New Faces on Campus

ENMU-Ruidoso Branch Community College recently welcomed seven new employees with the start of the fall semester: three new faculty members and four new staff members.

Department Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences and History Faculty

Dr. Robynne Horn is the new History Faculty and Humanities and Social Sciences Department Chair. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada; a Master of Arts degree in Transregional Environmental History, as well as a PhD in Transregional Environmental History, both from Georgetown University, Washington, DC. This fall semester, she will be teaching History of Western Civilization on Mondays and Wednesdays and United States History I online. In the spring semester, she will teach U.S. History II on Mondays and Wednesdays.

“I received a PhD in History from Georgetown University, for which I wrote about the environmental and health effects of uranium mining in New Mexico, as well as Canada and Russia. After receiving my PhD, I worked as a freelance historian, running my own historical consulting company. For this position, I researched and produced history for nonprofit organizations, private businesses, and government organizations. This work included a detailed history and preservation plan of Fort Stanton. In addition, I have worked as a developmental editor for a global history textbook and an environmental consultant,” said Dr. Horn.

“I was born and raised in Canada, near Toronto, and moved to the United States in 2011 to attend grad school. I was based in Washington, DC, for seven years while completing my master’s and doctorate degrees, with research stints across the country and abroad. Once, while I was researching my dissertation in Siberia, the Russian authorities interrogated me. I survived that, as well as a trip to Chernobyl and several other radioactive sites. After earning my PhD, I lived in the mountains of North Carolina, until moving to Santa Fe in 2020,” she said.

She moved to the area from Santa Fe three years ago when her husband was hired to manage Lincoln and Fort Stanton Historic Sites. Together, they have two small boys, and she took care of them full-time after their move. Last year, she began working as a part-time adjunct history instructor here at ENMU-Ruidoso, teaching History of Western Civilization and United States History. “It was a great experience, and I am thrilled to begin teaching full-time and serving as Chair for the Humanities & Social Sciences Department this year,” she said.

She loves to cook, bake, and collect cookbooks, so when she is not writing about history, she is writing about food. She can be reached at 575-315-1141 or Robynne.Horn@enmu.edu.

English Faculty

We welcome Dr. Justin Chrestman as our new full-time English faculty member. He will teach composition, literature, and creative writing courses at ENMU-Ruidoso, and he’ll also help manage the Writing Center in the Student Achievement Hub.

Originally from Las Cruces, Dr. Chrestman completed his Master of Fine Arts degree in English at New Mexico State University (NMSU) and his Ph.D. in English at the University of Houston. He has taught at Pima Community College, the University of Arizona, the University of Houston, and NMSU. He has also served as an assistant editor for multiple literary publications and has published his own fiction in national literary magazines. In 2015, he won the Alligator Juniper International Fiction Award.

“Dr. Chrestman brings a wealth of teaching experience and writing center and publication work to our campus,” said Jeff Frawley, Language and Fine Arts Department Chair. He can be reached at 575-315-1156 or by email at Justin.Chrestman@enmu.edu.

ENMU-Roswell Nursing Instructor

Melanie Mowery, RN, was hired by the ENMU-Roswell campus as a full-time Nursing Faculty to teach the nursing classes on the ENMU-Ruidoso Campus. She has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing and is a Registered Nurse (RN) from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She teaches the nursing classes Monday through Thursday at the ENMU-Ruidoso campus. She has worked in the Emergency Room, Hospice, Special Surgery Unit of hospitals and she is most recently retired from an amazing 30-year career as a school nurse in Garland ISD, near Dallas, Texas. She spent 17 years at Handley Elementary, then finished her career with a 13-year stint at the Garland High School. For the past 7 years, she worked during the summer months as a lead nurse in Monterey Bay, Calif., with Camp Ramah of Northern California, a youth camp.

Her favorite quote is, “If it’s wet and it’s not yours…don’t touch it!” ENMU-Ruidoso’s Director of Career and Technical Education, Gray Mowery, is her middle son. She has two other children, Victoria, her oldest daughter, and James, her youngest son; they both live in the Dallas area.

“I came to Ruidoso to start a new career teaching Nursing school and spend time with my son and his family! I enjoy quilting and also enjoy my grandpets,” she said. She can be reached at Melanie.Mowery@enmu.edu or by phone at 575-315-1384.

In 2024, ENMU-Ruidoso and ENMU-Roswell Branch Community Colleges entered into a partnership agreement to seamlessly deliver the ENMU-Roswell Campus accredited nursing program to the ENMU-Ruidoso Campus. Each fall, a cohort of nursing students is admitted to the program, typically comprising eight first-year and eight second-year students. The courses are offered in person at the ENMU-Ruidoso Campus and at clinical sites in the Ruidoso area. Upon completion of the program, the students are awarded an Associate of Science degree in Nursing.

Tribal Outreach & Student Success Specialist

Taryn Yuzos was recently hired as the Tribal Outreach and Student Success Specialist, a new position on campus. She will be working in-person and remotely. She is a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe and graduated from Ruidoso High School. She has a Bachelor’s degree in University Studies and a Level 1 Teaching Certificate from ENMU Portales. She will also be teaching High School Equivalency (HSE) and Dual Credit certificates for Mescalero Tribal members. Her work history includes a kindergarten teaching assistant at Mescalero Apache School, a classroom teacher, volleyball and girls’ basketball coach, and working for the health care authority in the income support division. She loves to travel and spend time with her very tight-knit family, and go to ball games and track meets with her family. She enjoys running cross country and going to watch school athletic events. Her six-year-old daughter, Kaehli, is in Little League, and she loves coaching her daughter’s team. “I was really interested and inspired to apply for this job because of getting to work with students,” said Taryn. Taryn can be reached by email at Taryn.Yuzos@enmu.edu or by phone at 575-315-1218.

Physical Plant Director

Curt Cornelius was recently hired as the Physical Plant Director. He comes to ENMU-Ruidoso with a wealth of knowledge and experience. He has an Associate of Applied Science degree and a Residential HVAC certificate from Collin College, Allen, Texas, and a Universal EPA certificate 608 and a 410A Refrigerant certificate, and an Indoor Air Quality Technician certificate from Mainstream Engineering Corporation. He served as the main contractor for Fountain Place, Southern Methodist University, Energy Plaza, and The Sheraton Dallas, in partnership with a mechanical company, for nearly a decade. Additionally, he owns a service operations business as well as property management, both residential and commercial. His favorite quote is “don’t sweat the small stuff.”

He and his wife have an 18-year-old daughter and three sons, ages 6, 4, and 10 months. His daughter transferred to UNM to continue the nursing pathway that she began here at ENMU-Ruidoso. His wife is an interior designer who specializes in contract furniture. He was drawn to this new position, which will allow him to use his skills, continue to grow professionally, and contribute to a college that values its employees. He enjoys spending time with his family, outdoor activities, travel, food, camping, fishing, biking, hiking, the ocean, history, science, and the way things work. He can be reached by phone at 575-315-1226 or by email at Curt.Cornelius@enmu.edu.

Physical Plant Technician

Jay Robinson began recently at ENMU-Ruidoso as a Physical Plant Technician. He plans to finish his Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science at Air University soon. He served in the United States Air Force for 9 years as an Integrated Avionics Specialist on the F-22 and F-35 stealth fighter jets, reaching the rank of Technical Sergeant. He left the Air Force when his dad’s health failed due to Alcoholism. Jay is in his fourth year of sobriety.

His wife is Zia Miner, and together they have a three-year-old daughter, Lucy. Zia is the daughter of Alan Miner, the ENMU-Ruidoso Community Education Ceramics teacher. They moved to Ruidoso to be closer to Alan and Zia’s two sisters and all of their nieces and nephews. They have three cats: Leia, Kitten Licken’, and Bin Kitten. He enjoys reading pulp fiction, Stephen King, Preston and Child. He has been in the top 10 on the Diablo 3 leaderboards on PS4 with video games. He can be reached by phone at 575-315-1227 or by email at Jay.Robinson@enmu.edu.

Technology Specialist

Chris Waites recently began working at ENMU-Ruidoso as a full-time Technology Specialist. He has several CompTIA certifications with apprenticeship training and plans to enroll in college courses here at ENMU-Ruidoso in the near future. He has 11 years of work experience in IT spanning across the Mescalero Apache Tribe, including Ski Apache, Casino Apache Travel Center, and the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino. Chris is of Irish and Native American descent from the Mescalero Apache Tribe. He plans to further his career and continue his education in Information Technology. His hobbies include skateboarding, snowboarding, hiking, fishing, and being outdoors. Chris can be reached at 575-315-1222 or Chris.Waites@enmu.edu.