Contact: Marilyn O'Leary, 277-3253 Media Contact: Laurie Mellas Ramirez, 277-5915

May 15, 2003 O'LEARY NAMED TO NEW MEXICO/CHIHUAHUA BORDER COMMISSION New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has appointed Marilyn O'Leary, director of the Utton Transboundary Resources Center in the University of New Mexico School of Law, to the New Mexico/Chihuahua Border Commission. "As a commissioner, I will be looking for ways to support increased trade between the United States and Mexico, to support regional planning of border water issues and reduce tensions over transboundary waters," O'Leary said. A UNM research professor of law, she is also interested in fostering positive relations between the U.S. and Mexico in the border region. "I think we will also be concerned with the flow of people and goods across the border in the light of increased border security," she said. "I hope to promote sustainable economic development in the region and to increase the quality of life of people on the border," she added. "Because of my interest in border water issues as director of the Utton Transboundary Resources Center, I would like to see enhanced binational planning related to water supply and water quality." O'Leary, a UNM graduate, joined the Utton Center in 2001 with 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors in the area of water and public utility law. The mission of the Utton Center is to promote equitable and sustainable management and utilization of transboundary resources through impartial expertise, multi-disciplinary scholarship, and preventive diplomacy. O'Leary's appointment was effective in late April. ###

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