Senate committee advances three nominees to Western New Mexico University Board of Regents amid calls for audit and presidential search

The Senate Rules Committee on Monday advanced three nominees to the Western New Mexico University Board of Regents, moving John Wertheim, Joseph Dean Reed and student regent Kiana Rachel Huerta to the full Senate for confirmation amid repeated calls for an independent financial review and a rapid presidential search.

Committee members, nominees and supporters stressed the need to rebuild trust with students, the Legislature and state oversight officials after recent headlines about the university’s finances and leadership. Several senators and witnesses said the board should pursue a forensic-style audit, prioritize a presidential search and restore relationships with the state auditor and attorney general.

John Wertheim, a Santa Fe attorney and former special assistant attorney general who was nominated by the governor, told the committee his first priority would be fact-finding and listening to stakeholders. "My goal is to listen to people, and to hear their stories and to get to the bottom of the facts and then move forward with progress for the university," Wertheim said during his remarks.

Wertheim acknowledged litigation pending by the office of the attorney general that could affect disputed payments at the university and said the board may need an independent investigation. Supporters who spoke on his behalf emphasized his volunteer work with students. Dr. Sarah Koplick, director of the Jewish Student Center at the University of New Mexico, said Wertheim "never turned away, not once" when students sought help during the pandemic.

Joseph Dean Reed, a two-time Western New Mexico University graduate and retired health-care executive, told the committee he intends to focus on the university’s future rather than its past. "I can do nothing about its past. We can impact its future," Reed said, describing plans to visit Silver City, meet community stakeholders and help stabilize operations.

Senator Ramos, who introduced Reed, said the university has already spent more than $2,700,000 defending itself and that the new regents will face budgetary challenges. Supporters on Zoom and in the room, including Logan White (a longtime WMU alumnus who said he now works in Major League Baseball front offices), emphasized Reed’s alumni ties and local connections.

Kiana Rachel Huerta, the nominated student regent and a nursing student at Western, said the campus currently faces low morale and uncertainty among student groups and organizations. "A lot of the clubs and a lot of the organizations we appreciate on campus are unsure themselves, with funding especially," Huerta said. She described herself as a liaison between students, the administration and the board and said she would push for transparency and accountability.

Committee members pressed nominees on accountability, the board’s role versus administration, and whether a regent should take positions in pending litigation. Wertheim said the board’s job is policy oversight and that remedies should come from independent investigation and clearer policy on procurement and open meetings. Reed and Huerta emphasized in-person engagement with the Silver City campus.

The committee recorded motions to advance each nominee to the full Senate. A show-of-hands early in the hearing recorded 10 committee members in favor of advancing Wertheim and one online; the chair then called a roll call vote before advancing him. Joseph Dean Reed and Kiana Huerta each advanced to the full Senate on recorded votes of 7 in favor, according to the committee. The committee did not adopt any formal findings or an audit directive during the hearing; nominees and senators said additional steps, including an independent review, would be considered by the full board or by future committee action.

The committee hearing included multiple public supporters for the nominees and extended questioning from several senators on how the regents will rebuild credibility, work with state oversight bodies and handle recruitment for a new university president. Several senators said a primary near-term task for the new regents is to begin a presidential search process that emphasizes experience and community fit while also advancing a probe into recent financial and governance problems.

The committee moved to the next agenda items after the three confirmations were advanced. Full Senate confirmation votes were scheduled later in the morning.