UNM Press Release Federal officers on loan to UNM

The University of New Mexico

NEWS RELEASE

Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, 277-5915

Nov. 9, 2005

Federal Officers on loan to UNM

Three federal government officers are on loan to the University of New Mexico for the 2005-2006 academic year.

UNM Student Affairs is host to former U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Martin Brennan, who will serve as a diplomat in residence housed in the UNM Career Services Office. Fidel Trujillo, United States Department of Agriculture, will work in the UNM Office of Special Programs, and Alice Maestas Marshall, Bureau of Land Management, will be housed in the UNM Department for Accessibility Services.

Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, vice president for Student Affairs, said the employees are at UNM “in recognition of the important role UNM plays in the economic well-being of the state of New Mexico.”

Brennan, Trujillo and Marshall will work with faculty and students, give talks and workshops and teach classes.

“The fact that these three officers are working within Student Affairs also speaks well of our division and the work that we do here,” Torres said.

Brennan is a career member of the United States Senior Foreign Service. Previous to his 2002 appointment as ambassador to Zambia, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Uganda. He has also served in Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Taiwan, Portugal, Thailand, and Ethiopia. His term as ambassador to Zambia expired in August.

Marshall is a support services assistant with the BLM. She has served much of her career as an advocate for people with disabilities and more generally, for equal employment and educational opportunities, civil rights, and equal economic, political, and health status.

Trujillo was recently appointed as the Liaison Officer for the USDA's Hispanic-Serving Institutions' National Program. The federal civilian position serves 18 Hispanic-Serving Institutions in New Mexico, eight in Arizona and six in Colorado promoting opportunities for students in the federal sector and engaging HSI's to pursue federal grant funding.

For information about Ambassador Brennan, contact Career Services at 505-277-2531. For information about Ms. Marshall, contact Accessibility Services at 505-277-3506. For information about Mr. Trujillo, contact the Office of Special Programs at 277-3096.

The University of New Mexico is the state's largest university, serving more than 32,000 students. UNM is home to the state's only schools of law, medicine, pharmacy and architecture and operates New Mexico's only academic health center. UNM is noted for comprehensive undergraduate programs and research that benefits the state and the nation.