DED Alumni Placement

Our Doctor of Economic Development graduates have gone on to successful careers in government agencies, economic development organizations, academia, consulting, and the private sector. Below is a record of our graduates and their initial placements.

2025

  • Abdul Khaliq – New Mexico State University, PhD Student in Water Science and Management
  • Hayford Danso – City of Las Cruces, Office of Economic Development

2024

  • Alex Bernal – Doña Ana Community College, Data Analyst
  • Alisha Murphy – Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development, Economist
  • Komla (Basile) Koumi – University of Alabama Center for Business and Economic Research, Assistant Research Economist-Professional
  • Kwaku Boakye – New Mexico Department of Transportation, Senior Economist

2023

  • Jason Banegas – New Mexico State University, Assistant Professor - Extension Economics
  • Percy Taabazuing – Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Economic Strategic Analyst/State Program Manager

2022

  • Luyen Nguyen – Navajo Technical University, Assistant Professor of Accounting
  • Md. Ziaur Khan – National Board of Revenue of Bangladesh, Joint Commissioner of Customs

2021

  • Kyle Eagar – The Research and Analysis Center NM, Operations Research Analyst

2019

  • Bernard Baah-Kumi – New Mexico State University, Research Associate
  • Richard Riney Bennett – Sandia National Laboratories, Principal Member of Technical Staff
  • Saleh Idhirij – New Mexico Department of Agriculture, College Professor
  • Starla Elizabeth Bennett – NM State Investment Council, Director of Public Equity
  • Leila Shadabi – City of Albuquerque, Economist

2018

  • Lucinda Vargas – New Mexico State University, Associate Director, Center for Border Economic Development
  • Leonardo Delgado – NM Department of Finance and Administration, Chief Economist
  • Aedh Faisal A. Alrasheed – Government Authority, Saudi Arabia, Head of Regulatory Impact Assessment
  • Christopher Osuoha – Wayland Baptist University, Associate Professor
  • Luis Enrique Rodriguez Davey – FTZ & Trade Compliance Analyst

2017

  • Carlos Silva – University of Arkansas Center for Business and Economic Research, Economic Analyst
  • Christine Logan – Elephant Butte, NM, Economic Developer
  • Rafael Perez Pena – Colorado Mountain College, Associate Professor

2016

  • Boris D. Higgins – University of Texas at El Paso, Assistant Professor of Instruction
  • Dale Spencer – NMSU Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Assistant Professor
  • Victor Owusu-Nantwi – Pennsylvania State University, Assistant Professor

2015

  • Francisco Pallares – Spaceport America, Director of Business Development
  • Marcella Shelby – New Mexico State University, Strategic Initiatives Officer, Physical Science Laboratory

2014

  • Fred Owensby – NMSU-DACC, Executive Director, Career Readiness & Economic Development
  • Francisca Reyes – University of California, Riverside, Blackstone LaunchPad Lead EIR
  • Griselda Martinez – Ascendo Strategies, LLC, CEO & Founder

2013

  • Steven Chavez – Western New Mexico University, Assistant Professor
  • John Kramer Winingham – Arrowhead Center at NMSU, Director of Economics Analysis
  • Miguel A. Vicens Feliberty – Western New Mexico University, Associate Dean, School of Business

2012

  • Ndem Tazoh Tazifor – City of Charlotte Economic Development Department, Chief Economist
  • Eduardo Saucedo – EGADE Business School, Director, Department of Finance and Business Economics
  • Brent David Ziarnick – American Foreign Policy Council, Fellow in Defense Studies
  • Hien Nguyen – MGH Institute of Health Professions, Data Analyst

2011

  • Abby Train – New Mexico State University, Director, Mathematics Success Center & Associate Professor
  • Harry Burgess – Los Alamos County, NM, County Manager
  • J.R. Sri Ranjith – University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, Professor in Economics
  • Rodolfo Acosta-Perez – Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico, Chief Financial Officer