Mo Ahmadian

Dr. Mo Ahmadian came to Eastern in 1992 as an assistant professor. At that time, ENMU only offered an associate's degree in Electronics Engineering Technology. Under Dr. Ahmadian's leadership, a proposal to offer a bachelor of science degree in Electronics Engineering Technology was sent to the state and it was approved in 1993.

During Dr. Ahmadian's tenure at ENMU he served as a co-principle investigator for the Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) National Science Foundation grant from 2008 to 2012 and the Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarships (CSEMS) National Science Foundation grant from 2003 to 2007, awards totaling $850,000. He is an active member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Dr. Ahmadian has served as a proposal reviewer for the National Science Foundation for two years and a program reviewer for the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Mo has been an outstanding faculty member for 24 years, and we wish him well in retirement.

 

 

Jeff Geiser

Dr. Jeff Geiser was hired as the director of Athletics for Eastern in June 2009 after having served as a coach and athletic director at Adams State University. His extensive experience in coaching, teaching and administration made him a good fit for Eastern, and he ushered in a new era in Eastern athletics.

Dr. Geiser has been active in the community and on campus. He has served on the President's Athletic Advisory Committee, the Compliance Committee and numerous search committees in his seven years at Eastern. He is a member of the Athletic Hall of Honors Committee and the Greyhound Club Board of Directors. Dr. Geiser also chaired the Lone Star Conference Athletic Directors Council in 2013-14. He has been an avid supporter of Eastern's student athletes and a tireless fundraiser and advocate for the new Greyhound Stadium.

Upon retirement Dr. Geiser plans on returning to Colorado; seeing America with his wife, Nancy, and their dogs; riding his Harley; and vacationing in the Rocky Mountains. His favorite activities include hunting, fishing and white-water rafting. Sounds like a good retirement.

 

 

Frances Gonzales

Mrs. Frances Gonzales joined the Golden Library staff in September 1989 as a beginning Library assistant in the Cataloging Department. In 1991 she was promoted to accounting clerk II in the Acquisitions Department. There, Frances was promoted to Library technical assistant. Her responsibilities included ordering, receiving and paying for all the books and other resources requested by faculty for the last 25 years.

Prior to coming to Eastern, Frances held various jobs providing service to help others. This is her reason for retiring – so she can continue to help others. Frances and her husband, Johnny (a 31-year retiree from the ENMU Physical Plant), work with their church ministry and are on the governing board of Meals on Wheels. Frances' work ethic and desire to help others was acknowledged in 2014 when she was honored with the Spirit of Eastern award.

Now that Frances will be retired, too, she and Johnny will spend more time with their four children, four grandchildren, and one great granddaughter. One of the grandchildren is now an Eastern student, working as a student library assistant. We wish Frances the best in retirement.

 

 

Jorge Ochoa

Mr. Jorge Ochoa began his career at Eastern as a custodian for the Physical Plant in September 1982. Over Jorge's thirty-three-year career, he served the University with a persistent effort. His dedication to his job allowed him to be promoted to other roles with varying job responsibilities such as lead groundskeeper in charge of the irrigation practices, plumbers apprentice, and mechanical repair.

Jorge's long career included recognition by fellow workers and supervisors of his excellent work ethic and commitment to the University.

Mr. Ochoa has been able to relax and enjoy family since his retirement on July 31, 2015.

 

 

Orlando Ortega Jr.

Orlando Ortega Jr. graduated from ENMU with a bachelor of arts degree in Telecommunications and a minor in Spanish and began working for ENMU in 1990. He served as director of operations at KENW-TV for 25 years. He also served as news director at KENW-TV from 1996 to 2002. Throughout his tenure at KENW-TV, Orlando produced several television documentaries and received awards in television for news coverage and documentaries from the Associated Press, Pacific Mountain Network, and the Albuquerque Press Club.

Orlando was recognized with the Spirit of Eastern award for exemplary performance as a professional employee in 2015. Additionally, Orlando's work ethic has been demonstrated in the local community with his service as a Portales city council member and later as mayor from 2002 to 2010. He was involved with such issues as long-term water needs, economic development, community projects and supporting Cannon Air Force Base.

Although he retired from ENMU in October 2015, Orlando continues to work quarter-time at KENW, and he is currently the economic development director at the Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation. It doesn't look like retirement is slowing him down at all.

 

 

Barbara Palantone

After retiring from New Mexico Children, Youth, & Families Department in 2005, Barbara Palantone began her second career as assistant professor and field director of the Bachelor of Social Work program at Eastern. Since the Bachelor of Social Work program was new to ENMU, Ms. Palantone assisted with the program's initial accreditation in 2008 and reaffirmation in 2012, and she established a thriving field education program in eastern New Mexico and beyond.

In 2008, she established a campus chapter of the Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society and has since served as the society's advisor. For Ms. Palantone, being a part of students' professional development and working with faculty and community partners has been the most rewarding part of her time at ENMU.

Ms. Palantone will remain involved with social work through community volunteering. She sees retirement as beginning a new chapter and exploring life through art, nature, and travel and also by spending time with family and friends.

 

 

Kathleen M. Pittman

Dr. Kathleen Pittman began teaching graduate courses as an adjunct instructor for Eastern after retiring from the University of West Alabama in 2003. In 2005, she joined the ENMU Portales faculty in a position in Roswell, her hometown. There, Dr. Pittman developed Professional Development Schools within the Roswell Independent School District, taught undergraduate methods courses and graduate courses, and supervised student teachers and interns.

She served as the College of Education and Technology member on the Institutional Review Board. Dr. Pittman developed a working partnership with the Roswell schools to prepare teachers and administrators, which has benefitted both the schools and ENMU.

Dr. Pittman plans to stay active in the Roswell community as a Jazz Festival Board member and at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande. Other plans include returning to oil painting and visiting her children and grandchildren. Her main goal for her first fall of retirement is to return to Tuscaloosa, her home for 25 years, to attend a home game of the University of Alabama football team! Roll Tide!

 

 

Rick Taylor

Rick Taylor came to Eastern in July 1999 after retiring from a 24-year career in the US Air Force. Rick had just completed a bachelor's degree from ENMU and found employment here, as well. During his nearly 17 years in the ITS department, Rick has been instrumental in the upgrade of the fiber optic network backbone, the upgrading of the network cabling in all of the campus buildings, the installation of the IP based phone system and getting wireless coverage throughout campus, while still taking care of customer trouble calls.

In 2010, Rick was elected to Support Senate and became vice-president. The following year he became president and served in that position until 2014. Rick has the notoriety of being the longest-serving president of Support Senate and has been very active in campus issues. This was recognized when he was the recipient of the Spirit of Eastern Award in 2014.

Rick's future plans include pursuing his many hobbies and spending time on the lake. We wish him a well-earned retirement.

 

 

Janice Weems

Ms. Janice Weems was the face at the Cashier Window for 16 years, from December 1999 to January 2016. She will be remembered for her kind, pleasant personality and her never-ending patience. Janice was always willing to go the extra mile when assisting students, parents, and ENMU employees. She was also a familiar face in the ENMU ticket booth for the home games.

Ms. Weems served ENMU well during these 16 years. This was reflected when she received the Spirit of Eastern Award in 2008.

After many working years, Janice retired to spend more time with her family and enjoy her grandchildren. She will now have time to attend her grandchildren's activities, garden, and help with the family business, Weems Family Kennel.

 

 

Robin Wells

Dr. Robin Wells is completing her career at Eastern New Mexico University following 12 years of devoted service to her students and the University. Dr. Wells came to ENMU in 2004 as an assistant professor of Special Education having already served many years in the public school systems as well as the private sector as a speech language pathologist and autism consultant. She earned a promotion to associate professor and was awarded tenure in 2010.

Dr. Wells has been a member of numerous clubs and organizations and helped developed the master's program at ENMU for early childhood special education, focusing on young children birth to five years of age with disabilities. Dr. Wells started volunteering for Public Broadcasting stations while living in Kansas. When she moved to Portales she decided to get involved again and was honored as the ENMU Foundation Volunteer of the Year in 2011 for giving more than 300 volunteer hours to support KENW-TV.

In her retirement letter, Dr. Wells states that she is ending a 49-year career in the field of education, as a speech/language pathologist in a public school setting, and working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. It is evident that Dr. Robin Wells is someone who is very passionate about her profession and in giving back to her community.

 

 

Jean Wozencraft-Ornellas

Dr. Jean Wozencraft-Ornellas has spent the last 32 years at Eastern New Mexico training young singers to enter the worlds of performance or teaching. Prior to arriving at ENMU in 1983, Dr. Ornellas was a professional singer and administrative assistant at Florida State University. Since then, her students have won numerous awards and have sung in opera houses and concert halls around the world. Others teach in public schools and universities, mentoring the next generation of fine musicians. Many of her students now head choral and vocal departments in universities.

While at Eastern, Dr. Ornellas chaired University Council and the Faculty Grievance Committee, and served on various other committees. She was inducted in the New Mexico Music Educators Association (NMMEA) Hall of Fame in 2008 and received the NMMEA Rollie V. Heltman Meritorious Service Award in 2016 for her service to music.

Dr. Ornellas is not yet ready for full-time quilting. She will be moving to North Carolina where she will head the music department and teach voice at Meredith College, and continue to sing.

Larry Bittick

Mr. Larry Bittick began his career at Eastern New Mexico University in October 1994 as the Recycling Collector for the Grounds Department. Mr. Bittick has served both the University and the community with a tireless effort for twenty-one years.

Over the years Larry received letters of appreciation from the staff for his reliability and kindness. His attendance was exemplarily and his dedication and work ethic will be missed.

Since his retirement last September, Larry has taken time to relax and enjoy life.

Nina Bjornsson

Dr. Nina Bjornsson has been an influential and valued member of the Languages and Literature department since she first came to ENMU in 1999 as an assistant professor of English. She has taught a variety of courses, including American Literature Survey, Literature of the Southwest, Chicana/o Literature, 20th Century British Literature, Cinema Studies, Literary Theory, and recently, a course on Icelandic literature. Her research focuses on Benedict Anderson's idea of nation as an "imagined community."

Dr. Bjornsson served on the Faculty Senate and was a graduate coordinator. She received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Advising in 2005.

After retirement, she will move back to Iceland where she plans on drinking coffee, reading books, and continuing her work in ceramics. In fact, Dr. Bjornsson has received a one-month international residency through the Icelandic Artists Association. She will live at Korpúlfsstaðir, a renovated dairy farm on the outskirts of Reykjavik, working on porcelain sculptures that represent the Icelandic landscape.

Fred Cordova

Dr. Fred Cordova has been a psychology faculty member at Eastern for 29 years. During that time Dr. Cordova primarily taught courses in adolescent psychology, psychological counseling and multicultural counseling. Dr. Cordova served as a supervisor for counseling internships for many ENMU students and chaired the psychology department for two years.

Outside the University, Dr. Cordova served as the president of the New Mexico Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, was professionally active in numerous counseling associations, was a board member for the La Casa ENMU Student Health Services, and provided counseling services to various non-profits in the Portales and Clovis area.

ENMU and the Portales and Clovis communities will miss Dr. Cordova's caring attitude. We wish him a happy retirement.

Debra Crozier

Ms. Debra Crozier joined her schoolmate and long-time friend, Janice Weems, as an ENMU cashier in November 2008. She served in this position for seven years. She served ENMU well with her knowledge, dedication, and professionalism.

Many of you will recall seeing Debra in the ticket booth at ENMU home games. Debra was always smiling and cheerful. Whether working at the Cashier Window or selling tickets, Debra was always ready to help others.

Debra plans to enjoy retirement by spending more time with her family, and she plans to help with the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also plans to continue pursuing her interests in quilting and painting and maybe do some traveling.

Phillip Million

Dr. Phillip Million, professor of Communicative Disorders, began his career at ENMU in 1992. He taught both graduate and undergraduate courses and served as the director of the Hearing Clinic for the Communicative Disorders program. He also served as a resource instructor for the Department of Health and Physical Education for over ten years.

During his time at ENMU, he served as department chair, served on a wide range of University committees, and on Faculty Senate. Dr. Million represented his profession as a delegate to the Legislative Council of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. He was also a member of the New Mexico Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Board and the Hearing Aid Practices Board. He was elected to serve as the vice-president for Audiology of the New Mexico Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and he served as a member of the University of New Mexico Speech and Hearing Sciences Advisory Board.

Dr. Million recently completed another graduate degree and has embarked on a second career following his retirement from Eastern New Mexico University

Nancy Peterson

Nancy Peterson is retiring as an instructor in the Languages and Literature department. She has led an exciting and exotic life. In the 1990s Nancy spent five years in Sumatra, Indonesia with her husband before returning to the United States. While in Sumatra she volunteered at the American school and enjoyed traveling around Southeast Asia. Singapore, Bali, and Australia were a few of their favorite vacation spots.

Back in the U.S. the Peterson's settled first in Artesia and Nancy taught 6th grade at a private school in Roswell. After moving to Roswell, Nancy earned a master's degree from ENMU in 2005 and she joined the Languages and Literature department as an adjunct. In 2008, she became a full-time faculty instructor and coordinator of the ENMU Writing Center.

After retirement Nancy and her husband, Wayne, plan on relocating to Wisconsin and settling into a lakefront home. In addition to traveling, they plan on spending a few of the winter months in Arizona near their son.

Judy Privett

Ms. Judy Privett came to Portales after finishing an associate's degree in Business at WTA&M in 1970. In 1971 she married husband, John, and then was hired by ENMU to work in Student Affairs under Dr. Wayne Gares for the Dean of Men, Herschel Potts. Judy took a leave of absence when her son was born then began working for the Portales School system in 1990 as a secretarial aid in the Library and was later promoted to the attendance office as secretary to the assistant principal.

In 1998 Judy left the Portales school system to return to work at ENMU. She was hired as an administrative secretary for the Talent Search Trio Program where Judy worked from 1998 to 2009. She moved to the Distance Education and Outreach Department as a senior secretary in 2009 where she worked until her retirement.

Judy's retirement will be filled with traveling the U.S. with her husband and a lot of fishing, gardening, and craft activities. Teaching the lost arts of sewing, canning, and knitting/crocheting to the upcoming granddaughters-in-law will be mixed into this schedule.

Gene Salaz

Mr. Gene Salaz began his career at Eastern New Mexico University in August of 1979 for the carpentry shop as a temporary carpenter. Gene worked over thirty-six years in the carpentry shop and he was promoted to a Building Trades Worker IV.

During Gene's time at Eastern New Mexico University he received numerous letters of recognition for a job well done and was awarded the Spirit of Eastern Award in 2011.

When Gene retires, he plans to take time to relax and enjoy life by spending time with his family, and especially his grandchildren.