Two new members have officially joined the Western New Mexico University Board of Regents.
Dalva Lon Moellenberg, who manages the Santa Fe office of law firm Gallagher and Kennedy, was appointed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and confirmed by the Senate. Moellenberg received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and a law degree from Arizona State University. His legal practice focuses primarily on regulated industries such as mining and water rights as well as administrative law.
Moellenberg’s appointment is confirmed on the heels of the end of term for outgoing regent Janice Baca-Argabright, who served with distinction as a member of the WNMU board since her appointment in 2011.”I’m looking forward to the perspectives and vision Regent Moellenberg will bring to our board and university community and grateful for the years of hard work, passion and professionalism of outgoing Regent Baca-Argabright who will be missed but will forever remain a member of our Mustang family,” said WNMU President Joseph Shepard.
Student regent Trent Jones is a business major and student athlete at WNMU and has served on the Board of Regents since Nov. 2022. While at the university, he has repeatedly earned a place on the President’s List for Academic Excellence. “Student Regent Jones has already served diligently and is a true model of service leadership for the entire WNMU student body,” said Shepard.
The Board of Regents is responsible for overall management and fiscal oversight of the university. In collaboration with university leadership, the board establishes goals and policies, approves degrees, and selects the president, to whom it delegates day-to-day operations and management. The Board of Regents delegates to the faculty responsibility for most matters related to teaching and research.
Regents serve in a voluntary, uncompensated capacity and are appointed by the state’s governor and confirmed by the Senate.