One of two Albuquerque businessmen or a local cardiologist will be appointed to the UNM Board of Regents no later than early next week.
Gov. Bill Richardson interviewed two of the candidates, Barry Ramo and Doug Brown, on Tuesday, said Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for the governor. Gallegos said he did not know when the third potential regent, Tom Bonafair, would meet with Richardson.
The appointment will fill a vacancy on the board left by the July 1 resignation of Reg. President Larry Willard. Five of the regents on the seven-member board will be Richardson-appointed.
Ramo is a staff cardiologist at the New Mexico Heart Institute. He has medical professorships at UNM, the University of Chicago, the University of Colorado and Duke University. He is also the health reporter for KOAT Channel 7.
Brown is on the Board of Directors of the UNM Foundation, a fund raising organization for the University, and is the co-founder of Talbot Financial Group.
Bonafair was chairman of New Mexico Beverage Co. until earlier this week when the company was purchased by the Maloof brothers, who also own the Sacramento Kings basketball team, Gallegos said.
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There are no front-runners for the position yet, Gallegos said.
"The governor plans to name someone late this week or early next week," he added.
Whoever gets Richardson's appointment will not be a registered Democrat. According to state law, no more than four members of the board can have the same party affiliation. Four UNM regents are Democrats and one is registered as an independent.
"Willard was a Republican, so his replacement will have to be a Republican or an independent," Gallegos said.
