Before becoming CNM President, Ms. Hartzler was CNM’s Vice President for Finance and Operations and has been at CNM since 2015. She has served the public sector for more than 25 years in education, government, and policy roles. Since 2011, Ms. Hartzler has played a significant role in shaping postsecondary education in New Mexico, first with the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee, and later with CNM.
At the Legislative Finance Committee, Ms. Hartzler served as the New Mexico Legislature’s expert on higher education policy and funding, where she led the annual statewide higher education budget and policy initiatives. In this role, she participated in a major revision of the state’s institutional funding formula, staffed program and funding changes to the Legislative Lottery Scholarship Program, and expanded a statewide healthcare workforce initiative. She worked closely with legislative and executive agency staff on capital projects and workforce training requests. To advance this work, she served on national policy teams and student success advocacy groups, helping public officials implement best practices and policies.
More recently, President Hartzler turned her national and statewide expertise to the service of residents in central New Mexico as CNM’s Vice President of Finance and Operations. Before becoming CNM President, she also served as Treasurer for both CNM Ingenuity, Inc., the enterprise arm of the College, and the CNM Foundation. She has held various positions at the College, overseeing budgeting and finance, strategic planning, accreditation and research, human resources, facilities, information technology, and other operational and support functions.
In 2019, President Hartzler also served all New Mexico public higher education institutions as the Governor’s appointee to the New Mexico State Investment Council. During her time at CNM, she has also served as the community college member on the state’s Complete College America team, advocating for policies that improve student retention and completion.
From 2009-2011, Ms. Hartzler served as Special Assistant Attorney General for the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission in Santa Fe, and from 2006-2009, she served as Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. During her time in these roles, Ms. Hartzler helped local, tribal, state and federal government elected and appointed leaders, as well as community advocates, solve complex problems. She drafted and led federal legislative efforts to improve health care, housing and education for tribal members and aid tribal self-determination efforts. Working effectively across political lines, she furthered legislation to resolve and fund historic land and water disputes in many western states, including New Mexico.
Early in her career, Ms. Hartzler worked with parents, school and agency administrators to help students attend and graduate from high school and college programs. She expanded a mentoring and scholarship program for historically-marginalized high school students. As an urban, Catholic high school development director, she raised annual funds and led a capital campaign to build a multi-use school and community facility.
President Hartzler earned her Juris Doctorate from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America. She earned her Master of Education Degree from the University of Virginia with highest honors; and she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree, cum laude, from Saint Mary’s College in Indiana.
She is a member of the New Mexico, Indiana (inactive), and District of Columbia Bars.
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