IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/09/05 CONTACT: PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

SILVER CITY—Julia Gabaldon, President and Chief Operating Officer of Quality New Mexico, will be the keynote speaker for the Western New Mexico University 2005 spring commencement ceremony scheduled at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 13, at the WNMU Old James Stadium.

Some 297 degrees will be conferred during Friday's ceremony.

Quality New Mexico is New Mexico’s State Quality Award Program patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. WNMU earned QNM’s top award for excellence, the Zia Award, in 2003. Western is the first four-year institution of higher education in the state to earn the Zia Award.

In 1993, at the request of Senator Jeff Bingaman, Ms. Gabaldon received an appointment from Sandia National Laboratories to facilitate New Mexico’s Quality Initiative. In the fall of 1992 at a business forum in Las Cruces, N.M., Chris Galvin, a Motorola executive, challenged New Mexico to embark on a quality journey to improve New Mexico’s economic competitiveness. Gabaldon, along with countless volunteers and corporate sponsors, created Quality New Mexico and the New Mexico Quality Awards.

Gabaldon is currently serving a three-year term on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Overseers. She served on the Baldrige Award Board of Examiners for two years and one year as an Examiner for the President’s Quality Award.

Gabaldon has hosted radio and television program in New Mexico for the past 23 years. In 1979, she hosted a two-hour radio show on Spanish Radio, KABQ, to promote bilingualism in New Mexico. For eight years, she produced and hosted a bilingual television show on the ABC affiliate, KOAT-TV, again promoting bilingualism in New Mexico. She also produced and hosted a 13-week syndicated show on KGSW-TV and a Spanish-language cultural show on Univision’s KLUZ-TV. For 16 years, she co-hosted

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the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon on the CBS affiliate, KRQE-TV. For the past three and a half years, Julia has produced and hosted a weekly radio show on 770 KKOB, The Quality New Mexico Radio Show.

Gabaldon is a member of the Economic Forum, Governor’s Business Executives for Education, New Mexico Business Roundtable for Education Excellence, and Leadership Albuquerque Alumni Association.

She earned a bachelor’s degree and a masters degree from the University of New Mexico. She worked for the Albuquerque Public Schools as a Spanish/English teacher and a master teacher in the Cross Cultural Program for nine years.

Gabaldon is married, has two children, and three grandchildren. She is a New Mexico native and wants to make New Mexico a “State of Excellence” for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and her fellow New Mexicans.

E Street between 12^th Street and College Avenue will be closed during the commencement ceremony.

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