Board of Directors

From the Chair

Diverse, entrepreneurial and innovative are the defining characteristics of UNM Rainforest Innovations’ Board of Directors. Members of the Board are researchers, inventors, academics, administrators, business executives, lawyers and community leaders, with local, national and international ties. Our board guides UNM Rainforest Innovations in its mission to support the University of New Mexico and its partners as the source for innovation management and commercial development in six strategic areas of service to the University:

• Compliance with the Bayh-Dole Act (IP prosecution, maintenance and commercialization)
• Support for economic development (marketing/licensing/start-up companies)
• Support of UNM faculty and staff commercialization (recruitment support, commercialization outreach education and faculty retention)
• Academic impact through support for UNM research (CDAs, MTAs, IIAs and research agreements)
• Academic impact through support for UNM education (student interns, outreach, Joseph L. Cecchi VentureLab)
• Income generation from technology transfer

The UNM Rainforest Innovations Board of Directors deals with these strategic UNM Rainforest Innovations areas and applies specific expertise, drawn from our members’ backgrounds, as needed.

Ms. Terri L. Cole
Vice Chair, UNM Rainforest Innovations Board of Directors
President & CEO, Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce

Dr. James P. Holloway
Vice Chair, UNM Rainforest Innovations Board of Directors
Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, UNM

Dr. John H. Stichman
Secretary and Treasurer, UNM Rainforest Innovations Board of Directors
Executive Vice President & Deputy Laboratory Director, Sandia National Laboratories, Retired

Ms. Elizabeth (Lisa) J. Kuuttila
CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer, UNM Rainforest Innovations

Board Members

Mr. Joe Christian
President/CEO, Nusenda Credit Union

Dr. Julie A. Coonrod
Interim Dean, Anderson School of Management, UNM

Ms. Teresa Costantinidis
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration, UNM

Dr. Ellen Fisher
Vice President for Research, UNM

Dr. Robert Fisher
Principal, Fisher Leadership Strategy Execution

Mr. David Foster
Retired Policy Analyst, Metropolitan Applied Research Center
Retired Consultant to Media Companies

Mr. David W. Gibson
Deputy Laboratories Director and Chief Operations Officer, Sandia National Laboratories

Mr. Riis Gonzales
President & CEO, Sandia Foundation

Ms. Maria Griego-Raby
President, Principal, Contract Associates, Inc.

Dr. Richard Luarkie
President & CEO, Tamaya Ventures

Dr. Gregg L. Mayer
President, Gregg L. Mayer & Co., Inc.

Mr. Robert Nath
Co-Founder and Chairman, Quasar International, Inc., Retired

Dr. David L. Perkins
Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine
Director of the Center for Personalized Medicine
Co-Director, M.D./Ph.D. Program UNM School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center

Dr. Eric R. Prossnitz
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Molecular Medicine
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center

Mr. Alex O. Romero
Former President/CEO, Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce

Dr. Alton D. Romig, Jr.
Executive Officer, National Academy of Engineering

Ms. Kimberly Sanchez Rael
Chair, UNM Board of Regents
President & CEO, SRE Wellness, Inc. (dba Azuca)

Dr. Garnett S. Stokes
President, The University of New Mexico

Dr. John C. Stormont
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of New Mexico

Mr. Charles I. Wellborn
Former President, Science & Technology Corporation @ UNM, Retired

Dr. Douglas Ziedonis
Executive Vice President, UNM Health Sciences
Chief Executive Officer, UNM Health System