The UNM Anderson School of Management Foundation Board has announced its 2015 Hall of Fame honorees.
The school will honor this year’s inductees on April 7.
The outstanding Hall of Fame honorees for the evening are Sam Baca, president, Baca & Redwine CPAs; Steven W. Keene, managing partner Albuquerque Office, Moss Adams LLP; Carlo Lucero, president, Sparkle Maintenance Inc.; and Carol Sallee, BBA 1944/MBA 1951 — the first female to earn a graduate degree from UNM Anderson.
This year’s Young Alumni Honorees are Fabian Aragon of Sandia National Laboratories; Brandy Davis, partner at SingerLewak Accountants and Consultants; and John Kynor, CRS, owner and qualifying broker, QRealty Inc.
Manuel Julian R. Montoya, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Finance, International, Technology and Entrepreneurship, is the recipient of the Faculty Community Leadership Award, and Betsy Carlson of Western Assurance will receive the Distinguished Service Award.
Hall of Fame candidates are selected for their professional success, contribution to community and their ongoing commitment to continuing education. Interim Dean Dr. Craig White says the Anderson Hall of Fame event highlights the impact that UNM Anderson graduates have in the business community.
“We are extremely proud to recognize the 2015 Hall of Fame honorees,” White said in a release on the announcement. “Each demonstrates what is possible when using an Anderson education as a foundation to a career that benefits their family, business and community.”
Funds raised at the dinner go to support the Hall of Fame Endowed Scholarship at the Anderson School of Management.
The theme of this year’s event is “Imagine the Possibilities” and corporate sponsorship opportunities are available ranging from an event sponsorship level of $10,000 to table sponsors at a cost of $1,500. Individual tickets are $150. For information, contact Felicia Rodriquez in the Anderson School Development Office at 505-277-1504 or feliciar@unm.edu.
Outstanding Hall of Fame honorees
Sam Baca is an influential leader in Albuquerque’s business and legal communities. He is President of Baca
Sam Baca, Baca Redwine, CPAs
and Redwine CPAs, a firm widely recognized in the community for its excellence and integrity. Baca’s expertise as a forensic accountant has made him a frequent speaker on accounting in legal forums and he is often called upon as an expert witness in complex business and family law cases. He is involved in numerous community activities including the N.M. Economic Forum; board member for the N.M. Mutual Insurance Co.; the N.M. Society of CPAs, where he was awarded the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award; Rotary Club of Albuquerque; Presbyterian Foundation; and a supporter of the UNM men’s golf team, including serving on the steering committee to host the NCAA Championship in 1976, 1992 and 1998. Baca earned his accounting degree from the Anderson School of Management in 1972.
Steven W. Keene serves as the managing partner of the Albuquerque office of Moss Adams LLP. He has consulted with clients in a wide range of industries on accounting and tax matters since 1981. Keene has worked with state government, private industry and other key stakeholders in
Steve Keene, Managing Partner Albuquerque Office, Moss Adams LLP
conducting several economic impact studies. Prior to joining Moss Adams, Keene was with an international accounting firm for 10 years. He earned his MBA from the Anderson School of Management and a BA in economics from the University of New Mexico. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the N.M. and Arizona Societies of Certified Public Accountants. He serves on the executive committee of the board of the New Mexico Tax Research Institute; the board of Albuquerque Economic Development; and is a past chairman of the board for New Mexico Special Olympics. He enjoys golf, travel, wine and art collections, reading, and supporting Lobo athletics.
Carlo Lucero is the president of Sparkle Maintenance Inc., the largest New Mexico-headquartered janitorial services firm that is still family owned. Sparkle was founded in 1964 by Carlo’s parents, Ben and Ellie Lucero. Lucero and his brother Paul purchased the firm from their parents in 1991 and grew the
Carlo Lucero, President, Sparkle Maintenance, Inc.
business into a commercial janitorial service contractor with more than 400 employees in New Mexico, Texas, Nevada and Colorado. Lucero was raised in Albuquerque and earned his BA in economics from the University of New Mexico in 1984 and his MBA in finance and management from UNM Anderson in 1986. His community activities include serving on the board of directors of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce. He is also a founding member of the N.M. Connections
Academy Charter School. He is also passionate about attracting new technology- and manufacturing-based businesses into New Mexico.
Carol Sallee is the first female to earn a graduate degree from UNM
Carol Sallee, BBA 1944/MBA 1951. The first female to earn a graduate degree from UNM Anderson.
Anderson. She received her MBA from the business school (not yet named Anderson!) in 1951 and was a member of the first female cohort of four students to graduate with a BBA from UNM in 1944. During her time at UNM, Sallee was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and worked as a bookkeeper for New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union. She went on to write a thesis outlining an early version of the higher-education funding formula and work in many positions at UNM including associate dean of women, under longtime Dean of Students Lena Clauve.
Young alumni honorees
Fabian Aragon is the manager of the CIO & IT Business Operations department at Sandia National Laboratories. He is partly responsible for the hiring of dozens of students into internship positions at Sandia as well as several into regular employee positions after graduation. A native New Mexican, Fabian grew up in Las Vegas, N.M. He graduated from the Anderson School of Management with a BBA in accounting in 2004 and received his masters of accounting in 2006.
Brandy Davis is a partner with SingerLewak’s Business Management Practice. She has more than 10 years of experience in public accounting. avis specializes in business management and taxation needs for entertainment and high-net-worth individuals. She also has experience with corporate taxation and nonprofit organizations. She received her bachelor of business administration from the Anderson School of Management in 1999. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and an active member of Women in Film.
John Kynor, CRS, earned his BBA in entrepreneurial studies from the Anderson School of Management in 2003. After graduating he received his real-estate broker’s license and for nearly nine years was a top-producing broker at Coldwell Banker Legacy. In 2012 Kynor started his own real-estate agency called Qrealty and the business quickly established itself as a player in the very competitive real-estate market. He is past president of the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors.
Faculty community leadership honoree
Manuel Julian R. Montoya, Ph.D. is a professor of global structures and an interdisciplinary scholar of globalization. Montoya is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a Rhodes Scholar and Truman Scholar. He is the CEO of his own global consulting firm, In Medias Res Consulting. A native of Mora, Montoya returned to UNM because of his interest in New Mexico as a global emerging economy.
Distinguished
Service Honoree
Betsy Carlson is a 12-year veteran insurance agent/broker with Western Assurance, the largest locally owned insurance agency in New Mexico. Carlson’s life principle for personal and professional excellence includes prioritizing others and always representing her customer’s best interest. She was the first woman president of the Independent Insurance Agents Association of New Mexico in 48 years; is the past executive board member of the Association of Commerce and Industry; a member of New Mexico Workers Compensation Appeals Board; a past member and president of the UNM Anderson School of Management Foundation Board; and a member of Parker Center for Family Business at UNM.