UNM Anderson Welcomes New Dean

Mitzi M. Montoya Named Dean of UNM Anderson School of Management

dean-montoya-mitziALBUQUERQUE, May 8, 2020 – Mitzi M. Montoya, PhD, has been named Dean of the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico. The announcement was made by UNM Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, James Holloway.

Dr. Montoya will begin her tenure as Dean on July 1, 2020, coming to the Anderson School from Washington State University, where she currently serves as professor in the Carlson School of Business. Dr. Montoya is an accomplished scholar, having over 11,000 citations to her published works. She is also an accomplished university administrator, having served as Assistant Dean at North Carolina State University, in Dean and Vice Provost roles at Arizona State University, as Dean of Business at Oregon State University, and as Provost at Washington State. She has led programs in Entrepreneurship and in Technology & Innovation.

"Dr. Montoya brings a wealth of experience to UNM and to the Anderson School of Management. Her entrepreneurial spirit and drive will help to not only propel Anderson forward, but I truly believe she will be a shot in the arm for business development in New Mexico. Mitzi has a bold and innovative style. I'm excited to have her joining us and look forward to working with her," said Provost James Holloway.

A native of Texas with ties to New Mexico and family located in the southwest, Montoya holds two degrees from Michigan State University: a doctorate in marketing and statistics and a bachelor's degree in applied engineering science. She is a former American Council on Education Fellow.

Montoya looks forward to her new role at UNM including the opportunities the institution provides as one of only a dozen Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the U.S. that are also classified by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education as a R1: Doctoral Universities with very high research activity.

"I'm very excited about both the strengths of the university and the Anderson School," said Montoya. "I love UNM's strong focus on academic excellence coupled with the state's rich cultural history and diversity. These combined strengths create tremendous potential for the Anderson School of Management to play a leadership role nationally."

She views Anderson as a model for business schools of the future where a diverse body of future business leaders are prepared to face the challenges ahead with resilience and adaptability. "I'm looking forward to partnering with the business community as we continue to advance Anderson," said Montoya.

Anderson Foundation Board Chair, Paul Madrid noted, "The Board and I are thrilled to welcome Dr. Montoya. We are confident her expertise in innovative marketing and strategic planning will be a catalyst for attracting students and business partnerships to Anderson. At heart, she is an innovator on a mission to be an agent of change for the greater good – the timing for her leadership is now and we look forward to working closely with her."

"I think Anderson has the potential to play a national leadership role in modeling how to educate a diverse student body successfully. This distinction is already recognized by businesses interested hiring what Anderson produces. It's exciting to be able to take Anderson to the next level and play a leadership role in what business education of the future should look like," said Montoya.

One of Montoya's first priorities will be to work with the UNM Administration and all internal stakeholder groups to assess the current situation relative to how the COVID19 crisis has impacted students, faculty, staff, and operations.

"One of the many challenges all higher education is facing has to do with the unknown impact on students. As we consider how to reopen, we must focus on serving our students in a meaningful way. Maintaining our mission of access to excellent education means we must be genuinely concerned with access – not just physically, but financially as well. How do we continue to offer high quality student services to support student success? How do we ensure we are accessible from a cost standpoint? How do we ensure that we are maintaining high standards of excellence? How do we support our faculty whose research and the things they do in addition to teaching has also fundamentally been disrupted? Our faculty will need support to be able to maintain their research, which is critical for thought leadership, which we need now more than ever," said Montoya.

Dr. Montoya's research at present and over the last ten years lies at the intersection of marketing, technology, and innovation. Her study of innovation processes and strategies has evolved into looking at how virtual and distributed teams can be supported through collaboration technology. "Obviously, as it turns out, that's incredibly relevant today," she added, "Understanding how technology effectively supports teamwork and learning is extremely important as we continue to work together in a globally distributed economy."

Dr. Montoya has served on the board of various startup ventures, nonprofit foundations, and economic development boards. She advises many organizations on topics related to innovation and marketing strategy. Dr. Montoya has received research funding from numerous organizations, including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Education, USAID, and many private and corporate foundations. An international scholar, Montoya has taught courses on innovation and marketing strategy at the undergraduate, graduate and executive levels around the world, including the US, England, Brazil, Italy, Egypt, Kuwait, Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Panama and Argentina.

The deep history of the Anderson School of Management coupled with the rich cultural environment were attractive to Dr. Montoya. "My expectation is that there are incredible connections in the community and a rich network of alumni who are supportive and care about the past and the future of the school. I am also excited to work with the dynamic and growing young faculty in a school built on traditions. The ethos of the Anderson school and community is invigorating," she said.

"There's this great potential waiting to be unleashed at Anderson. There's an incredibly positive sense of hope and aspiration for the future, which I find exciting," Montoya added.

Dr. Montoya will replace Dr. Shawn Berman who has served as interim dean of the Anderson School since January 2019. "I look forward to engaging with Dr. Montoya to ensure a smooth transition into her new role as the Dean of the Anderson School of Management," Berman noted.

The staff and faculty of the Anderson School of Management extend a warm welcome to Dean Montoya and invite the Anderson community to engage with us in celebration, with safe distancing in mind, on social media platforms at #AndersonDean.

More Information

Doug Brown

Regent Brown

Regent and Dean Emeritus

"I am pleased with the choice of Dr. Montoya as Anderson's new Dean. Her experience will contribute much to Anderson, and her approachability will be welcomed in the community, " said Doug Brown, UNM Board of Regents Member.

Dr. James Holloway

Provost Holloway

Provost

"Dr. Mitzi Montoya brings a wealth of experience to UNM and to the Anderson School of Management. Her entrepreneurial spirit and drive will help to not only propel Anderson forward, but I truly believe she will be a shot in the arm for business development in New Mexico. Mitzi has a bold and innovative style. I'm excited to have her joining us, and look forward to working with her," said Provost James Holloway.

Dr. Shawn Berman

Interim Dean Berman

Interim Dean

"The Anderson School of Management is delighted to welcome Dr. Montoya as Dean," said Interim Dean Shawn Berman. "Her enthusiasm for UNM and its mission of combining excellence in research, teaching, commitment to inclusion, and engagement with the local community was clear. Moreover, her work at R1 schools on the West Coast (Arizona St., Oregon St., and Washington St.) give her a great understanding of the how to help Anderson move along its trajectory of excellence. Her background in innovation and work across campus means that there are some invigorating new avenues of impact ahead for Anderson. I look forward to her arrival in Albuquerque," said Shawn Berman, Interim Dean UNM Anderson.

Paul Madrid

Paul Madrid

Chair, Anderson Foundation Board

"I am excited to have Dr. Montoya lead the Anderson School of Management into our next phase. Her leadership style is impressive and will integrate well both internally and with the business community. On behalf of the Foundation Board, we look forward to working with Mitzi to develop and implement the Anderson School's strategic plan," said Paul Madrid, Chair of the Anderson Foundation Board.

Welcome Dean Montoya!

dean-montoya-mitziDr. Mitzi Montoya has only been in Albuquerque for a few weeks but she's already fully enjoying life in New Mexico and energized about her new role as Dean at the Anderson School of Management. Following Zoom interviews, online orientations and a cross country move in unusual circumstances, Dr. Montoya's expertise in innovation will be more valuable than ever.

Beginning July 1, Dean Montoya joined the UNM Administration, picking up the reins from Interim Dean Shawn Berman. She immediately began working with university and school leadership to assess the impact of COVID19 and continue contingency planning for summer and fall operations.

Dean Montoya is committed to supporting Anderson students, "As we move forward toward reopening, we will find creative ways to safely engage our students and maintain our high standards of excellence. Anderson faculty and staff are genuinely concerned about our students. I am very impressed with how our students responded to these unprecedented times. They demonstrated tremendous resilience as they adapted to a lot of change in the spring semester. We will continue to do what needs to be done to ensure that our students have the best Anderson experience possible."

Additionally, Dr. Montoya also stated, "Our faculty and staff have been amazing role models of flexibility this year. In addition to rapid adoption of new modes of instruction, many of our faculty also maintain intense research programs that provide critical thought leadership to business. Our faculty are thought leaders in their fields, something we need now more than ever."

Dr. Montoya's mission is to build on the strengths of our students, faculty, and alumni to lead Anderson to the next level, as a national model for business schools, especially those that serve diverse communities. "I am very excited about meeting everyone, listening and working together to forge new paths together".

"When I think about our role in developing future business leaders, I am reminded that our most challenging moments are the ones in which we learn the most about leadership and ourselves," she said. "There will always be adversity and obstacles. The key is to navigate them as a community with compassion and composure. I am confident that Anderson will come out of our current circumstances stronger as we work together."

From the Anderson School of Management's students, staff, faculty, and alumni, welcome Dean Montoya!