Gonzales promoted from NMHU’s Finance and Budget/Comptroller Office
April 5, 2023
Stephanie Gonzales, NMHU Vice President for Finance and Administration
Stephanie Gonzales, CPA, has agreed to accept the New Mexico Highlands University Vice President of Finance and Administration position effective July 1, 2023. Gonzales is succeeding Max Baca, who has served as NMHU’s Vice President for Finance, Administration, and Government Relations for NMHU since October 2013.
Gonzales was born and raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico and graduated from Robertson High School. She attended New Mexico Highlands University for two years before she transferred to Arizona State University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy in 2002.
Gonzales brings a wealth of experience from working in public accounting as an auditor with Mayer Hoffman McCann in Phoenix and with Neff + Ricci in Albuquerque. She also received her Certified Public Accounting license in October 2012. For 13 years, Gonzales worked at Thornburg Investment Management in Santa Fe as a Senior Corporate Accountant and Supervisor of Accounts Payable. She began work at NMHU in February 2018 as the Budget Director. In December 2018, she became the Director of Budget & Finance/Comptroller.
NMHU President Sam Minner chose Gonzales from a deep pool of candidates. “(Gonzales) brings deep expertise to this important role and I am so pleased she will be working closely with me, the Board of Regents, and other people on campus to push hard on our mission while also making certain we are doing so in a fiscally responsible way,” Minner said. “Please join me in welcoming Stephanie to this new role.”
“I’m thankful for this opportunity and am looking forward to helping Highlands grow and continue its mission,” Gonzales said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge and collaborating with the administration to continue to serve our university and its students, staff, and faculty.”
President Minner also spoke of his appreciation of outgoing VPFA Baca. “I also want to acknowledge the critically important role Mr. Max Baca has played at NMHU to protect the fiscal health of the institution through so many challenges,” Minner said.