Ryan Berryman named UNM’s interim athletic director as former AD Fernando Lovo departs for Colorado
—Geoff Grammer, Albuquerque Journal
Ryan Berryman has been named New Mexico’s interim athletic director following Fernando Lovo’s departure for the University of Colorado, the school announced Tuesday.
Berryman, UNM’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, will start Jan. 1. The announcement comes one day after Lovo, UNM’s athletic director for the past 13 months, was named to the same role at Colorado.
“Ryan Berryman brings deep institutional knowledge, steady leadership and a strong commitment to our student-athletes, coaches and staff,” President Garnett S. Stokes said in a news release. “His experience and collaborative approach position him well to guide our athletics program during this transition, and I am confident he will continue to build the momentum of Lobo athletics.”
Additional information about UNM’s search for a permanent athletic director is “forthcoming,” per the release.
Berryman, 32, is one of two deputy ADs who are Albuquerque area natives and have accumulated the vast majority of their college athletics administrative experience while at UNM. Both were key pieces of Lovo's leadership team, and are interested in becoming the permanent athletic director for the school.
Jalen Dominguez, 40, is deputy AD and chief revenue officer who has spearheaded the Lobo Club's run of five consecutive record-setting fundraising years for UNM.
Both have tremendous support internally at UNM and around the donor community to get consideration for the job, so the Journal asked both — both of whom happen to be in Boise, Idaho, together with the men's basketball team for Tuesday's night's Mountain West game against the Boise State Broncos — about the dynamic of needing to work together while both pursuing the now open position.
Both said in independent conversations with the Journal essentially the same thing: They respect each other, and UNM, far too much to let this become a distraction or an issue.
"I have the utmost respect for the leadership at the University of New Mexico and the process of both selecting the interim and the final decision for a permanent Athletic Director," Dominguez told the Journal. "I am committed to working with our staff, executive team and Ryan to continue to serve our student athletes during this transition and another banner year for Lobo athletics.
"I am proud of the work we have done to build Lobo athletics into what is today. It was not done overnight and I am fully confident that our future is bright. I plan to pursue the position and as a New Mexican I would cherish the opportunity to lead the athletic department of our flagship institution and serve our student athletes, coaches, staff and community."
While Dominguez was already on staff when Lovo was hired, Berryman had left UNM last summer to become the Senior Associate Athletic Director and Chief Financial Officer at the University of Washington, only to have Lovo lure him back to UNM by early 2025.
Like Dominguez, Berryman said UNM Athletics isn't in the position it is in right now without the work of several people, including Dominguez.
“The reality is, when you work in college athletics, you surround yourself with people who are naturally competitive, Berryman told the Journal. "Every day, we go to work with future head coaches and future AD's. It is part of what makes this industry great.
"With that said, I always want what's best for the University of New Mexico, and will always respect the processes and the people involved in making those decisions. We are fortunate to have an amazing team of administrators at UNM that care deeply about the Lobos.”
A three-time UNM graduate, Berryman has overseen internal operations within the athletic department since March 2025. He has also served as the sports administrator for UNM’s men’s basketball and women’s soccer programs, and was involved in hiring men’s basketball coach Eric Olen and women’s soccer coach Karley Nelson.
He started his climb at UNM as a student manager for the men's basketball team in 2012 before serving as a student regent from 2015-16. He went to work as the basketball team's director of operations for three years and has worked in some capacity with each of the past five Lobo men's basketball coaches, Olen, Richard Pitino, Paul Weir, Craig Neal and Steve Alford.
“I am honored by the opportunity to serve the University of New Mexico, my alma mater, in this interim role,” Berryman said in the release. “Lobo athletics has a proud tradition and a strong future. I look forward to working closely with our coaches, student-athletes, staff, campus leadership, and community partners to ensure continuity, stability, and continued progress during this period.”
Dominguez, who played high school basketball in Albuquerque and decided to play for New Mexico State to learn under former Aggies head coach Lou Henson, has an M.A. in Sports Administration from UNM in 2011 and a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from NMSU in 2008.
While having also worked at UCLA, he's a long-tenured Lobo Club executive who is also the sports administrator for football. In recent years, Dominguez has been the primary liaison between name, image and likeness (NIL) contributions from outside collectives to the newly formed Lobo Alliance, navigating the fundraising obstacles that the past few years of NCAA turmoil on that front have caused.
UNM is searching for its second athletic director in a 16-month period after Lovo’s departure. His predecessor, Eddie Nuñez, left for the same position at Houston in August 2024, opening up a search that ended with Lovo’s hiring three months later.
In his time with UNM, Lovo notably hired head football coach Jason Eck, who led the Lobos to a historic 9-4 season and the program’s first bowl berth since 2016. He also oversaw a record fundraising run, with the UNM Lobo Club announcing $11.1 million in donations in fiscal year 2025.
Town of Taos executes warrant at Taos Plaza Theater building
—Taos News
In Taos, local officials are working to get the owner of the Taos Plaza Theater to do something about the neglected property. The historic building at 116 South Plaza has been cited for multiple building code violations.
The Taos News reports the Town of Taos executed a search warrant at the property on Friday, Dec. 19. The News reports the warrant was issued following months of unsuccessful attempts to contact the property’s owner about safety hazards at the building.
Local officials say code violations have been posted at the theater since May 2024. Town of Taos staff told the News that maximum fines at the property now exceed $1 million.
Bob Sahd is the building’s owner. The Town has been trying to contact Sahd using two addresses in Albuquerque believed to be Sahd’s.
The warrant was executed by code enforcement and the Taos Fire Marshal’s Office. Officials described the conditions inside as hazardous.
The Taos News reports it was able to reach Sahd by phone on Dec. 19. Sahd told the Taos News he was neither aware of violations posted to the property nor the town’s notice of public nuisance abatement that town officials say was sent to him.
Sahd said he lives in Arizona and that the Albuquerque addresses used by the town are outdated. Sahd told the Taos News he plans to fix up the property in the next few months, then reopen it after acquiring the necessary permitting. Local officials also say Sahd owes more than $6,000 in utility bills at the property, dating back to 2019.
Newly sworn in, Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia vows to be 'honest and open'
—Santa Fe New Mexican
Santa Fe has a new mayor. Michael Garcia was sworn into office at a ceremony Tuesday morning at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports it was standing-room only at the event. In a speech after taking the oath of office, Garcia committed to being “honest and open” with residents.
Garcia’s term will officially start Jan. 1.
Also sworn in Tuesday morning were incoming City Councilors Pat Feghali and Liz Barrett, while current Councilors Lee Garcia and Amanda Chavez were sworn in for their second terms.
The New Mexican reports outgoing Mayor Alan Webber and Councilor Signe Lindell made brief remarks at the event, while outgoing Councilor Carol Romero-Wirth was not present.
Albuquerque seeks input on Lead-Coal corridor
—KOB
The City of Albuquerque is inviting residents to share their voices as it explores new ways to improve safety along Lead and Coal Avenues, from Interstate 25 to Washington Street.
This corridor has long been a concern for neighborhood residents due to traffic crashes, property damage, and unsafe conditions for people walking and biking.
The city has launched the Lead and Coal Corridor Safety Alternatives Survey. The city says feedback from community members will play a key role in determining which safety measures move forward.
The survey presents respondents with several options for improving safety along the corridor. Possible changes include lowering the speed limit to 25 MPH, reducing the number lanes on each street to one, converting Lead and Coal to two-way travel, or leaving the corridor as-is.
The survey is available at the city’s website, CABQ.gov.
Los Alamos opens public EV charging stations
—Los Alamos Daily Post
There are now 12 new electric vehicle charging stations in front of the Los Alamos County-Municipal Building. The Los Alamos Daily Post reports the stations are now fully operational following a two-month installation project.
A user fee of 23 cents per kilowatt hour will be charged in order to pay for the stations.
The Daily Post reports the existing free EV charging stations will be removed beginning Wednesday (Dec. 31).
New Mexico gets $211 million under new rural health program – Kathy Cook, Albuquerque Journal
New Mexico will get $211 million in federal dollars to support rural health care in 2026.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced $10 billion in awards for all 50 states through the new Rural Health Transformation Program on Monday, including the money for New Mexico.
“This $211.5 million federal investment recognizes New Mexico’s bold plan to transform rural health care delivery across all 33 counties,” Health Care Authority Secretary Kari Armijo said in a statement. “The funding will support workforce recruitment and retention, expand technology for rural providers, and strengthen the hospitals and clinics that serve as lifelines in our communities.”
H.R. 1, the large tax package passed in July, made significant cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and food assistance. In New Mexico, changes to Medicaid could mean a loss of $8.5 billion in federal funds from 2028 through 2037, according to a New Mexico Health Care Authority guide. But lawmakers also used H.R. 1 to create a new $50 billion, five-year federal program to support rural health care.
“More than 60 million Americans living in rural areas have the right to equal access to quality care,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement. “This historic investment puts local hospitals, clinics, and health workers in control of their communities’ healthcare.”
New Mexico’s award is great news, said Julia Ruetten with the New Mexico Hospital Association, and she is hopeful it will have a meaningful impact on the state’s rural residents. But she does not think the program will offset coming Medicaid cuts.
“It kind of ends at the same time that the biggest impacts to the Medicaid cuts for hospitals are going to go into effect,” Ruetten said. “So, I do have concern that it's setting up a future cliff in terms of supplemental federal funds that hospitals will utilize or be reliant on.”
The $50 billion in funds will be allocated over five years, with $10 billion available each year, according to the CMS news release. First-year awards ranged from $147 million to $281 million, according to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services news release. New Mexico’s award is above the national average of $200 million.
The first-year award will allow New Mexico to start all five of the initiatives outlined in its program application, according to Health Care Authority spokeswoman Marina Piña. The state will focus on establishing a Rural Health Sustainability and Innovation Center. The center is meant to serve as the central operation and coordination hub for the program, providing infrastructure to launch initiatives, manage subawards and procurement activities and give technical assistance. The state budgeted $123 million for the center over the five year program.
New Mexico’s application also includes plans to spend $393 million strengthening speciality care and chronic disease management with regional speciality and maternal care networks, provider training and remote care technologies. The state also proposed using $243 million to expand the rural health care workforce; using $188 million to launch a competitive grant program for rural, frontier and tribal communities to use on health initiatives that address unique health care challenges; and spending $53 million on a statewide health analytics platform.
New Mexico’s program application asked for $1 billion over five years. The program is structured as a multi-year opportunity, awarding money annually based on federal appropriations, program performance and compliance with federal reporting and accountability requirements.
“New Mexico intends to fully implement its approved plan and demonstrate measurable progress toward access, workforce, and sustainability goals, positioning the state to remain competitive for future funding under this program,” Piña said in a statement. “CMS retains flexibility to adjust award amounts each year based on these factors.”
Long reliant on oil and natural gas, Farmington takes first steps into renewable energy future – John Miller, Albuquerque Journal
Amid acres of pump jacks and miles of natural gas pipeline that have been in place for decades, a new vision for how this Four Corners community and its neighbors get their power is gradually beginning to take shape.
Despite Farmington's reputation for fossil fuels production in the oil- and gas-rich San Juan Basin, Farmington Electric Utility installed two high-efficiency engines at Bluffview Power Plant this month and is planning to break ground on a 4 megawatt AC solar facility with 12 megawatt-hours of battery storage next year.
"Our goals were based on reliability, low cost energy for our customers and environmental benefit," said Hank Adair, director of Farmington Electric. "And one of the pieces of generation to be added in our portfolio was some reciprocating internal combustion engines, or RICE engines, as they're called."
The new equipment will produce a combined 18 MW, or enough energy to power roughly 14,000 homes across the utility's service area, which includes a total of 46,000 metered customers in Farmington, Bloomfield and Kirtland, as well as portions of Rio Arriba County and the Navajo Nation.
The engines were installed under a contract Farmington Electric struck in the fall of 2023 with Wartsila, a Finnish energy company, and are located inside a new building at the plant at 755 W. Murray Drive in Farmington.
While one new full-time employee was hired to manage the engines, a total of 80 contractors were hired to help install them and construct the new building they're housed inside, Adair said, explaining that many workers came from the surrounding region.
The engines are currently powered by natural gas pumped from the surrounding San Juan Basin, but they're also capable of burning renewable energy sources, such as biofuels, synthetic fuels or hydrogen blends. The engines are also more flexible, Adair added, allowing the utility to calibrate them based on fluctuating energy demands.
Before the coal-powered San Juan Generating Station, located between Farmington and Shiprock and co-owned by Tuscon Electric Power and Farmington Electric, was decommissioned in 2017, the city of Farmington and its Public Utility Commission began creating a roadmap that included the gradual introduction of renewables into its existing energy portfolio.
"I think we reconcile it as what our governance and what our community would love to see," Adair said of the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy sources in the region. "Our focus, again, is for reliable, low-cost energy generation and a sound portfolio, so we balance all that. I don't think they're at odds. I think this utility looks for what is the best fit at the time to meet all of our needs, right?"
A ribbon cutting for the RICE engines is set for Jan. 14 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.