Northern New Mexico College welcomes new Provost René L. Vellanoweth

Dr. Vellanoweth brings more than two decades of experience and a commitment to student success

Northern New Mexico College is pleased to welcome René L. Vellanoweth, PhD, as its new Provost and VP for Academic Affairs.

“Dr. Vellanoweth brings over two decades of experience in higher education, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, securing external funding, and championing initiatives that uplift student success. His work as a coastal and island archaeologist has further distinguished him, to include international research collaborations, extensive publications, and a steadfast commitment to mentorship,” said NNMC President Hector Balderas. “We are very excited for what René will bring to the Northern community, and we are confident he will hit the ground running as he transitions into the role.”

Before joining Northern, Vellanoweth served as Dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences at California State University, Los Angeles, where he provided leadership for nearly 5,000 undergraduate students, more than 400 graduate students and a robust faculty team comprising 126 tenure-line faculty and 214 lecturers. Under his leadership, the college secured nearly $17 million in external grants, built an endowment exceeding $7.5 million and raised more than $5 million in philanthropic support.

He spearheaded the creation of Cal State LA's Urban Ecology Center, a multidisciplinary initiative to enhance community engagement and environmental research. His leadership resulted in strategic hiring that strengthened the college's academic and operational capacity, including recruiting 26 tenure-track faculty, two associate deans and essential professional staff.

Vellanoweth’s leadership extended beyond campus boundaries through active participation with several educational and research groups. He has served as a Commissioner for the California State Historical Resources Commission since 2018, and has contributed to the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Research Group and the Graduation Initiative 2025 Consultative Group.

Vellanoweth describes joining Northern as “a dream come true.”

“First and foremost, serving the communities of Northern New Mexico felt like the right thing to do for me at this stage in my life, to bring some of that regional comprehensive university experience that I have in California to New Mexico. I felt that would be a good mesh,” Vellanoweth said. 

“I felt very comfortable with all the folks I met on campus. When I met the president, when I met the executive team, when I met the chairs, when I met the various folks, I felt there was a genuine interest in not talking down to people, but to incorporating the incredible cultural capital that comes with every student who enters the halls of the Northern campus. There was a genuineness. There was a sincerity. There was an openness. And all of that felt like this is where I wanted to be at this stage of my career.”

Vellanoweth grew up in Los Angeles, Calif., the youngest of nine children. Like many Northern students, he is a first-generation college graduate. He earned his bachelor's degree in Anthropology from UCLA and his master's degree from Cal State LA, before completing his Ph.D. in Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology at the University of Oregon. Prior to joining Cal State LA in 2008, Vellanoweth held academic and administrative positions at Humboldt State University.

As a scholar, Vellanoweth has an extensive background in coastal and island archaeology, with active research projects spanning the California Channel Islands, Santa Monica Mountains, Baja California, México and Ireland. His work has contributed to understanding historical ecology and human-environment dynamics, while expanding student research opportunities.

Vellanoweth had several reasons for choosing Northern over other higher education institutions that had expressed interest. 

“What I like about Northern is how integrated Northern is in the community. I like the possibility of bringing traditional and Indigenous knowledge into the curriculum, like the holistic RN to BSN program. To me, that is where I come from as an individual,” Vellanoweth said. “I’m not necessarily an ivory tower person. I’m more of a roll up your sleeves, get in the community and make a difference kind of person. I do like the intellectual part of being an academic, but more than anything I like to work with community members.”

Vellanoweth has dreamed of moving to New Mexico for many years and has visited Española and Northern New Mexico many times. He and his wife, Leslie Heald, bought a home in Santa Fe four or five years ago. Heald is an oncology nurse who is hoping to move into community-oriented nursing. Their daughter, Helen Vellanoweth, is starting her first year of college. When Vellanoweth visited campus and Española during his interview, “I just knew it was my kind of place. It just felt right. It just felt good.” 

“For me, Northern is the heart of Northern New Mexico. Northern provides that connection to the Hispanic families as well as the Indigenous families and the Euro-American families there,” Vellanoweth said. “I like that sort of tri-cultural aspect to what Northern offers. There could easily be a tension there, but I love how people have also meshed and brought their different cultures and attitudes and respect of one another.”

Immersing himself in Northern’s history and culture is Vellanoweth’s first priority. 
“Because I’m the new person, I want to come in and absorb as much information as possible, as much knowledge, as much institutional history as possible,” Vellanoweth said. “So I’ll be setting up lots of meetings, just to get to know what’s going on, what are the needs, what are the challenges, what are the opportunities, what are the visions of other people: not just my vision, not just President Balderas’ vision, but a collective decision-making process. I believe in that.”

Vellanoweth’s approach to leadership is to make sure that everything that he does is in consultation not only with leadership but with the students, the faculty and the staff.

“I very much want to hear what others have to say. I might not always agree, but I believe in listening to what people have to say about a particular topic, a particular issue. I believe for me as an administrator, it’s my job to say yes. I might not always be able to get there, but if I start with no, then the conversation ends. And I don’t believe in that,” Vellanoweth said. “People are going to ask me for things, and I’m going to try to figure out how to work with people to say yes. That’s always been my strategy as an administrator, and I will continue that in my capacity as provost at Northern.”

Vellanoweth is devoted to ensuring Northern’s curriculum prepares students to successfully meet today’s challenges.  

“I work for them, because they are the future. I can only instill some ideas, I can only bring some passion, but if I don’t meet them, if they tune me out, then I’ve failed, and we all have failed,” Vellanoweth said. “Our students for me are number one, faculty and staff number two, administrators last. Sorry to say that, but we serve you and that’s what I want to bring. I’m looking forward to doing great things.”