@NMSU
New regent Pino born in Las Cruces, an NMSU alumnus
New regent Isaac "Ike" Pino accepted the nomination to the New Mexico State University Board of Regents to "come back and get involved with the university that opened a lot of doors" for him. Pino graduated in 1974 from NMSU with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. Since then, his career has taken him around New Mexico working for state and city governments, and private companies.
Pino is now president of SunCor New Mexico, Inc., a Tempe, Ariz.,-based real estate, land development and homebuilding company. He manages the development of Rancho Viejo, a 2,500-acre master planned community in Santa Fe County.
One of Pino's first jobs, after graduation, was managing the engineering office for the City of Roswell from 1975 to 1978 as its city engineer. He was vice president of Bohannan-Huston, Inc., one of New Mexico's largest engineering consulting offices, from 1978 to 1985, managing the El Paso and Santa Fe branch offices. Before joining SunCor, Pino worked as director of the Public Works Department for the City of Santa Fe, project engineer for Bellamah Development Corp., special assistant to the cabinet secretary of the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department, director of the Planning and Land Use Department for the City of Santa Fe, city manager of the City of Santa Fe and director of the State Transportation Authority.
Pino's association with NMSU began in 1951 when Pino's father, Ricardo Pino, began attending NMSU to study range management. Pino was born in Las Cruces; his mother is the former Angela Ortega of Las Cruces. His father graduated with a master's in range management from NMSU and eventually worked for NMSU's Cooperative Extension Service, relocating the Pino family to Santa Fe when Isaac was 5 years old. This early start in Las Cruces and the family's closeness to NMSU is what prompted the now 57-year-old, father of two to be of service to the university. Pino's father retired from the Extension Service after 29 years.
"I saw a golden opportunity now, 35 years later, to be able to do something for my university. I was really, really excited when the governor offered me the opportunity to get on the board," Pino said, elaborating that he "dove into the job" even before he sat in his first board meeting April 8.
The hiring of a permanent president to the university, he said, is one of the most pressing issues he sees as a board member.
"We have to formulate a presidential search that will be beyond reproach and result in the hiring of a great president for New Mexico State University," Pino said. "And that is going to be our number one task."
As the economy continues to falter, Pino sees budgeting as another issue of grave importance. And Pino is no stranger to managing budgets with the background he has in city and state government jobs and now as president of a private company.
"Budgeting in these times is a very critical exercise. We have to make sure that the budgets and the things we review and say grace over are going to get the university through, what will be, a challenging year," Pino said. "That and picking a president will be two daunting challenges right out of the gate."
For the university to continue to grow as a land-grant university is another priority for Pino. He wants to see growth in funding of the endowment, research grants and the university's continued recognition for the work and students it produces.
"And no discussion about a university goes by without talking about the athletic program. I want to learn about the athletic program and its goals and direction. I've been a diehard Aggies fan since I was a kid," he said, recounting a story that at one of the Aggie football games his father caught a football kicked by Danny Villanueva, which Pino still has.
Overall, Pino wants to make sure that all the colleges and community colleges are well served to thrive and grow.
"I think we, as regents, have to keep our finger on the pulse of all of that," Pino said. "We have to continually work with the administration and with all the appropriate sectors within the university to see that these programs continue to move in a direction that enhances the university, nationally."
Written by Mario Montes
This is the second in a series of profiles on the new members of the NMSU Board of Regents.