Albuquerque Journal

Ex-UNM President To Be Obama Aide
By Michael Coleman, Journal Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Former University of New Mexico President Louis Caldera will serve as director of White House Military Operations, President-elect Barack Obama's transition team announced Tuesday.
    Caldera, a former U.S. Army secretary who served as UNM's president from 2003 to 2006, will coordinate all military support for White House operations. For example, he will oversee Air Force One, Marine One, Camp David and all overseas presidential visits.
    After resigning UNM's presidency in 2006, Caldera accepted a position as a tenured law professor at the university in Albuquerque. He has been on a leave of absence from UNM since early November to serve with the Department of Defense Agency Review Team for Obama, according to UNM officials.
    Obama referred to Caldera's service to the University of New Mexico in a prepared statement released Tuesday.
    "Louis has served his country with distinction in uniform and in government, and his pedigree is second to none," Obama said. "I know he'll bring to the White House the same dedication and integrity that have earned him the highest praise in every post, from secretary of the Army to university president."
    Caldera could not be reached for comment.
    His resignation as UNM president — announced in January 2006 and effective in August 2006 — was not without controversy. The university agreed to pay him more than $700,000 by July 2007 under an agreement that led to his resignation.
    That included nearly $140,000 to enable the former Army captain to buy military retirement service credits, as well as $90,000 in deferred compensation, an $800 monthly automobile allowance and other benefits through July 31, 2007, the expiration date of his contract as president.
    Caldera resigned amid signs that his relationship with regents had deteriorated after 30 months on the job.
    At the time, regents would not comment in detail about the resignation, nor would Caldera. The agreement forbid both parties from making comments "that disparage the other or tend to harm the reputation or good standing in the community of the other."
    Caldera graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He received degrees in law and business from Harvard University in 1987 before practicing in Los Angeles. His expertise is in the areas of corporate, banking and public finance law.