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NMICC Board of Directors

Dr. Steve McCleery, President
New Mexico Junior College
President, New Mexico Independent Community Colleges

Dr. Steve McCleery is in his eleventh year as president of New Mexico Junior College. He began his tenure in 1998, and previously served as Dean of Arts and Sciences from 1991-1998 and as Director of Athletics from1988-1991. Prior to NMJC, McCleery was a Professor and Supervisor of the Physical Education program at College of the Southwest from 1980 to 1984. He began his career in 1972 at Lubbock Christian University, where he served as Assistant Professor of Physical Education, Director of Intramurals, and Assistant Track Coach.

Dr. McCleery earned his Doctorate in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of New Mexico. He earned his Master of Science in Education Degree in Physical Education from Texas Tech University and his Bachelor of Science in Education Degree from Lubbock Christian University. Dr. McCleery was elected by his colleagues in May 2008 to serve as president of NMICC.

Dr. Katharine W. Winograd, President
Central New Mexico Community College

Dr. Katharine W. Winograd was elected as the Central New Mexico Community College president by the CNM Governing Board with a unanimous 7-0 vote. She officially became president of the state's largest community college and second-largest postsecondary institution on July 1, 2007.

Dr. Winograd is the first female president of the college, which serves more than 26,000 students at four campuses and the Workforce Training Center in the Albuquerque-metro area. A fifth campus in Rio Rancho, N.M., is expected to open in early 2010.

Prior to becoming president, Dr. Winograd was vice president for Planning and Budget. She began her tenure at CNM in 1997 as the institutional planning and research officer. In 2001, she began serving as executive officer for the department of Planning, Budget and Institutional Research, and in 2005 she was promoted to vice president for Planning and Budget. Other experience in New Mexico includes special assistant to the dean of the College of Education at the University of New Mexico (1996-97).

From 1980 to1996, Dr. Winograd was a participant and leader in Kentucky's educational reform efforts while working at the Kentucky Council on Higher Education (1980-83), the University of Louisville (1983-95) and Fayette County Public Schools (1995-96).

Dr. Winograd earned her doctor of education degree in educational leadership from UNM and her master's degree in higher education administration from the University of Louisville. Dr. Winograd's husband, Peter Winograd, is the director of the Office of Education Accountability at the Department of Finance and Administration for the State of New Mexico.
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Dr. John Neibling, President
Clovis Community College

John Neibling has been a community college teacher and administrator since 1974. Prior to assuming the presidency of Clovis Community College in 2006, he served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Scottsdale Community College in the Maricopa Community College District in Arizona and as Vice President for Learning at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico. He began his career as a teacher at Central Arizona College in Coolidge, Arizona, and later was the founding dean of the college's Superstition Mountain Campus.

Dr. Neibling has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in English from the University of Kansas and a doctorate in educational administration from Arizona State University. He and his wife Karen have three grown children.
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Dr. Pete Campos, President
Luna Community College

Dr. Pete Campos was selected by the Luna Community College Board of Trustees as the college's President in early 2008 and assumed his position on July 1, 2008. He previously served as superintendent at Las Vegas City Schools from 2004-2008. From 1993 to 2004, Dr. Campos was associate superintendent for support services at the Las Vegas City Schools. From 1978 to 1982, Dr. Campos was a counselor at Santa Rosa High. Dr. Campos has been a New Mexico state senator since 1991. He is currently serving the counties of San Miguel, Guadalupe, Torrance, Santa Fe and Mora.

Dr. Campos earned his doctorate degree in educational leadership from the University of New Mexico in 2003. He also has a master's degree in counseling from Highlands University and a bachelor's degree in economics and philosophy from UNM. Dr. Campos is a 1971 graduate of Santa Rosa High.

In 1992 and 1994, Dr. Campos was one of 35 emerging leaders from across the nation selected as both a Flemming and Toll Fellow. The rigorous policy immersion program, based in Lexington, Ky. and Washington D.C. was geared to offer solution to state's problems.
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Phillip O. Barry, Ph.D., President
Mesalands Community College

Dr. Barry has a Bachelor's Degree in Radiological Sciences from Chicago Medical School, a Master's Degree from Wichita State University, and a Doctor of Philosophy both in Educational Administration. Dr. Barry is a Fulbright Scholar having studied Germany's Higher Education System. He has been President of the Council of North Central Two-Year Colleges representing over 318 colleges in 18 states.

Dr. Barry is completing his thirtieth year in higher education, having held multiple positions within the community college sector in four states. He has served as the college president in three states over the past 21 years.

His leadership has led to the establishment of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Iowa, the Salem Center in New Jersey and the Success Center in New Mexico. These initiatives have provided educational opportunities to thousands of individuals both educationally and economically disadvantaged who may have been disenfranchised from society. He has also been instrumental in economic development activities in three states.

He has also established the Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic Gardens at Hawkeye Community College and The North American Wind Research and Training Center at Mesalands Community College.

During his tenure as president at three institutions of higher education, he has overseen millions of dollars in federal and state grants and has established foundations for private fundraising. The grants have included Title III and Title V of the Higher Education Act, Federal Financial Aid, Small Business Development Administration, and the National Science Foundation.
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David F. Trujillo, Interim President
Northern New Mexico Community College

Mr. Trujillo is currently Interim President at Northern New Mexico College, where he also serves as Dean of Grants and Special Initiatives. He is a native of San Francisco, CA, and holds baccaluareate and masters degrees in English from San Jose State University. He has also undertaken graduate studies in educational leadership and innovation, educational management and administration, and rhetoric and the teaching of writing. As Dean, he is responsible for the College’s grants-seeking, partnership and special projects activities, pursuit of grants/contracts, and pre-award/ post-award sponsored programs administration.

Mr. Trujillo has worked extensively on the connections between postsecondary institutions and their communities, using grant funding, program development and leadership development as change agent strategies. Since 1977, he has been involved with producing over $150 million in successful proposals for institutional development, school reform and community development projects and has managed community-wide, multiple-partner K-16 reform initiatives. He previously served as Director of Grants and Sponsored Programs at New Jersey City University (an urban HSI); Director of Community and Special Projects at the University of Sourthern Colorado; Director of Development at Pueblo Community College; and Higher Education Associate at the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory. He has consulted with dozens of postsecondary institutions across the western United States on grants-seeking, institutional development and program evaluation.
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Carol J. Spencer, Ph.D., President
San Juan College

Dr. Carol J. Spencer began her presidency at San Juan College on July 15, 2002. Dr. Spencer came from Cedar Valley College in Dallas, one of seven colleges in the Dallas County Community College District, where she had served as president since 1991.

Prior to her serving as president of Cedar Valley, Dr. Spencer served as dean of Technical and Industrial programs at Milwaukee Area Technical College, and earlier at Des Moines Area Community College. She holds a bachelor of science degree in home economics education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a master of arts in adult and continuing education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Ph.D. in comprehensive vocational education from the Ohio State University. She began her career as a vocational education instructor in secondary schools in Nebraska, Kansas and Florida. She consults widely in the areas of strategic planning, curriculum design, and leadership development.

Currently, Dr. Spencer serves on the Presbyterian Medical Services Foundation Board and the San Juan Economic Development Services Board. She was recently appointed by Governor Richardson to serve on the Governor's Task Force for Poverty Reduction. She has served on the Executive Board of Continuous Quality Improvement Network (CQIN), as well as Leadership San Juan, the Southern Region Education Board and was chairman of the Presidents' Academy of the American Association of Community Colleges. She is also an alumna of Leadership New Mexico. Dr. Spencer shares her life with her husband Carl and their eight children.
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Sheila Ortego, Ph.D., President
Santa Fe Community College

Dr. Sheila Ortego currently serves as President of Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She also played a key role in development of the college's new fundraising arm, the GROW Foundation, and served as its founding president.

Dr. Ortego has a long and distinguished record of achievement at SFCC and more than 20 years of service in various roles, as a faculty and staff member, and in senior management roles. In 2002-03, she chaired the team that resulted in successful reaccreditation for the College, and serves as an AQIP consultant-evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission.

Dr. Ortego's work has resulted in numerous successful community partnerships focused on economic development, and her track record in raising grant monies is particularly significant, for workforce training, distance learning and other initiatives. Her special interests are in student outcomes, technical training, distance education, faculty/staff development, and institutional climate. Her current focus is on institutional improvement through AQIP (Academic Quality Improvement Program), Quality New Mexico, and Achieving the Dream (AtD) initiatives. She is also in the process of establishing the Sustainable Technology Center at SFCC, which will focus on workforce training for the green economy.
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John Counts, Ph.D., President
Western New Mexico University

Dr. John Counts was appointed the fourteenth president of Western New Mexico University in 1993. He arrived at WNMU in 1992 and initially served as Professor of Management and Director of the Division of Business, Math and Computer Science. Prior to his tenure at WNMU, Dr. Counts had a distinguished career in the US Army serving almost twelve years overseas including over three years on combat tours in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam and eight years in Germany. Dr. Counts was the Chief of Staff of the US Command Berlin during the fall of the Berlin Wall and was the Chief of Staff of the Prestigious Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania immediately before moving to Silver City. Among his awards are the Defense Superior Service Medal, four awards of the Legion of Merit, three awards of the Bronze Star (one for Valor) and the Purple Heart.

Dr. Counts earned his Bachelor of Science degree at West Point. He holds two Master of Science degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology: one in Industrial Management, and one in Information and Computer Science. His Ph.D. in Business Administration was earned at the University of Texas at Austin.

During his tenure as WNMU President, the University has accomplished significant advances in academic standing as well as in infrastructure. In the last decade, WNMU has earned numerous recognitions to include the prestigious Zia Award, New Mexico’s highest recognition for quality. President Counts was a co-founder of WNMU’s internationally accredited Basic Economic Development Course and has been actively involved with the annual NAFTA Institute. Presently, he is working to develop new partnerships with universities in Mexico, China, and South America.
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