Executive Director, NM Council of University Presidents 

Marc H. Saavedra serves as Executive Director of the New Mexico Council of University Presidents, where he works to advance collaboration and advocacy among the state's public universities. With more than three decades of experience in state government, and higher education and government relations, he has helped coordinate statewide initiatives addressing university funding, legislative priorities, and student access. His work includes advancing the Higher Education Unified Budget Request, coordinating university support for the Opportunity Scholarship, and supporting major capital investments in New Mexico's higher education institutions. Through his leadership, Saavedra helps strengthen the collective voice of public universities in state policy discussions. 

Dr. Sarita Cargas is a professor of human rights in the Honors College at the University of New Mexico. She has her doctorate from Oxford University, MA from Georgetown and a BA from St. John’s College.  She is also the director of the NM Basic Needs Consortium which has the mission to reduce food and housing insecurity in NM colleges and universities. 

Dr. Mark Viner is an Associate Professor of Educational Technology at Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) and Department Chair of Curriculum & Instruction.  Dr. Viner educates undergraduates and graduate students on integrating technology into classroom practices. In addition, his experiences include extensive work with K-12 administrators, principals, and teachers to provide sustained professional development in technology integration. Research projects include investigating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education by ENMU's education faculty and graduate and undergraduate students. He has an undergraduate degree in Biology/Physical Science and a Master's and Ph.D. in Educational Technology, Instructional Design, and Online Learning. 

Dean, Arts and Sciences, NMSU

Enrico Pontelli is a Regents Professor of Computer Science, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and Senior Advisor for AI at New Mexico State University. He also serves as chair of the New Mexico AI Consortium. His research interests span various areas of AI and Education, including knowledge representation and reasoning and logic programming. He is particularly interested in using AI technologies to solve concrete domain problems in areas such as assistive technologies, smart grids, and precision agriculture. He is also passionate about inclusive education for all students in computing, AI, and more general STEM areas.  

Chair, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, New Mexico Tech

Dr. Jun Zheng is Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at New Mexico Tech. His research focuses on applied artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, cyber-physical systems, and human-centered computing. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and has served on the New Mexico Tech faculty since 2008. His work explores the intersection of intelligent technologies, information security, and emerging computing systems, bringing a technical and research-focused perspective to discussions about the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in higher education. 

Dean, College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences, UNM

Dr. Mark Emmons serves as Dean of the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences at the University of New Mexico, where he oversees academic libraries, learning sciences, and university publishing. With more than 35 years of experience in academic librarianship, he has held numerous leadership positions at UNM since joining the faculty in 1998. He also chairs UNM's Artificial Intelligence Steering Committee, which guides the university's strategic and ethical approach to AI. His scholarship includes information literacy, student success, assessment, and generative AI in research. He holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from UNM. 

Chief Information Officer, New Mexico Tech

Darryl Ackley is the Chief Information Officer at New Mexico Tech (NMT), overseeing the strategic application of technology to meet the university’s operational, instructional, research, and innovation needs. He previously served as Director of the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC), Chief Technology Officer for the Institute for Complex Additive Systems Analysis (ICASA), and spent nearly eight years as the State of New Mexico’s Chief Information Officer and Cabinet Secretary for the Department of Information Technology. He holds both a B.S. and an M.S. in Computer Science from NMT. 

Chief Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Labs  

Dr. Vincent Tidwell is a Chief Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He has over 30 years of experience conducting and managing, research on basic and applied projects in water resource management, collaborative modeling and multi-sector dynamics. He has over 90 journal publications and book chapters. He served on Governor Richardson’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Water and co-authored chapters in the 2014 and 2018 National Climate Assessments. Dr. Tidwell has also served as an adjunct professor at New Mexico Tech, the University of Arizona and the University of New Mexico.

Professor of Economics, NMSU

Christopher A. Erickson, Ph.D., is Professor of Economics at New Mexico State University and founding Director of the Center for Border Economic Development (C-BED). His work focuses on U.S.–Mexico border issues, New Mexico’s economy, and the role of finance in economic development. He has four decades of experience in economic development planning and has authored or co-authored more than 40 studies on New Mexico. His projects include the Border 20+ planning model, an NSF-funded system dynamics model for New Mexico, and economic analyses of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry and regional infrastructure. He has testified before legislative committees and teaches in NMSU’s graduate economic development program.