Staff Report
Gov. Bill Richardson named the new member of UNM's Board of Regents Thursday, appointing a prominent business and civil leader to fill the vacancy left by the death of Reg. Donald Salazar.
John "Mel" Eaves, an Albuquerque lawyer and former state legislator, is faced with several immediate tasks, including helping select a new president of UNM.
Last month, the regents announced the names of the five finalists for the position.
"He is an ardent supporter of UNM and of higher education in general," Richardson said at a news conference.
Eaves, 64, is a shareholder and president of a law firm in Albuquerque, Eaves, Bardacke, Baugh, Kierst & Kiernan. Former Attorney General Paul Bardacke also is part of the firm.
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Eaves received his law degree from the University of New Mexico in 1971, and earned a bachelor's degree from UNM in 1968.
He served in the state House of Representatives in 1965-68, including serving as chairman of the House Labor Committee in 1967-68. Eaves was a member of the New Mexico Board of Educational Finance and Commission on Postsecondary Education in 1981-84.
