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LAS CRUCES - A retired civilian employee of the Air Force was hired Monday as the new executive director for Spaceport America.
Christine Anderson, 64, of Albuquerque was appointed during a meeting of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.
Anderson also has experience working with Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base, said spaceport board Chairman Rick Holdridge, Republican.
"She's been involved in space development and satellite development for her entire career," he said. "Her résumé is long and very strong."
The agency has been without a direct manager for two months, since Gov. Susana Martinez, Republican, took office and forced the resignation of former director Rick Homans, who was hired under the tenure of former Gov. Bill Richardson, Democrat.
Anderson starts immediately and will earn $125,000 per year, said Greg Blair, press secretary for Martinez. Homans earned $170,000 annually.
Holdridge, a retired Air Force officer from Deming, said Anderson was vetted by Martinez's staff members around the same time they were interviewing candidates for spaceport authority board appointments.
Asked after the meeting why Anderson was selected, Holdridge replied: "My understanding was it was her breadth and length of experience she had. People like that are hard to come by, especially in New Mexico."
After just five minutes of discussion - during which board member Irvin Diamond, Republican, a certified public accountant from
Before the vote, Diamond, who attended by phone, questioned whether anyone on the spaceport authority board had met Anderson or talked to her.
Board member Sid Gutierrez, Republican, a former NASA astronaut and chief of safety for Sandia National Laboratories, said he'd met Anderson while the two served on a Martinez-appointed task force that reviewed spaceport contracts and operations.
"I spent several meetings with her and drove down to the spaceport with her," said Gutierrez, also by phone. "I spent the better part of a day chatting with her, so I have met her."
Said Diamond: "I'm assuming you're going to support her?"
Replied Gutierrez: "Yes."
Holdridge then jumped in, saying: "I've also talked to her fairly extensively and find her experiences pretty strong."
Spaceport America is a state-financed, $209 million launch site for commercial space vehicles that's being built in southeastern Sierra County.
Holdridge said most of the contracts Anderson has managed dealt with the private sector. He then called for the vote.
Later Monday, Holdridge said Anderson's main priorities will be overseeing the completion of construction at the spaceport and establishing an industry base around the project.
Present in person were Holdridge; Ben Woods of Las Cruces, Democrat, a vice president at New Mexico State University; Scott Krahling of Las Cruces, Democrat, a Do-a Ana County commissioner; and Jerry Stagner of Truth or Consequences, Republican, a bank president.
The meeting was the first since Martinez dismissed the previous board of directors and named new members, retaining just two people from the former board.
Board member David Buchholtz, Democrat, an attorney from Albuquerque, didn't vote on the hire because he joined the meeting late by phone. He said he had trouble connecting to the conference call because he was given incorrect dial-in information.
The meeting took place at the spaceport's headquarters, 901 E. University Ave., Las Cruces.
The board is slated to meet again on March 8 for a regular meeting.
Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.
Christine Anderson
•Title: Bew executive director of Spaceport America
•Age: 64
•Place of residence: Albuquerque
Résumé sampling
•June 1969 to September 1971: mathematician, U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office, Suitland, Md.
•September 1982 to June 1992: Chief, Computer Technology Section, U.S. Air Force Armament Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
•July 1996 to October 1997: Director, Space Technology Directorate, U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
•October 1997 to January 2001: Director, Space Vehicles Directorate, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
•Jan. 3, 2008: Retired from the Air Force
Education: bachelor's degree in mathematics, University of Maryland (1969); Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Va. (1997); Program for Senior Managers in Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. (2005)
If you go
•What: Regular Spaceport America board meeting
•When: 10:30 a.m. March 8
•Where: 901 E. University Ave., Bldg. 3, Suite C, Las Cruces
•Information: (575) 373-6110
