Welcome New Faculty, Staff!

ENMU-Ruidoso Branch Community College recently welcomed six new employees with the start of the fall semester, one new faculty member and five new staff.

Integrated Education and Training Coordinator

Adrian Balderrama of Alamogordo was recently hired as the new Integrated Education and Training (IET) Coordinator. She has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from ENMU Portales. Balderrama has family roots all over Southern New Mexico, but has often visited Ruidoso. She likes the small-town area which makes it a wonderful place to work. “Everybody is so supportive and there’s a great sense of community, which I hope to serve to the best of my abilities with my work here at ENMU-Ruidoso,” she said. Her hobbies are baking, running, and reading and she has four dogs and a cat. Referring to this new role at ENMU-Ruidoso, “My team and I will be developing IET pathways and curricula for adult education students,” Balderrama said. She can reached by email at Adrian.Balderrama@enmu.edu.

Science Faculty

Dr. Patrick Brown of El Paso, Texas, joined ENMU-Ruidoso as a full-time Science faculty member this fall who is teaching Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2, Cell Biology, Chemistry 1 & 2, and Microbiology. He has a bachelor’s degree in Science from Cornell University, with a double major in Entomology and Biology with a concentration in Marine Biology, and a doctorate degree in Philosophy from the University of Texas at El Paso in Ecology and Evolution. He has two years of experience with the Fairfax County Department of Environmental Public Health in the disease-carrying insects program, one year of post-doctoral research and adjunct teaching experience at the University of Texas at El Paso.

“With ecology and science, it is important to remember you don’t necessarily know something unless you check. This is particularly important when talking about the home ranges of various animals in organism, the only way to know if they live there or not is to check and see. This philosophy has served me well in science and may help others,” said Dr. Brown. “My family lives in Bucks County. Penn., a location with a very different climate than the American southwest.” When he saw the teaching position posted, he did not want to pass up the opportunity to work in such a lovely location. As a sky island, Ruidoso bridges a happy medium to the desert scrub he has lived in for the past ten years with the forests he grew up in, while adding accents of its own. Art is his main hobby followed closely by hiking, running and board and tabletop gaming. His favorite quote is by Steve Prefontaine, “To give anything less than your best is to waste the gift.”  Dr. Brown can be reached by email at Patrick.Brown@enmu.edu.

Student Success Center Advisor

Destiny Hixon of Ruidoso recently joined ENMU-Ruidoso as the new Student Success Center Advisor. She has an associate degree from NMSU-Alamogordo, and a bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders from ENMU Portales. As a student at NMSU-Alamogordo, she was recruited as an America Reads and Counts Tutor, focusing on helping students who needed extra support in reading comprehension and composition. That position led her to work as a Writing Tutor and Testing Proctor while she earned her degree from ENMU. She and her family then moved to Idaho where she worked with T-Mobile Corporate Customer Experience as a Team of Experts Account Expert. There she learned about training, development and coaching. When they moved back to Ruidoso, she worked with Noisy Water Winery in Midtown and then with Ruidoso Municipal Schools as a substitute teacher while she worked on graduate studies. “I take my work seriously, but I don’t take myself seriously. I believe that it is important to be able to laugh and have fun whenever possible!” she said.

Hixon has been in and out of Ruidoso for almost 20 years. Her family moved here just after she graduated from Carlsbad High School. She, husband Jason, their two daughters, three cats and two dogs now make their home here. Jason’s family is also nearby. “I am excited to join the team at ENMU-Ruidoso because higher education is such an empowering step that anyone can take,” she said. She volunteers as a Girl Scout co-leader with Troop #16045. She can be reached at Destiny.Hixon@enmu.edu.

Information Specialist

Jorge “George” Nieto of Ruidoso recently joined us as the new Information Specialist. He has an associate degree in Criminal Justice. He is a retired Fire Lt. from El Paso, Texas, Fire Department; retired Texas Tech Police Department of El Paso, Texas; and was previously a Fire Technology Instructor El Paso Community College. He moved here two years ago after wanting to come to Ruidoso for over 40 years and he absolutely loves it! He considers himself a Jack-of-All-Trades, and enjoys hunting and fishing. He says, “If you want to change the world, start by making your bed,” Nieto’s favorite quote by Admiral W.H. McRaven. Nieto oversees front desk responsibilities including assisting with events and facility requests. He can be reached at Jorge.Nieto@enmu.edu or 575-315-1120.

Head Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Coach

Micah Bray of Ruidoso was recently hired as the Head Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Coach. He has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Point Loma Nazarene University, in San Diego, Calif. He has worked in counseling, personal training and coaching, sales and retail business. He is a co-owner of Nomad. He and his wife and children moved here from Los Angeles, looking for a slower pace of life and a place to start a family. He enjoys running, playing guitar and bass guitar, oil painting and jumping on the trampoline with his kids. “I love helping others tap into their greatest potential,” said Bray. He can be reached at Micah.Bray@enmu.edu.

Head Women’s and Men’s Rodeo Coach

Chelsea DeMott of Bosque Farms was recently hired as the Head Men’s and Women’s Rodeo Coach. She received a bachelor’s degree of Business Administration in Marketing from New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M. During her time there, she was a member of the college rodeo team where she competed in team roping, breakaway roping and goat tying. DeMott was the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) Grand Canyon Regional Student Director and qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo in 2014 and 2015. Chelsea is a sales representative for Wrangler Jeans covering New Mexico and northwest Texas and has been managing the territory for the past nine years. “I am looking forward to moving to Ruidoso and starting the ENMU-Ruidoso Rodeo team!” said DeMott. She can be reached by email at Chelsea.DeMott@enmu.edu.