WNMU Hopeful Martinez Touts NM Roots, Outside Experience

Final presidential candidate highlights need for forward-looking leader to boost student success at Western New Mexico University.

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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Mario Martinez, the provost and vice president of academic affairs at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, was the last of four finalists to visit Western New Mexico University's campus as a candidate for the university's 16th president. In his public comments, Martinez emphasized the importance of having a president who understands New Mexico culture and can also bring diverse experiences from working at different types of institutions to help guide WNMU through changing times in higher education.

Why it matters

As WNMU looks to select its next president, the university is seeking a leader who can build on the school's strengths as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and Native American-Serving, Non-Tribal Institution, while also modernizing operations and boosting student success rates that currently lag behind peer institutions.

The details

Martinez highlighted his own background growing up in Peñasco, New Mexico, with Indigenous and European heritage, as well as his experience working at other Hispanic-Serving and Native American-Serving institutions. He pointed to successes in boosting retention rates at Fort Lewis College as an example of what he could achieve at WNMU. Martinez also emphasized the need for the next president to understand emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and how they can be strategically integrated to support student success and institutional operations.

  • The Board of Regents met in a closed session on Thursday, March 7 to determine its top two candidates.
  • The next WNMU president is expected to be announced on March 17.

The players

Mario Martinez

The provost and vice president of academic affairs at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and the final candidate for the 16th president of Western New Mexico University.

Sara De Marina

Martinez's wife, who he says would be an equal partner in committing to the WNMU community if he is selected as president.

Western New Mexico University

A public institution of higher education located in Silver City, New Mexico, that is seeking its 16th president.

Fort Lewis College

The Colorado university where Martinez currently serves as provost and vice president of academic affairs.

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What they’re saying

“For us, this is not really a career step. This is a capstone experience. We are looking for alignment with an institution that we hope will be a decade, at least, as we work together on our next chapter in collaboration with the community and the institution.”

— Mario Martinez, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Fort Lewis College (scdailypress.com)

“The demands of a provost and presidency are such that there has to be an explicit partnership in agreement in how we work together with the community, and she is equally committed to this. She believes that our ability to give back in higher education is so fundamental to who we are as a couple, because of what it's given to us and our kids.”

— Mario Martinez, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Fort Lewis College (scdailypress.com)

“We do work well together. We do bounce ideas off each other. I feel like I'm a safe sounding board for him. I would say I would play more of a support role, but I would not pretend to step into issues at any time.”

— Sara De Marina (scdailypress.com)

What’s next

The Board of Regents is expected to announce the next president of Western New Mexico University on March 17.

The takeaway

Martinez's emphasis on understanding New Mexico's diverse cultures, his track record of boosting student success at other institutions, and his vision for strategically integrating emerging technologies like AI make him a compelling candidate to lead WNMU into the future and address key challenges facing the university.