting included the approval of the agenda and the minutes from the October 14, 2025, meeting. The President's Report featured the student experience of Michael Waldrop, recognition of Board Member Charles N. Ofelt who was attending his final meeting, and congratulations to senior leaders receiving the December Excellence Award upon their departure. Several Governing Board Resolutions were considered and approved: Resolution 2025-54 concerning the 2026 Notice of Meetings, Resolution 2025-55 approving the 2026 Board Meeting Schedule, and resolutions to add new programs: Photonics Certificate of Completion, Quantum Computing Technician Certificate of Completion, Diesel Equipment Technology Service Fundamentals Certificate of Achievement, and Electric Vehicle Technology Service Fundamentals Certificate of Achievement. Further actions included the approval of contracts for Part-Time Faculty (Resolution 2025-60), vendor selection for Legal Services (Resolution 2025-61) and Hyper-Converged Infrastructure Hardware Refresh (Resolution 2025-62), lease approval for New Mexico Highlands University at Montoya Campus (Resolution 2025-63), advisory notification on Cybersecurity (Resolution 2025-64), the FY26 Mid-Year BAR (Resolution 2025-65), and the FY26 Master Plan Mid-Year Adjustment (Resolution 2025-66). The Board also passed a vote of confidence in President Hartzler.

The agenda for the regular meeting of the Governing Board includes several key items. These include roll call, organization of the Board, and public comment. Standing committee reports from Audit, Executive are noted, though Finance, Capital Outlay, and Planning did not meet. Key considerations involve resolutions for the acceptance of the External Audit Report and multiple revisions to the Employee Handbook concerning employee categories, definitions, and noncompetitive hires. A presentation on the Mid-Point Strategic Plan Update is also scheduled.

The Governing Board meeting included a student story, recognition of Excellence Award winners, and updates on the Quantum Learning Lab, Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and the upcoming Midterm elections. A presentation was given on Advanced Manufacturing and Quantum, discussing programming at CNM Ingenuity and partnerships with Sandia National Laboratories. The Internal Audit Department Strategic Plan was presented as an informational item. The board also considered and approved a resolution for fixed asset certification and the Perkins Basic V Grant for fiscal year 2024-2025.