Ernest Rodriguez-Naaz has been named chief development officer at the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico. Rodriguez-Naaz most recently served as the director of communications for the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority (MFA), where he oversaw the organization’s communication, marketing, public relations, and event planning activities.
“This is a unique opportunity for me to be part of the excitement that is taking place at Anderson and to forge new and strengthen old alliances with New Mexico’s business community as we aim to develop new resources that will further Anderson’s mission,” said Rodriguez-Naaz.
As director of communications at MFA, he reinvented the Governor’s 2006 Housing Summit and successfully raised sufficient funds to subsidize the registration fee and produce the first-ever surplus for that event. The three-day conference included 42 workshops, more than 80 speakers and two keynote luncheon speakers (including former U.S. Secretary Henry Cisneros and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor Olena Berg Lacy). Furthermore, Rodriguez-Naaz led the internal campaign that ultimately landed MFA as a finalist and honored as a “Best PlDavid Brookshire to Work” organization as part of New Mexico Business Weekly’s first employer survey.
Before joining MFA, Rodriguez-Naaz served as the staff director for the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Government at Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs. As staff director, he managed the operational activities for the Center, and developed the substantive content for policy forums, conference, and symposia addressing many pressing public policy issues. He played a key role on the expansion of the Municipal Archive on Finance and Leadership, a collection of material from New York City’s 1970s fiscal crisis.
In 2000, he served as director of development for the Puerto Rican Family Institute, where he expanded its annual fund, formalized its marketing program and diversified its funding sources to reduce its dependence on government support.
Rodriguez-Naaz is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs with a master’s degree in public administration. He is also a graduate of Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business with an undergraduate degree in business administration.
Media Contacts: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu or Erin Gardner, (505) 306-9575; e-mail: news@mgt.unm.edu
Posted by scarr at August 27, 2007 11:26 AM