Ammu Devasthali

Chair

Term Expires: December 31, 2028

Ammu Devasthali is a longtime artist, painter and philanthropist who has called Las Cruces home for more than 30 years. Originally from India, she and her husband, Rama, a physician, came to the United States in 1981 and lived in Chicago before relocating to Las Cruces in 1987.

As an undergraduate, she studied Russian language at Nehru University in New Delhi, earning a bachelor’s degree. Later, she attended Moscow State University in Russia and earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Soviet literature.

While raising her family in Las Cruces, Devasthali began taking art classes at New Mexico State University. At first, she only took a couple of classes “here and there,” she said. But eventually, she had accumulated enough credits to earn a Master of Arts in printmaking from NMSU’s Department of Art. She later earned a second MFA in painting.

Soon after, Devasthali opened her own art studio, Art Ventures, in Las Cruces, giving artists a space to work and create. She then started a jewelry business, Designs by Ammu, which she operated for a number of years. At this time, she become involved in nonprofit work.

For more than 13 years, she served as a board member for the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, having served as president for two years and secretary for four years. During her time at the community foundation, she helped establish a women’s fund, Springboard, which aims to improve the lives of women in southern New Mexico through scholarships that provide opportunities for advanced education.

Devasthali and her family have raised funds for many projects and scholarships in the southern New Mexico region. She spearheaded efforts to raise private funds to help build the ASNMSU Center for Performing Arts and NMSU’s new visual arts facility, Devasthali Hall.

Ammu and Rama have been married for 42 years and have two children, a daughter, Vidusha, who is an NMSU alumnae, and a son, Vikram, who graduated from University of Southern California.

Regent Devasthali serves as the chair of the Regents Audit and Risk Committee, member of the Regents Real Estate Committee, Position Director for Arrowhead Center Incorporated, and the Board of Regents liaison to NMSU Foundation.

Deborah Romero

Vice Chair

Term Expires: December 31, 2026

Deborah (Debbie) Romero retired as cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) in 2022 following a nearly 50-year career as a public servant in New Mexico state government. Regent Romero has worked for nine different gubernatorial administrations and participated in over 40 legislative sessions.

She has worked in budgeting and finance across a wide variety of fields, with the majority of her career spent at DFA. Throughout her time at the department, she established the infrastructure capital outlay process for local governments, created the state’s capital outlay tracking system, and launched the state Infrastructure Finance Conference, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. She also previously served as Chief Financial Officer for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, as well as the Director of Boards and Commissions under two previous administrations.

Regent Debbie Romero succeeds Arsenio Romero, who vacated his position as a regent to serve as cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Public Education Department.

Regent Romero serves as the chair of the Regents Financial Strategies, Performance and Budget Committee and is a member of the Regents Audit and Risk Committee.

Christopher Saucedo

Secretary/Treasurer

Term Expires: December 31, 2026

Christopher T. Saucedo grew up in Doña Ana County, graduated from Gadsden High School, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from New Mexico State University, and obtained his law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law. He now practices law throughout New Mexico and West Texas specializing in commercial litigation, employment law, and complex civil litigation.

In addition to previously serving on the NMSU Board of Regents from 2018 - 2019, he also served on the inaugural Citizens Redistricting Committee for New Mexico. He considers election law to be his professional hobby and has previously served as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Election Law for the American Bar Association. For 8 years he served as President of the Board of the National Hispanic Cultural Center, a center dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and advancement of Hispanic culture, arts, and humanities. He is Past President of the Albuquerque Bar Association and a member of the Republican National Lawyers Association. He is the proud father of two and husband of over 23 years to his wife, Leslie.

Regent Saucedo serves as the chair of the Regents Student Success Committee, is a member of Honorary Degree Selection Committee, and represents the NMSU Board of Regents on the New Mexico Higher Education Regent Coalition.

Marisol Olivas

Member

Term Expires: December 31, 2026

Marisol Olivas is a native New Mexican, born and raised in Belen, New Mexico. She is an Aggie through and through as she graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics & Business. Olivas is currently pursuing a Master of Agriculture with a concentration in Agribusiness and is on track to graduate come Fall 2026. 

Being involved in the 4-H Youth Program, Select Beef Heifer Project, and the Youth Ranch Management Camp ignited her passion for the agriculture industry. While attending NMSU, Olivas has been an ACES mentor, an ACES ambassador, as well as a leader of the NMSU National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA). She contributed to the success of the NAMA team that won the National Championship in 2023 as well as a third-place finish during the 2024 National Competition.

Olivas studied abroad in Ireland through the Faculty Led International Program for the summer of 2022. While abroad, she learned about Ireland’s moiled cattle, agritourism, and potato blight. In addition, she studied agriculture in Israel for the summer of 2023 and learned about viticulture, date production, drip irrigation, and desalination.

Ricardo Gonzales

Member

Term Expires: December 31, 2030

Ricardo Gonzales is the Regional Vice President for New Mexico at El Paso Electric and a newly appointed regent for New Mexico State University. A seasoned public policy and communications leader with over two decades of experience, Gonzales specializes in legislative and regulatory strategy, government affairs, and community engagement. He has a proven track record of negotiating impactful legislation, including the Energy Transition Act, and developing economic development strategies. Prior to his role at El Paso Electric, he served as the director of state legislative affairs for NMSU and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, securing significant funding for statewide improvements. Gonzales, an NMSU alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in history, also brings expertise in public relations, corporate advocacy, and nonprofit development.