President David Schmidly announced Tuesday that Suzanne Trager Ortega will be UNM's provost.
Ortega will take office Aug. 1.
Schmidly said Ortega is a good fit for the job, because she has a great interest in students, is a good listener and has a sense of humor.
"I think she will complement me very well in terms of my style," Schmidly said.
Ortega was one of two candidates for the position. She met with students, faculty and staff March 13 and 14.
Tito Guerrero III, vice president and associate provost for diversity at Texas A&M University, was also vying for the position.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Ortega will replace interim provost Viola Florez, who took over in June after Reed Dasenbrock stepped down to become the state's secretary of higher education.
Ortega comes to UNM from the University of Washington where she has served as vice provost since August 2005. She has also worked at Vanderbilt University, the University of Nebraska and the University of Missouri.
Ortega said she plans on settling down at UNM.
"I loved Albuquerque and was so impressed by how committed faculty, staff and students were to UNM," Ortega said. "It is clear that people genuinely love the University and believe in its importance and future."
Ortega will make trips to the University in the fall to get acquainted with the campus, said Julia Fulghum, chairwoman of the provost search committee.
Schmidly said he chose Ortega because she has held major leadership positions at three nationally recognized members of the Association of American Universities.
He said Ortega can help UNM become a member of the AAU, as well.
"She knows what excellence is," Schmidly said. "She's seen with her own eyes the way in which you build excellence. I think that experience will help her."
Ortega said UNM can get into the AAU if it creates an educational environment that helps all students complete their degrees.
