Pettigrew & Associates CEO Debra P. Hicks, PE/LSI, Elected NMSU Board of Regents Chair

Las Cruces, NM, April 02, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Debra P. Hicks, PE/LSI, was elected Chair of the Board of Regents of New Mexico State University during the Board’s regular meeting on March 16, 2016. Her one-year term became effective immediately. An alumna of the University, Hicks is the owner of Pettigrew & Associates in Hobbs, NM, with over 32 years of experience in engineering and public service. Mrs. Hicks was appointed to the NMSU Board of Regents by Governor Susana Martinez in 2014 with her term expiring December 31, 2020.

"Our board is committed to educational quality and student success at New Mexico State University," said Hicks.

Currently, Mrs. Hicks serves as President Elect of American Council of Engineering Companies New Mexico; President of Lea County Community Improvement Corporation; Director at Large of the Executive Committee for Carlsbad Department of Development and Secretary for University of the Southwest Board of Trustees. Additional directorships include Leadership New Mexico; Eagle Trust Foundation; and NMSU Academy of Civil, Agricultural and Geological Engineering. Mrs. Hicks served on the Board of Regents for New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology from 2013-2014, NMSU Presidential Search Committee in 2013, New Mexico State Transportation Commission from 2011-2012, and the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission from 2005-2006. As a part of her professional activities, Debra has served as Director and President for the New Mexico Engineering Foundation, Section Chair and Director for the American Council of Independent Laboratories, President for the Southeastern Chapter of the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers, New Mexico MATHCOUNTS Coordinator, and Public Relations Committee Member for the National Society of Professional Engineers. Mrs. Hicks has worked extensively to promote STEM education in New Mexico through initiatives including MATHCOUNTS, New Mexico Education Workgroup, NMSU College of Engineering Dean’s Council, Hobbs Community Math Task Force, Tatum Municipal Schools WERC mentor program, and Lea County Women’s Network Mentor Program. Hicks holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from New Mexico State University.

For over 50 years, Pettigrew & Associates, P.A. has been a leader in fully integrated engineering, surveying, and materials engineering and testing, serving customers in New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and other states. A registered women-owned enterprise, Pettigrew & Associates is the only firm located in southeastern New Mexico with the unique capability to provide all facets of a civil design project in-house, including planning, preparation of funding applications, Right of Way services, geotechnical investigations, design and construction engineering, surveying, monumentation, and additional services such as construction management, inspection, materials testing, and staking.