Leadership Team

My career in higher education includes serving as Assistant Director General for Education for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in Paris, France and as state senator (1980-82), Lt. Governor (1982-86) and Congressman (1989-1990) for Vermont.

I was the founding president of both California State University Monterey Bay and the Community College of Vermont, and currently I hold the Orkand Endowed Chair and Senior Advisor to the President at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC).

I believe the concept of a state bank for New Mexico is community-based capitalism at its best. Instead of putting our tax dollars in the pockets of shareholders and executives from out-of-state, it makes sense to put them to work employing New Mexicans, creating great infrastructure, and keeping control within our borders.

I retired from New Mexico State University (NMSU) in 2018.  I am professor emeritus in Information Systems in the College of Business.  I taught courses about database (Oracle, Oracle APEX, SQL), systems analysis and design and enterprise systems (SAP).  My areas of research were primarily ethics and end-user development. Shortly after retiring I developed several educational playlists about my course topics on YouTube to contribute to the free educational community in my field.

I grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and have also lived in Flagstaff, Arizona, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, before moving to Las Cruces in 1998 to teach at NMSU. I earned a B.A. in Psychology at the University of Arkansas, an M.B.A. at Northern Arizona University, and a Ph.D. in Computer Information Systems at the University of Arkansas.

When I retired, I knew I would stay in southern New Mexico. This is my community and my home. I look for ways to be actively involved in my community because it makes me feel useful and I get to meet some of the most interesting and courageous people.

I have been very impressed with the experience and professionalism of AFLEP’s leadership team and their commitment to the well-being of communities in New Mexico. It is a privilege to join them in their work to promote economic prosperity throughout our state.

I am currently Executive Director of Las Cruces based Electronic Caregiver Inc., one of the fastest growing health and safety monitoring companies employing cutting edge technology to help users with their health care needs. My work has included ramping up and managing several large medical-contact businesses around the US. My business development activities have been recognized by the White House and State and Federal Legislatures, and I had the wonderful opportunity to represent the Las Cruses Chamber of Commerce on a visit to the regional Chapter in Italy, the Camera diCommerica Industria Artigianato e Agricoltura di Sassari.

I enjoy emceeing local benefits like the boxing fundraiser for at-risk kids at the Burke Center and MLK Day community breakfast. My wife, Lia and son Stfano and I are committed to community involvement, especially if it calls for language skills. Lia speaks 5, Stefano 4 and I speak 3.

After attending the Craig Barnes lectures and grassroots organizing meetings in Santa Fe, I became active in WeArePeopleHere! (the nonprofit inspired by his work), where I led a study group on Deliberative Democracy. Then I moved to Albuquerque to head a nonprofit and joined an economic justice group in my faith community, out of which grew a robust book discussion on What Then Must We Do? by Gar Alperovitz.

Public banking emerged as a compelling response for creating greater economic parity in our state – and the organization, Public Bank for Central New Mexico was formed. Our group participated in the 2014 international Public Banking Symposium in Santa Fe and then organized an Albuquerque Symposium in 2015 for regional leaders.

My professional background includes tenure as a university professor in education; leadership and organizational development in the corporate world; and Executive Director roles in nonprofit organizations for 14 years. Throughout my career, my passion has focused on enacting change that strengthens our democracy through social and economic justice; affirming dignity and respect for every person; and increasing access to and engagement with, quality education for children, especially early childhood programs.

Living in New Mexico since 2006, I’ve also been an advocate for safe, affordable housing and expanded support for homeless families, especially those with young children. I’ve been active in the United Way of Central New Mexico’s Mission: Families Vision Council and the Early Childhood Accountability Project (ECAP). I earned a B.S. and M.S. from Iowa State University; an Ed.D from New Mexico State University; and a MTS (Master of Theological Studies) from the Harvard Divinity School.

​I was born and raised on a farm in northeast Colorado and did undergraduate work at the University of Colorado. After college I spent two years in Colombia, South America, with the Peace Corps doing urban community development. After graduate school at Columbia University I taught community social work and community sustainable development at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, for more than 30 years.

My community social work syllabus always had a unit about the Public Bank of North Dakota because it seemed an encouraging example of keeping public money local for local investment and improving community wellbeing. I was delighted to find the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity, to be part of a group with interest in developing a Public Bank in New Mexico. Our work with AFLEP involves outreach, especially in the North Central Economic Development District, with the Food and Farm Policy Council, and with indigenous food and farm entrepreneurs. I am also a volunteer in the Santa Fe Public Schools through Communities In Schools.

After being involved with public banking advocacy for five years, I have more and more come to realize the significant impact a public bank can have on our state. It will allow our taxpayer money to be leveraged to create non-tax revenue (more money without additional taxes). Further, a public bank can provide a means to put more of our state money back into our local economy by supporting economic development and education, to name just two areas.

As a retired English and math teacher, I want to use my communication skills to help my state prosper and be a great place to live.

I have lived most of my life in New Mexico, graduating from the University of New Mexico. I have worked helping to promote local businesses for over 30 years, watching the inexorable encroachment on our local economy by actors taking our wealth out of the state. In the early 2000’s I got involved with “KeepItQuerque.org” to promote the importance of “buying local” as a crucial means of keeping money generated by the efforts of New Mexicans recirculating within our own economy rather than let it “leak out.”

When Craig Barnes described a plan to establish a Public Bank effectively owned by the taxpayers of New Mexico, I felt that was right in line with the idea of keeping more of our New Mexico money working here in for New Mexicans. I began collaborating with the group that is now Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity and am pleased to help move the idea to reality.