Meet the UNM Retiree Association Board

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Gene Henley President	Breda Bova Past President and Legislative Committee Chair	Janet Brierley President-Elect Benefits Committee Chair
Gene’s Lobo roots date back to 1975. After graduation, he spent seven years consulting startups and turnaround businesses before transitioning to public service with the State of New Mexico for 15 years. Gene returned to UNM in 2000 earning an MPA and served as the Director of Operations and Advisement until his retirement in 2023. He also served on the UNM Staff Council, including a term as President.	Breda has worked at UNM for the last 34 years. She was an Assist Professor in the COE Department of Secondary and Adult Education, chair of Educational Leadership, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Community Outreach. In 2005 moved to Advisor and Chief of Staff for the President and has worked for the five UNM Presidents.	Janet joined the Faculty of the Medical School in 1994 and retired in 2018. She is Professor Emerita in the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, where she was Director of Medical Student Education and Medical Director of Advanced Practice Providers.

Alfred Matheson Legislative Committee	Tim Backes Program & Events Chair	Walter Gerstle Treasurer
Alfred joined the faculty in 1983 and retired in 2019 after having taught as a professor in the law school and serving as a Director of Africana Studies and Co-Dean of the School of Law.	Tim moved to NM from UCLA in 1999. He worked at UNM for 23 years as Senior Business Manager for the Student Union Building and Associate Director of UNM Dining Services. Since retirement Tim has stayed active with UNM Retiree Association and various other volunteer activities and organizations in both New Mexico and Merida, Yucatán.	Walter is Professor Emeritus of UNM Civil Engineering. He is Treasurer for the nonprofits New Mexico Solar Energy Society and 350NM.org, former president of the UNM 21 Club and treasurer of the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra. Gerstle is Past President of both the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers, the New Mexico Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers

Dawn Martinez Membership & Special Events Chair	Mark Reynolds Program & Events Committee Co-Chair	Les McFadden Legislative and Program & Events Committees
Dawn served as the Associate Athletics Director for Compliance and as an academic advisor in the Athletics Department where she worked for 15 years. She retired from UNM in 2016 after 25 years of service.	Mark retired as Associate Director for the University of New Mexico IT department where he oversaw the 25,000 phone lines for UNM, UH, HSC, Research Park and all the branch campuses. He has been in Higher Education for 40 years, 20 years at UNM as a voice, data, security subject matter expert. He moved to NM in 1960 and is an Air Force Veteran after joining 5 days after high school.	Leslie is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences. He retired after a 35-year career during which his research focused on the study of the development and evolution of, and impacts of climate change, on the landscapes of aridlands of our planet.

Kim W. Jarigese Communications & Marketing Chair and Program Committee	Ava L. Lovell Board Member	Vanessa K. Hawker Board Member
Kim retired after 28 years as Marketing Manager for UNM Extended Learning and Continuing Education.	Ava has recently retired after being a first rate mission-driven communicator and collaborator. Experienced financial controller and administrative executive manager operating in a complex governmental entity. Extensive executive experience in accounting and internal controls, budgeting and financial reporting, facilities management, strategic risk assessments and complex problem solving.	Vanessa retired as the Chief Budget & Facilities Officer for the UNM Health Sciences Center.

Eliseo Torres Legislative Committee	Walt Miller Board Member	Amy Neel Board Member
Cheo served as Vice President for Student Affairs/Full Professor since 1996. He continues to teach classes on traditional medicine cross-listed with eight academic departments and regularly lectures and gives presentation on the history and lore of traditional medicine, curanderismo.	Walt was the Associate Vice President for Student Life at UNM, after being employed at UNM for 47 years. He was the student body president during the mid-60s at William Patterson College and subsequently began his career at UNM as the director for the Student Union recently retiring after 25 years.	Amy served as Associate Professor, at the UNM Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and retired in 2004.

	Jamie Rickman UNM Support and Administrator Communications Committee
	Jamie serves as a highly valued UNM support administrator for the UNM Retirees Association. She works as the Unit Administrator with UNM HR Administration.