New Mexico State University has named Luis Campos as its new associate vice president for Facilities and Services. Campos, who has more than 30 years’ experience in facilities management, starts his new role on May 18, overseeing facility operations across the NMSU system.
“I am honored to be returning to NMSU. I look forward to being part of the NMSU Facilities and Services team to support our Aggie community,” he said. “I started my career at NMSU, and this opportunity is coming full circle for my family and me.”
Campos’ three-decade career in facilities management encompasses strategic master planning, space planning and utilization, budgeting, capital outlay, construction and renovation, maintenance and operations, real estate, and safety and security.
After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from the University of New Mexico, Campos began his career at NMSU, working for the Office of the University Architect, where he led a team tasked with bringing the university into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Campos then joined the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, where he was instrumental in working with more than 800 American Indian tribes to direct and manage the campus master plan. Under Campos’ leadership, IAIA began construction of a new campus on 140 acres of undeveloped land.
Campos also spent 17 years at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque, where he served as the executive director for the college’s physical plant. During his tenure at CNM, he renovated more than one million square feet and transformed the main campus into a pedestrian-centered community with a strong student focus.
“I also spearheaded sustainability efforts at CNM that led to the largest number of constructed LEED facilities in New Mexico higher education,” he said.
In 2016, Campos became the statewide facility manager for the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts in Santa Fe, providing oversight and direction for strategic master planning, capital management and real estate. One of his key initiatives, he said, was partnering with local municipalities to construct new, high-functioning courts across the state to ensure access to justice for all New Mexicans.
At NMSU, Campos will oversee multiple units that comprise the Facilities and Services department, including the Facilities Operations, Office of the University Architect, Development and Engineering, Facilities Business Administration and the NMSU Fire Department.
NMSU Facilities and Services has played a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of the campus community amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since mid-March, a 120-person crew has been working to sanitize more than 130 buildings on the Las Cruces campus in preparation for the return of students and employees.
“However long COVID-19 impacts our lives and work, we understand the we are all connected and better together than apart,” Campos said. “I am amazed at how the NMSU Facilities and Services staff have stepped up well beyond what they normally do to safeguard the lives of our students, faculty and staff.”